Cirque of towers in Wyoming.  Are you comfortable making the long overnight hike here?

Whenever you are hiking in the Rocky Mountains you always need to be safe and error on the side of caution.  Pushing yourself too far or doing something unwise may lead to serious problems for you or your family.

Hiking is a super fun activity whereby you can get good exercise. I strongly encourage everyone to get out and do more hiking. However, I can’t caution strongly enough how important it is to always keep your and your groups safety in mind. This is even more true when you go hiking with kids, babies, or toddlers.

Know Your Limits And Be Safe

One of the keys to being safe when in the outdoors is to know what your limits are. The only one that truly knows the answer to that question is you.

There are a number of different factors to keep in mind when thinking about your limits: fitness level; hiking experience; experience using a map; general outdoors knowledge; and general knowledge of the area. These are a number of different things and you need to keep them all in mind to know your personal limits.

You may be very strong physically, but have no hiking experience. In such a case, you are fine doing a long, well maintained trail, but not a long backcountry trail alone.

Or you may have lots of hiking experience and even knowledge of the area, but if you are not physically fit then a long trail may be pushing your limits.  Being an experienced hiker does not mean you are immune from getting lost, exhausted, or suffering heat stroke.

Be smart and safe when hiking because you don’t want to put all these people at risk for some foolish thing you did.

Always Try To Be Safe When Hiking To Avoid Putting Others At Risk

If you run into problems when you are out hiking you are first and foremost putting yourself at risk. Then you also put your hiking companions or family at risk. Finally, if you are in severe trouble then you are forcing others to come and rescue you, thereby putting them at risk too.

Know Everyone’s Comfort Zone In Order To Keep Everyone Safe

If you are hiking with a group of people or even just with your family then whoever is leading the hike needs to keep in mind everyone’s limits. The parent or trip leader leading the hike has the added responsibility of making sure that everyone is safe.

Maybe you are fit and experienced, but that doesn’t mean you can take your family, including your 6 year-old son or 70 year-old father-in-law on a ten mile hike.  Depending on the people that may be a bad choice and simply put you all at risk of being in an unsafe situation.

Have Fun Hiking, But Be Safe In The Outdoors

For me, the ultimate goal of hiking is to have fun, get exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and be in the natural world.

Some people may enjoy pushing their own limits to see what they can accomplish.  Others may enjoy taking a short hike to let the kids explore the mountains.

Whatever your reason for hiking, you always need to keep in mind that in the outdoors your safety is up to you.  You shouldn’t attempt a long hike with the assumption that if something goes wrong someone else will come bail you out.  When hiking and exploring the outdoors you should be prepared to take care of yourself.