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Hiking

What to Pack on a Full Day Hike

July 12, 2017 By John Collins

It is important to plan ahead when you are thinking about taking a full day hike. There is nothing better than enjoying the day and relaxing out in the wilderness. But you should always be prepared for all situations, so you are not stranded out in the middle of no where with no one to help you.
It is important to bring snacks along so you are able to maintain your energy. Healthy, protein filled snacks will provide you with the fuel and nutrients that you need in order to continue on your hike comfortably. Even if you do not plan on staying for a very long time or you ate before you started, it is a good idea to pack a granola bar or similar snack in case you get lost and take a wrong turns somewhere. There are plenty of snacks are packaged conveniently so that they are easy to pack, store, and eat on the go.
One of the most important things that you should hike is a first aid kit. You might find yourself injured and be in a area without cell phone service. You should be prepared to bandage yourself up in the event that you are injured in the middle of a trail, far away from your car or other people. This will helpful for scrapes, bites, and twisted ankles. A wilderness survival book is another great thing to bring along with the first aid kit. It is not likely that you will be able to remember exactly how to treat every wound, so the book will be a great point of reference. Always bring the first aid kit with you, even if you do not think the trail you are going to be on is very difficult. It is extremely easy to fall and twist an ankle or scratch your leg on a rock. First aid kits are easy to come by so there is no reason you should not have one.
It is also necessary to protect your skin for overexposure to the sun. You should always remember to use sun protection before a hike, but it will also need for be reapplied throughout the hike. Many people do not know that so they do not bother to bring it with them. The sunscreen will wear off after an hour or two so you risk getting sunburned if you do not bring it with you and continue to reapply. This is especially important while hiking before you are likely to be sweating, and the sweat will wash the sunscreen off faster.
Lastly, never forget to bring water. You are going to get thirsty, and there is nothing worse than being three hours from your car and realizing you are out of water. Failing to keep up your hydration also extremely dangerous, even if the temperature is not hot. You body can dehydrate very quickly and dehydration can cause you to stumble around get injured more easily. It is typically a good idea to bring twice as much water as you expect to drink in order to get hydrated on your hike.

The Dangers of Ill-Fitting Hiking Boots

July 12, 2017 By John Collins

Even with the best fitting boots in the world, hiking can result in foot injuries. This is primarily due to the amount of stress and pressure exerted on your feet on a daily basis. In the human feet, there are over 120 muscles, ligaments, and nerves held together across 33 joints, formed by a network of 26 different bones. Even daily walking is a repetitive action that keeps a constant pressure, often in excess of twice your body weight, on these tiny bones, tissue, and joints. The potential for stress related strain and damage is pretty much constant.
And when you are out hiking across uneven terrain, the pressure can be magnified several times over. With ill-fitting hiking boots, the chance of injury to your feet becomes even more acute. A foot injury can result in severe or chronic foot pain. It is estimated by the American Podiatric Medical Association that 77% of Americans experience foot pain at some point in their lives. And hiking is one of the five top exercise related activities that result in injury and foot pain.
Three main regions of the foot are most vulnerable to damage from ill-fitting hiking boots:

The toes
The forefoot, involving the metatarsal and sesamoid bones
The hindfoot, involving the heel and the sole of the feet

The heel is the side that comes in direct contact with the ground. It is the sponge or rather shock absorber that has to adjust itself to uneven terrain to help us stay upright. Heel injuries are one of the most common types of hiking injuries. Typical foot injuries caused by a poor selection of hiking boots include:

Plantar Fasciitis: one of the most common causes of heel pain. This is a stress injury caused to the plantar fascia, the flat tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. Heel pain from Plantar Fasciitis leads to swelling, inflammation, and chronic discomfort.
Heel Spurs: Continuous stress and tears in the bones and tissue in the heel eventually lead to a gradual build-up of calcium in the heel bone. The result is a painful growth on the bottom of the heel bone, a condition called heel spur.
Sesamoiditis: Stress in the ball of the feet can injure the sesamoids, two corn-like bones under the big toe joint. Pain and aches in the forefoot are the results.
Achilles Tendonitis: The Achilles tendon is used for everything from walking, running, jumping and even standing still. Excessive stress to this tendon leads to tendonitis, causing acute pain and swelling in your feet.

Regardless of the reason, foot pain is always an abnormality, one that should be looked at by skilled podiatrists at the earliest. Taking foot injuries and symptoms like heel pain lightly can lead to severe complications in future, often resulting in vastly increased treatment costs. If you are suffering from hiking related pain in central Texas, consider fixing and appointment with a skilled foot doctor in Austin, Dr. Jeff LaMour. His clinic offers highly specialized podiatry services.

Injury Liability in State & National Parks

July 12, 2017 By John Collins

When Accidents Occur At A State Or National Park
If you have ever been in or around a state or national park accidents can happen just like anywhere else in life. Should such an incident occur, then you may be entitled to some form of compensation from said places.
If this is something that has happened to you while in the Houston area, then it might be a good time to get in touch with a traumatic brain injury lawyers.
Lapeze & Johns are just the Houston Injury attorney that you want to speak about your rights in such matters.
Lapeze & Johns know the law and know how to help you get your compensation should anything have happened to you while in a state park while you just out having a good time and the worst occurred.
Lapeze & Johns have been able to get 350 million dollars across all of their clients because they have years of experience, training and expertise when it comes working for their clients and getting the job done when fighting for you in a court of law.
State and National Parks are places of beautiful scenery and millions of people love going out to them each year to see all that nature has to offer in these parks nationwide, but accidents can and do occur sometimes while you are out enjoying yourself in these parks and when these times arise you will need someone that is going to be on your side to help you fight for your rights and everything that you deserve when it comes to compensation should you need to pay for doctors bills or any other types of expenses.
When situations like this happen and you are in dire need of a Personal Injury Lawyer in Houston then any one of the attorneys at Lapeze & Johns are going to be the perfect choice for someone that is going to work diligently and as hard as possible to get you everything that you want when it comes to your case.
The attorneys at Lapeze & Johns win or resolve 98% of their cases. Think about that for a moment and you will then know that you need to come to them if you have had an accident in any state or national parks. You are almost sure to absolutely win your case and get what it is that you deserve to help you against the big guys who will have their own lawyers on their side.
You should have someone on your side who will stand up for you so that you will not be taken advantage of when comes to any type of cases like these. Lapeze & Johns will always have your back when you need them the most.

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