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TEN TRAIL TIPS:

1. When you park your car at a trailhead, leave a note on the dashboard with your name, time of departure, what trail you're taking, and the time you expect to be back.

2. Follow trail markers carefully. Usually you'll see single blazes painted on trees and rocks, with two blazes marking an intersection. In open fields, follow the rock cairns, pyramids of rock placed about 100 ft. apart. If you're hiking back the way you came, note each tricky intersection you come to; trails can look surprisingly different in reverse. Remember to stay on the trail -- never take shortcuts around switchbacks. Hike carefully, watch your feet, and STAY ALERT...

3. LISTEN to your body. Stop when you get tired, take off your boots and give your feet a good rub. Stop if a particular muscle is starting to bother you, if you' re feeling cold or too hot, or getting light-headed. Stop for a while and take care of yourself -- you should have everything you need to do so in your pack. Don' t let pride or time pressures lead you towards exhaustion, injury and poor decisions.

4. EAT OFTEN and HYDRATE all the time. Make yourself drink from your water bottle more often than seems reasonable. Don' t wait till you' re thirsty ... By then, your body is already dehydrated and sending alarm signals. Stop at least every hour to snack on a granola bar or an apple; enjoy a hearty picnic at lunchtime -- your body is burning a huge amount of energy and needs to be refueled. Steady drinking and eating are the main ways to prevent fatigue and injury.

5. WILDERNESS ETHICS: Follow the "carry in, carry out" rule. Whatever garbage you generate, bring back with you. Don' t leave anything in the wilderness, not even extra food or biodegradable trash like banana peels.

Don't use soap, toothpaste, or other synthetic stuff in streams and water sources.

Camp among trees rather than in open meadows; you'll do less damage to fragile plants and flowers. Be sure you're at least 100 ft. from trails and water.

Use a small camp stove and, if you can, avoid building campfires ... They consume scarce vegetation, leave scars on rocks and land, and put you at risk for a forest fire!

6. TOILET TIPS: To use the woods properly (without an out-house), get off the trail, at least 100 ft. from any water supply. For more than a quick pee, dig a shallow hole in the forest floor and cover it with loose dirt when you' re done. If you must bring toilet paper with you (rather than using leaves, which actually work well as long as you take large, softish ones from trees and bushes and stay away from shrubs growing along the ground - no poison ivy or stinging nettles), then wrap the TP in plastic bags and bring it back. For further details, check out Kathleen Morris' How To Shit In the Woods - An environmentally sound approach to a lost art (Ten-Speed Press, 1989).

7. BLISTER PREVENTION: Even if you' re wearing properly-fitted hiking boots, even if you broke them in before hitting the trail, you may still feel a slight rubbing at your heel or the side of your foot. This will soon evolve into a "hot spot" and eventually, a painful full-fledged blister. Don' t be foolish and press on through adversity - blisters can be incapacitating. STOP the first time you feel any irritation. Take off your boots and socks and examine your feet; usually you' ll find a red area where friction is working away on the skin. Cover this with a band-aid or some moleskin. You should be all set to continue.

8. HYPOTHERMIA PREVENTION: When the body loses heat faster than it can generate it, and core body temperature drops below 98.6 degrees, you' re in danger of hypothermia. Staying DRY is your best protection; most cases result from dampness, wet clothing, and exposure to wind. Don' t ever think that you don' t need to bring extra clothing. Just this weekend, I went for a day-hike with a friend up in New Hampshire' s White Mountains. The area was in the midst of a heat wave; it was 85 degrees in the shade when we left the house at 7 a.m. We were both wearing shorts and cotton tank-tops and had packed light wind-breakers and extra cotton shirts to put on when we reached the exposed ridge. But about 5 minutes into our hike, a torrential downpour started and we soon found ourselves soaked through to the skin. We stayed warm hiking up, but once we were above tree-line we quickly cooled down. The rain continued and the wind was fierce. We put on all the clothing we had but kept getting colder and more miserable. Instead of hiking over the ridge as we' d planned, we had to turn around to get out of the wind. Luckily, this was the most serious disappointment of the day.

The lesson? If you must wear cotton, then at least carry a synthetic long-underwear shirt with you. Always bring waterproof gear -- a nylon "windbreaker" doesn' t do the job - and put it on BEFORE you' re already wet. No matter how hot you are at the bottom, pack at least one warm, heavy layer in your pack. On cooler days, err on the side of caution and bring many warm layers: windpants, hat, gloves and more. Staying well-hydrated and well-fed will also keep your body' s heat-generating mechanism working. [To learn about treating hypothermia in the backcountry, take a wilderness first-aid course].

9. DEHYDRATION PREVENTION: Dehydration is hypothermia' s first cousin; the two often go hand-in-hand, especially in cold weather. In hot weather, dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke if left unattended. The key to prevention is simply to drink liquids constantly throughout your day of hiking. Start the day hydrated, remembering that the body absorbs cold water more readily than warm water. Stay away from coffee, tea, soda, and other caffeinated drinks - these are diuretics and increase fluid loss. Watch your friends for signs of overheating: excessive sweating, red skin, and complaints of headaches and dizziness. Hike during the coolest times of the day (early morning is best), and take many breaks in the shade.

10. STORM SAVVY: A little rain (or even a downpour) won' t hurt you as long as you' re outfitted in waterproof gear and have a dry layer in your pack. A thunderstorm is another story, though -- in the mountains, a doozy could blow in at any time. Get a weather report before you leave. If there' s a high chance of thunderstorms, you may want to rethink your hiking plans. If you' re determined to hike regardless or a storm catches you unawares on the trail, just follow a few simple precautions to avoid getting zapped:

• in a storm, get off peaks and ridges.
• avoid steep inclines (where current flows quickest) and look for flat ledges or gentle slopes.
• avoid open fields or any place exposed -- you don' t want to be the tallest thing around.
• get near something that will act as a lightning rod, staying away from its base but not farther away than its height.
• crouch low, touching the ground only with your feet, or sit on something substantial like coiled rope.
• keep clear of metal -- for instance -- your packframe.
• a cave is not a safe shelter. Unless it' s very deep and high-roofed, a cave can become your grave. On August 4, 1968, four California hikers were caught in a storm near the summit of Bugaboo spire in British Columbia and hid in a shallow cave than was really no more than an overhanging ledge. When a bolt of lightning struck outside the entrance, two of the party died and the other two were so badly burned and dazed they barely managed to make their way down.
• to estimate how far away a thunderstorm is from you (in miles) and gauge how long you have to get to some sort of safety, count the seconds between lightning and thunder and divide them by five.
• as usual, don't panic. Remember that lightning is a low-risk danger that only kills about 150 Americans a year. Your calm clear mind will increase your chances of survival, and from that point on, it' s pure luck. [source for these stats: Colin Fletcher, The New Complete Walker, Alfred A. Knopf, 1977]