HIKING

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HIKING SCOUTCRAFT BADGE

1. Compile lists of the personal equipment needed for a hiking expedition of at least three days. Present yourself, properly dressed and packed, before going on an overnight hike. Discuss your choice of clothing, equipment, rations and emergency kit.

Clothes
Hiking Boots /Comfortable walking shoes
Raincoat, Hat/Cap, sun cream
Comfortable clothes to hike in and 2 spare set.
2 pair of thick woolen socks
2 pair of cotton socks.
Warm jacket
Long pants
3 pairs underwear

General
Hiking Bag (If you don’t have try borrow or rent from Trappers)
Light weight tents*
Sleeping Bag and Mat*
Torch*
Matches, camping stove and pots (if you have one)
Plate, cup, knife, fork, spoon
Tin opener, or pocketknife
Toilet Paper
Walking Stick (optional)
Camera (optional)

Example of Food
Snacks – sweets, chocolates, peanuts, chips, biscuits, biltong.
Drinks – Tea/Coffee, cool drink (game)
Lunch – Salad Rolls, fresh fruit
Supper – Easy cook pasta, custard and canned fruit
Breakfast – Pronutro (mix powered milk and sugar)
Lunch – Just a snack

Emergency kit
A extra food ration (high in protein)
Waterproof matches: They will strike anywhere. The down side is they are more bulky than normal matches.
Small Candle: Useful for starting a fire or to gain light in a shelter.
Flint and Steel: It is a means to making fire and will last longer than matches.
Needle and thread: Can be useful for fixing things, or making things. Use think thread like nylon(can be used to fish) and wrap around needle for storage.
Fish Hook and line: Your food supplies with run out and you will need catch your own food.
A small compass: Useful for find the way out.
Small First Aid Kit: Pack items for head and stomach aches, elasto plaster, pins, etc.
2-3 Condoms: Useful for carry water, can hold up to 1 litre each.
Small knife: Can be used in just about anything.
Small torch: Eg a maglite
Water purification tablets: You never know if the water will be safe to drink.
You can add other things or remove certain thing depending on where you are going.

2. Discuss what is meant by individual hiking skills (pace, rhythm, foot placing, conservation of energy, balance and co-ordination); personal hygiene; the Outdoor Code; wilderness manners; minimum impact hiking and camping. Demonstrate how these are applied in the outdoors. Understand the importance and correct way of using catholes away from water, paths and campsites, when other latrines are not available.

For most of these I will leave them to you to workout, as the meanings behind each will came to you as you gain experience in each. I however will touch on a few items such as Catholes. It is important to when using a cathole (a hole dug about 30 deep for a use as a toilet) to make sure it is at least 100m away from a river and not on a path. The idea behind the distance is that as it rains the water may wash some of it into the river if close enough and if the river is you water source, then you get the idea.

For most of these I will leave them to you to workout, as the meanings behind each will came to you as you gain experience in each. I however will touch on a few items such as Catholes. It is important to when using a cathole (a hole dug about 30 deep for a use as a toilet) to make sure it is at least 100m away from a river and not on a path. The idea behind the distance is that as it rains the water may wash some of it into the river if close enough and if the river is you water source, then you get the idea.

3. Know the importance of the party staying together, and the procedure to be followed in the event of an accident or emergency. Know the signs and symptoms of hypothermia (exposure), the precautions to be taken to avoid this, and the correct treatment of hypothermia.

Hypothermia or Exposure

Causes
1. Is caused by cold and fatigue.
2. By insufficient protection against wind, cold and rain.

Signs
1. Starts stumbling, speaks with a slur, starts shivering, starts to talk without making any sense or collapses.

Action to take
1. Move the person out of the wind by erecting a shelter.
2. Keep them warm by putting on dry clothes and cover their head, hands and feet.
3. Put them into a warm sleeping bag or cover them with an emergency/ space blanket.
4. You may need to pre warm the blanket by getting someone to role around in it without clothes, which will body heat the blanket.
5. Apply first aid where needed. Eg. Shock.
6. Make the casualty comfortable.
7. If getting dark or the weather getting worse, make camp for the night low down on the slope of a valley. Less exposed to the weather lower, but not in the valley due to frost overnight.

4. Know the procedure governing access to nature conservation areas, Parks Board areas, National Hiking Way trails and wilderness areas. Explain what permission is required before setting out on a hike (permits, parent consent etc) and the correct procedure when crossing private property.

Different place will have different requirements. Therefore, you need to find out what the rules are before you plan the hike. National Conservation area have maximum number of hiker aloud in a certain area, while all parks etc have rules about fires outside of permitted areas and removal of plants, having animal, etc. From the scout side before setting out on any activity you need to fill out a activity permit and get it signed by you district commissioner at least 14 days before the activity. All scouts need to have a filled out consent form signed by one of their parents. It is important to leave contact numbers and a route plan with someone not on the hike, incase of an emergency.

You need to get permission from the owner to cross private property. If you have permission, you still need to respect the property by using gates and not jump fences, not damaging plants or leaving a mess.

5. Show that you can use a compass and how to orientate and use a 1:50 000 topographical map. Be able to locate your position by reference to natural features. Identify the conventional map symbols, and demonstrate the use of scale.

For help on this requirement check out the mapping section of this website or the scout trail pg 44 - 45.

6. With other Scouts (minimum of four in the party), hike 50 kilometres over country tracks, across country, or on recognised hiking trails. This is to be undertaken over no more than three separate hikes, of which no hike is shorter than 20 km. At least one overnight camp must be included. (Accommodation can be provided for in tents or huts.) A brief record of the dates, routes, distance hiked, names of party, and any other useful details, eg the weather conditions, campsite descriptions, must be presented to the examiner. The hikes must be done under a suitable leader such as the Troop Scouter, or as part of a recognised hiking organisation such as the Scout Mountain Club or Mountain Club of South Africa.

Download some items to help you with writing a log book from the SASA website:
HOW TO WRITE A HIKING LOG BY ELWYN JENKINS, with Art work by Robert Robilliard
Bundu Signs by Vic Clapham
Hike Logbook Guideline

If you have any other question relating to the topic or any ideas to share please fell free to contact the webmaster at: 200502654@ufh.ac.za

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