Watching Out For Dangers When We Hike

WATCHING OUT FOR DANGERS WHEN WE HIKE  

August/September, 2008 issue

Promoters of a healthy lifestyle tell us to get out there and walk. For those who participate in guided walks, the initiative translates into a bonus, beyond the obvious benefits of exercise, and that is nature interpretation. That is where I come in, as an interpretive naturalist. Since 1996, when I first got into this business professionally, first at Sandbanks Provincial Park, then with a local conservation authority, and now primarily on my own, the interest in nature interpretation has exploded. Today, more than ever, we seem to have a need to know more about the things we see other than just their identity. We want to know why these things are here, and how they interconnect with each other. In recent years, I have thrown in the human history of the areas we visit, for what took place in years past in those places we visit, actually plays a major role sometimes in what is inhabiting these areas now.

Guided hikes have become a bit more sophisticated over the years.  In addition to standard first aid kits, we now carry cell phones and two-way radios and GPS systems, all in the interest of safety and better communication. But there are other concerns out there too. I continue to be amazed how unfamiliar many of us are with basic dangers like poison ivy. The difficulty in recognizing it is not all that difficult to understand, given that many similar plants have three leaves, and there seems to be no hard and fast rule about recognizing it. Like recognizing a distant blue jay in flight when it is but a mere silhouette in the sky, the more often you see it, the easier it becomes to recognize. Poison ivy leaves can be serrated or they can be smooth, green or red, depending on the season, large or small, and the plant can be low and creeping, or cleverly disguised as either a woody shrub or a climbing vine. Then, there are the myths – the presence of poison oak (doesn’t exist here), burning it is a safe way to get rid of it, and perhaps the most bizarre of all – eating it will result in immunity! All folklore and truly a mystery where people come up with these beliefs.

Now there is a new plant in our midst that can result in a severe reaction if contacted – wild parsnip. It is everywhere right now, and always has been, but only in recent years have we discovered that under the right conditions one can get a severe rash from touching it, Strangely, the root is quite edible. It grows high, often in small colonies, the hollow stems and leaves reminding us of celery, and its yellow, compound flower umbels and distinctive odour. The plant contains furocoumarins which can cause severe skin dermatitis, when activated by sunlight.

So, guided hikes are more than just learning about the plant identity and ecology and all that stuff. It’s about instant recognition, which ones we can eat, and which ones we can admire, and which ones to avoid contact with along the way. Easy enough for a hike leader since plants stay put and we can strategically plan our stops if the route is previewed. But what about the unexpected, like the bear that we came across while on a guided hike earlier this summer on a piece of property north of Tamworth. We are lucky that we don’t have grizzly bears here, but black bears can be unpredictable too. Fortunately the one we came across behaved as it should, by running off the moment it saw us, in fact, so quickly, that only a few of us even saw it. One has to prepare for the unexpected, and be ready. Bear spray isn’t such a foolish thing to take along, but to wait until it approaches to within 25 feet to use it,  and resisting the urge to flee, takes a whole lot of willpower!

Good hiking this summer, and be aware of the dangers before you set out.