Hiking Safety Guide

Ten chapters on what actually goes wrong on trails — and what to do about it.

Not survival theatrics. The ordinary failures that cause real trouble on ordinary days out: a late start, a slower pace than expected, pushing on with the summit in sight, then descending tired in fading light.

What's inside

1. How Days Go Wrong — the chain of small decisions behind most incidents
2. Getting Lost — prevention, and exactly what to do when you realise
3. Weather Turning — reading it early, and acting while you still can
4. Cold and Hypothermia — the signs, including the ones people miss
5. Heat and Dehydration — quantities, warning signs, heatstroke
6. Injuries on the Trail — blisters, ankles, and when someone can't continue
7. Running Out of Daylight — how to set a turnaround time that holds
8. Wildlife — general principles, and the small things that cause more trouble
9. Calling for Help — what to say, and conserving battery
10. Emergency Reference — one page to print or screenshot

Written to be used, not admired

Numbered emergency steps you can follow while cold and tired. A printable reference page with space to write your local emergency number and contacts. Clear about the difference between heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and about when calling early is the right call.

What you get

US Letter — print-ready
A4 — for outside the US
Mobile — single column, sized for a phone

Instant download. No account needed.

General information for recreational hikers. Not a substitute for wilderness first-aid training, local knowledge, or emergency services.