It’s here. We’re in the middle of the hiking season, with people on trails everywhere you look. Some are equipped for day hikes, while others wear a huge backpack on overnighters or for longer treks.

Others are totally unprepared for anything they might encounter beyond a walk in a city park. Maybe you’ve seen them. They’re the ones hiking a difficult climb like the Ladder Trail up Dorr Mountain in Acadia National Park in nothing but flip-flops, cotton clothes, no water, no pack or map.

When you first encounter someone fitting that description, the initial reaction is pity. “They’re not having fun,” you think when hiking past, while the poor person sits trailside, rubbing sore feet. Then, your feeling turns to concern for whether they’ll make it back to the parking area safely. Most do, with nothing more injured than their feet. But, the last thing they’ll probably do again is go on another hike. That’s too bad, because with only a few preparations anyone can have a fun day hike, safely, on the trails.

It starts with footwear. Sturdy footwear is essential for even the tamest of hikes. Whether it’s a woodland hike, around a pond, or over a mountain, a good pair of boots or trail runners protects your feet from the roots and rocks. After all, it’s not a sidewalk out there. For most people it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to walk a mile on a sidewalk. The easiest of trails takes about twice that long. On harder trails the time increases with the difficulty. If it takes that much longer to hike a trail than a sidewalk, just think how your feet will thank you for wearing boots instead of flip flops or sneakers.

Then there’s the question of what to wear. Cotton jeans and tee shirts won’t kill you in summer on most trails. But, climbing a bigger mountain like Bigelow or Katahdin in cotton clothes can make you down right uncomfortable. You can expect a 10-degree temperature drop for every thousand feet of ascent. For example, if it’s 70 degrees in the valley at around 1,500 feet, then the top of a 4,000-footer will be 50 degrees. Cotton soaks up sweat, gets heavy, then, because it takes so long to dry, makes you cold when you stop on the summit. Leave the cotton at home and wear synthetics, nylon, capelene or polyester instead. You’ll stay lighter and drier.

Seeing a hiker without a water bottle is like seeing a kayaker without a paddle. Hikers need to drink before, during and after a hike. While there is no set rule for how much you should drink, it should be water, not soda. If soda is all you have, drink it. Then fill your soda bottle with water and drink it later. You should drink before you’re thirsty. The dangers of not drinking water are sore muscles and joints, heatstroke, rise in body temperature, loss of mobility and death. If suffering those consequences doesn’t make you carry enough water than nothing will.

Without a pack to carry at minimum a wind breaker and snacks, a hiker is only partly prepared for a day hike. You may not need anything that’s in it. But chances are that the wind will turn direction, increase, or turn cool on summit stops or beside a lake. You’ll get hungry from the exercise and a snack or lunch is usually a great reason to stop. Wearing a pack, with contents that make the trip enjoyable and safe, also can make it fun. Bringing stuff like binoculars for viewing wildlife and long vistas, field guides, even musical instruments like kazoos or harmonicas, can liven up any hike.

The 10 essentials, listed by the Mountaineers Club of Seattle, Washington, are as follows: Map, compass and guidebook count as one. The others are: Lighter (or matches), water bottle, first aid kit, flashlight, knife, toilet paper, extra food, extra clothing, emergency shelter (like a space blanket). These items should be taken in your pack even on a day hike. Some of them are only for emergencies, but the items used repeatedly are the map, compass and guidebook.

You have to wonder how people think they can even start off on a trail without any idea of where it goes, what other trails intersect with it, how long it takes to hike or how to return to the trailhead. If they had a guidebook with distance, estimated times and accurate descriptions they would know. Knowing how to use the map and compass allows you to pinpoint your position so you know exactly what to expect up the trail for terrain, water and views, as well as the way back. In an emergency you can direct rescuers to your locale.

Almost every week in one of the most popular national parks in the country, Acadia, some under-prepared hiker needs to be rescued. Some are more minor incidents than others. One recent example highlighted a few of the mistakes made by simply not taking a map. This person got on the wrong trail, or maybe the right one, the person didn’t know. Using a cell phone the hiker called the rangers. The hike had started off on a mountain trail, the hiker said, but now was on a stream, but the hiker didn’t know where.

Now, the trails in Acadia are all marked, every intersection has a sign post, yet this person was so unaware as to not know anything about where he was located. Finally, the rangers were able to recognize from the descriptions of the landscape, on what trail the hiker was located. They guided the person out under the hiker’s own power.

Sure, you can hike with only a cell phone for equipment. But, it won’t show you the way, or keep you hydrated. Carrying a cell phone for emergencies is great. But, it’s no substitute for knowledge of what is essential. The best piece of equipment that you can take is not a cell phone. The most important gear you have is found on the top of your shoulders. It’s your brain, and the knowledge included therein. Use it and your experience to hike safe.

Brad Viles is an avid hiker who has logged some 8,000 lifetime miles, including the Appalachian Trail. A trail maintainer for the Maine Appalachian Trail Club he has climbed Mount Katahdin 75 times. He can be reached at sball1@ prexar. com