In hiking conditions, the risk of overheating or freezing increases many times over. That's why every tourist needs to know their enemy by sight—to be able to recognize symptoms and provide competent first aid.
Burns: From First Degree to Field Medicine
The best treatment is prevention. On a hike, there are many sources of danger: a campfire, hot dishes, boiling water. Simple attentiveness while cooking will protect you from most injuries.
In medicine, burns are usually classified by the depth of damage:
• First degree: Only the top layer of skin is damaged. (Mild redness).
• Second degree: Moderate damage (blisters).
• Third degree: Deep and extensive tissue damage.
Interesting fact: superficial burns are often more painful than deep ones. In the latter case, the nerve endings are destroyed, so pain may be absent in the initial stage.
First aid algorithm for burns in field conditions (suitable for all degrees):
1. Cooling: The first and most important step—place the burned area under cool running water. This will stop the process of tissue destruction. Hold for at least 10 minutes or until the pain subsides. If you don't have water, any cool liquid will do.
2. Remove constrictions: Before swelling develops, remove any jewelry, watches, and clothing from the areas adjacent to the burn. Important: Do not tear off fabric that is stuck to the wound!
3. Protect from infection: If the skin is damaged, the body loses moisture and becomes vulnerable to bacteria. Cover the burn with a specialized burn dressing or a sterile cloth. You can put a clean plastic bag on an arm or leg. Do not use cotton wool (fibers will remain in the wound) or adhesive bandages (the wound might be larger than it seems, and the adhesive can further injure the skin).
4 No interference: Do not touch the burn with your hands and never pop blisters. Skin is the body's best natural barrier against infection.
5. What NOT to do: Forget "folk" methods like smearing the burn with oil, fat, or urine. This creates a film under which bacteria multiply and worsens the victim's condition.
6. Monitor for shock: Severe burns often cause pain shock. Watch for symptoms (more details in the "Shock" section).
7. Hospitalization: Any burns in children, as well as severe burns of any degree in adults, should be treated by a doctor. The victim must be taken to a hospital as soon as possible.
Life hack for hiking: the tea bandage To speed up healing (not for cooling!), you can use tannic acid. Boil a clean cotton t-shirt for 10 minutes in a strong tea solution (or a decoction of oak bark). Cool the fabric and carefully wrap it around the burned area. Such a bandage reduces pain and protects against infection.
Overheating: From Heat Exhaustion to Heatstroke
Heat is harder to bear than cold. And here, prevention is more important than anywhere else. Stick to the principle of layering clothing: it should absorb sweat and allow the body to breathe. If you get hot—remove the excess. Prolonged exposure to the scorching sun risks heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Heat Exhaustion
This condition is common. Symptoms: dizziness, confusion, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and heavy sweating.
• What to do: Sit the victim down in the shade. Give them water with a little added salt (rehydration salts or mineral water) to restore fluid and electrolyte balance.
Heatstroke
This is a critical condition where the body's cooling mechanisms fail and body temperature rises dangerously.
• Symptoms: Severe headache, drowsiness, irrational behavior. In severe cases—loss of consciousness and convulsions. The skin becomes hot and dry (sweating stops). Heart rate increases sharply.
• Danger: Heatstroke develops rapidly and can be fatal. It often occurs during physical exertion in the heat, especially if you don't drink enough water and don't rest.
• Prevention: In hot weather, drink at least 0.5 liters of water per hour and rest regularly in the shade.
I remember an incident in the Sahara when heatstroke struck three out of five members of our survival unit, including the cameramen. It shows that no one is immune, and recovery takes days.
I repeat: prevention is easier than cure.
First aid for heatstroke:
1. Stop immediately and move to the shade.
2. Wrap the victim in a wet, cold sheet (if available) and constantly pour water over it.
3. If you don't have a sheet, use a wet cloth and fan them with an improvised fan to enhance evaporation.
4. Monitor to ensure the person doesn't get too cold (stop cooling as soon as their temperature drops).
5. If the air is humid, you can wet your own clothes and put them on—this will help you cool down.
6. If they lose consciousness, be prepared to give artificial respiration.
7. Even after improvement, monitor the victim for several days—symptoms can return.
Important: With heavy sweating, the body loses salt and vitamin C. Add a little salt to your water, and if possible, eat citrus fruits.
Cold: Hypothermia and Frostbite
In this guide, I have already described how to protect yourself from the cold. The main rules: eat more fatty and carbohydrate-rich foods, move around (to generate heat), and dress in loose, layered clothing. If your fingers are cold, swing your arms vigorously for 10 seconds—this will force blood to flow to your extremities.
Make sure your clothes don't get wet from sweat. If it's hard to stay warm, cover all parts of your body. Even a small exposed area accelerates overall heat loss.
Hypothermia The risk of hypothermia exists not only in the mountains. Cold, wet, and windy climates are more dangerous than severe frost. A wet person in the wind can freeze instantly, even at above-zero temperatures. The risk is higher if you are tired, hungry, or injured. By the way, people of shorter stature lose heat faster than taller people.
• Symptoms in yourself: Constant shivering, loss of coordination (you start tripping on level ground), making foolish mistakes.
• Symptoms in others: Shivering, withdrawn behavior, silence, slowed reactions.
- Life hack from the Inuit: To check if you're getting too cold, try to touch your thumb and little finger together. If you can't—it's time to warm up immediately!
• Progression: Shivering stops (a bad sign), muscles stiffen, pulse becomes irregular, skin feels icy cold. Without help, the person loses consciousness.
DO's:
• Remove wet clothing and change into dry clothes. (Always have a spare set!).
• Insulate the head and body. In an emergency, you can stuff dry grass under your clothes.
• Send two people for help if you are unable to transport the victim.
• Warm up gradually. Give plenty of hot, sweet drinks
• Feed them fatty and carbohydrate-rich foods.
DON'Ts:
• Do not immerse in a very hot bath. This will cause a sharp rush of cold blood from the extremities back to the heart and brain, which can be fatal.
• Do not warm hands and feet by an open fire. Firstly, the cold blood will rush to the heart. Secondly, a frostbitten person can't feel their skin and will get burned.
• Do not rub or massage the victim.
Frostbite
The skin becomes white and waxy. As it warms up, it turns red, then may wrinkle and turn black. Black color is a sign of irreversible damage and amputation.
• What to do: Warm slowly in warm (not hot!) water. If you don't have water, wrap the person in a blanket or sleeping bag (warming with your own body heat). Once the skin is red and wrinkled—the process is working.
• What NOT to do: Do not rub (with snow or cloth—this damages fragile frozen tissue). Do not warm by the fire.
• Important: The warming process is extremely painful. If possible, give the victim a pain reliever (paracetamol).
Next guide: What diseases you should know about before going on a mountain trek Previous guide: First Aid for Fractures and Dislocations in a Mountain Hike You can view the full list here: Survival Guides for the Mountains
