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One of the deciding factors for thieves with cars is whether they can see something they consider of value. If they have it fixed in their minds to breaking into your vehicle, they will do it.
Here is a few things I do to avoid such misfortunes:
Park your vehicle in the best open and visual spot possible so that thieves would be deterred from being ...
28
Invite them both on a day hike. That's a end onto itself, so no need to pretend anything else. You can watch the interaction between #2 and #3, and talk about experiences to find out what #3's qualifications are. If after that you still think #3 is a good fit with you and #2, then suggest to #2 to invite #3 along on your backpacking trip. If he agrees, ...
25
If you want a natural solution, try lemon eucalyptus oil.
Considering that B1 does not deter mosquitos, any dose you like will be comparable to 75mg (zero effect). However, if we wish to assume it works, you'll want the patch. Eating B1 won't help much. Since B1 is principally excreted in your urine, eating a lot of it would only really help if you ...
23
Shin splints (tibial stress syndrome) can be cause by tendons, muscles, or stress fractures. It's an "overuse" injury, with multiple causes, so there's not a single treatment. Some things that might help:
Step softly. If you pound your feet when you hike, it can aggravate shin splints.
Ease up on running a week or two before hiking. Running causes shin ...
23
The existing answers by Ken and Liam offer good advice. But unfortunately there is nothing you can do to prevent break ins. Thieves can be surprisingly stupid.
True story...
A friend of mine drove her jeep wrangler with a soft top to the trail head and parked it before going on a hike. The roof is canvas and the back side window unzips FROM THE OUTSIDE. ...
20
It is much better to avoid frostbite than to treat it. You can easily lose fingers and toes to frostbite. When you are camping in the winter, you cannot go into the lodge and warm up like you do snow skiing. You should really pay attention to frostbite.
If it is much below freezing and you have numb fingers or toes, you should take some kind of action. If ...
18
I have lots of leeches in my (otherwise) lovely swimming hole which is in a creek just as it leaves a lake. I read up on possible leech deterrents and now I rub my exposed skin with just about any kind of skin cream and they all seem to work. Waterproof sunblock is my current favorite but I've also used Off (Eucalytus) and even ordinary moisturizer. I haven'...
18
I traveled in Cambodia with a doctor who has decades of experience in tropical medicine. On his recommendation, our group:
Wore long sleeves and pants at all times, despite the heat. We chose the the lightest materials we could find, but kept our skin covered.
Soaked those clothes in permetherin before going. After it dries, it continues to repel or kill ...
17
Sulfur is often suggested for natural mosquito repellents. I've seen recommendations for taking sulfur pills, making sulfur creams, or applying sulfur powders. According to the Colorado State University Extension, the sulfur content of cloves is the science behind garlic-based repellents or recommendations to consume garlic.
That said, I would not think ...
15
You can spray your socks/shoes with some type of deet spray or some tobacco water (soak some tobacco leaves in water).
I've heard that salt affects leeches similarly is it does slugs, so you could carry some of that with you and rub some on your legs/feet every once and a while
Leech socks are pretty effective as the seal off the at the knee and physically ...
15
Blisters are caused by friction. Your skin is not very slippery. Applying moleskin and duct-tape over a "hot-spot" adds a protective layer between your skin and shoe. Thus as your shoe slides, it rubs against the tape or mole-skin instead of your skin.
Pointers:
Use enough tape/mole-skin to cover an area larger than the hot-spot. If the hotspot is on the ...
14
Rather than try to answer the personal part of your question, which as Liam said needs a doctor's attention to answer properly, I shall reply to the more general title:
Can a Finger Pulley injury be predicted / anticipated?
In an absolute sense I do not believe it can be. In a relative sense it is caused high stress on these "pulleys" so avoiding hard use ...
13
Here's a lot more advice than you aked for:
Around 24000 people in the entire world are struck by lightning each year. Supposing you live to be 85, that's 2 million people in your lifetime. On 7 billion people alive today, that's a lifetime chance of 1 in 3500 -- your chances are pretty slim anyway :)
But, to be more elaborate: your chances of being ...
12
I appreciate the preference to use natural protection, however, I think it is important to point out that using insect repellent should not be the only method of defence against malaria that you employ. Insect repellent is not 100% effective (*) and does not directly prevent malaria - the mosquito acts as the host to transmit the Plasmodium parasite, which ...
11
IMHO, up to a certain level in mountaineering, friends that you make in mountains or at a base camp are likely to be good/close friends for life. So, If I were the guy with the lesser experience in mountaineering and being set up in a meeting for an approval sort of a thing from a veteran, that might go wrong, because the veteran guy on the other end can ...
11
Basically, the same rules as elsewhere apply. I’d stick with those:
If possible, do not leave anything of value in the car. They can’t take what’s not there.
Also avoid leaving hints of something valuable being in the car. For example, a few years back in Milan, the general advice was not to leave a suction cup holder for a sat-nav on the windshield, as ...
10
Here is my magic blister treatment method. You need to have this stuff in your kit:
Lanolin: Yes, otherwise known as sheep grease. Sold in pharmacies as an aid for breastfeeding mothers. It is essentially a lubricant wax that will keep a blister happy and not stuck to what you put over it. You put a daub of this directly on the blistered area. ...
10
I have researched this occasionally over the years. Ivy Block, Tecnu, and Ivarest all have preventative lotions. The oil may still spread, but it is a good first step. As an alternative, the forest service has recommended spray deodorant as well. The active ingredient, aluminum chlorohydrate, may prevent absorption by blocking pores, just as it does to ...
10
Stop coating your wires with peanut butter!
In all seriousness though, squirrels can and will eat wires. However this is a very unlikely occurrence, as noted by ShemSeger in comments. I have known exactly ONE person it ever happened to and the car was at their house, not a trail head.
You could discourage most pests by putting mothballs in your engine ...
9
As stated above, the best way to treat frostbite is to avoid it all together.
As for proper treatment, you should slowly warm the affected area, typically done through a warm water submersion. Frostbitten feet should not be thawed until you are ready to no longer walk, as you will more than likely lose the use of your feet.
Additionally, in a situation ...
9
As said, prevention is better than cure. But, most importantly, don't attempt to thaw frostbitten areas if there's any chance of them re-freezing. This typically means don't try to treat it yourself in a back-country setting.
...And once you're in civilization, get a medical professional to handle it!
9
Whether it's hogwash or not is besides the point in my opinion - the fact of the matter is match heads aren't designed to be ingested and therefore while consuming them may increase your sulfur levels which may help keep the bugs off, there's also a good chance you'll be consuming random poisonous chemicals. Weighing it up, I think I'd take my chances with ...
9
One thing that has not been mentioned is to consider which trail head you park at. Some trails/areas have multiple trail heads. If you have a choice in trail head, it is worth talking to locals to determine if any are particularly problematic.
In my experience the most problematic trail heads are those with easy access. What this means is that often if the ...
9
If you can't leave the car empty-looking, at least don't load the storage up at the trailhead. There was a spate of thefts a few years ago on Dartmoor where car parks were watched for signs of valuables being tucked away, then a window was smashed and the items stolen. This was the sort of place where cars are parked for hours rather than days. In our ...
8
I know this is a bit late, but having had a lot of experience with leeches makes me believe I can add some value here.
Salt works for both avoiding and for removing leeches. The method to apply is take a good amount of salt onto your palm, add a few drops of water to just make it a bit of a paste, and then, marinate the sides of your shoes and the top ...
8
Getting a pair of boots that correctly fit is very important. Go to a reputable hiking shop and having a knowledgeable assistant give you multiple types of boots with different fits and see which feels best. Changing inner sole thickness can be a big help to get the correct fit.
Properly breaking in your boots can be a huge help. Wear them for an hour round ...
8
Heat illnesses are about heat, not light, and while the two are not unrelated, the hue of your clothing would be a very minor factor— red would not provide better or worse protection than green or blue or any other part of the visible spectrum.
The shade may have some impact: since darker clothing absorbs more energy than lighter clothing, it warms up and ...
8
So, like I said, I'm not a great expert on using duct tape and moleskin. I'm writing an answer because someone specifically asked. :)
My experiences:
First off - applying duct tape or moleskin to your feet is a skill you develop through trial and error. Make sure that you learn to do it BEFORE going on a major expedition. Whenever I have a big hiking ...
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