As one of Colorado’s favorite summer activities, hiking is an exceptional way to immerse in the great outdoors and enjoy the beautiful scenery the state offers. Whether it’s a casual stroll down a trail or tackling one of its 53 peaks, it is imperative to know hiking comes with risks and has caused residents and tourists serious injuries or even death. However, these risks can be reduced by preplanning. Whether it’s a survival course or online research, being prepared is key to safely enjoying the backcountry.
Colorado resident Jessie Krebs, founder of Outdoorsy Women Learning Survival—abbreviated as OWLS Skills—has taken her military experience and love for the outdoors to create a school where she teaches her students a variety of hard skills, such as fire starting, shelter building, signaling, knots and staying calm in difficult situations.
“My mission is to get people back out of the woods safely, to realize that it’s not a scary place,” Krebs said. “There are things that can go wrong so, I teach people what to do if things go wrong and how to stay safe and hopefully connect with it.”
In a welcoming intrastate environment, Krebs brings her students together to learn survival skills in a fun and exciting way. She wanted to step away from the “hardcore military style” teaching and instruct in an environment that represented her bubbly and energetic personality. Incorporated in her teaching she helps her students build their confidence and feel empowered.
“One of my favorite things to teach is knots, it’s just amazing to me what you can do with just a simple piece of twine, it’s very useful and utilitarian,” Krebs said. “Along with the hard skills that I’m teaching them, I’m also teaching a little bit about the dynamics and how to stay positive and empowering, just to help people feel more confident.”
Fellow residents like Melody Monberg and Tanya Raedeke, co-founders of Colorado Hikes and Hops, turned their passion for hiking into aid for others. Monberg has lived in Colorado Springs for 26 years and, along with Raedeke, has become an avid hiker. They have explored trails across Colorado and take to their website to write about their experiences, create hiking guides, and share safety tips and their favorite local bites.
“I thought well we love the trails, why don’t we write about the trails we love and get people out here in Colorado, not only hiking but also finding local places to eat and helping our local economy,” Monberg said.
With more than 39,000 miles of hiking trails and thousands of hikers setting off to explore, accidents seem almost inevitable. In May, 23-year-old hiker Lucas Macaj‘s body was recovered four days after being reported missing in Rocky Mountain National Park. In June, 54-year-old Iowa resident Marcia Cook died after collapsing while hiking the Lower Monument Canyon Trail. Such incidents leave authorities to remind people to take precautions while outdoors.
“Hiking in hot weather can lead to serious health risks including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Daytime temperatures in Colorado National Monument have exceeded 90 degrees in the past week, and hot weather is expected throughout the summer. Hikers should plan to hike in early morning or late afternoon, before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m., to reduce exposure to heat,” according to a release from the National Park Service.
During her time in Colorado, Monberg has experienced an increase in people’s interest in hiking, and out-of-state folks visiting trails, many of whom should be aware of the risks while hiking. Monberg said there are many dangers, including dehydration, altitude sickness, and rattlesnakes to name a few. She suggested a few tips for a successful Colorado hiking trip: Pack extra layers to adapt to fast-changing weather conditions, hike with plenty of water and snacks for refueling and listen to one’s own body and awareness of its limitations. Most importantly, Monberg recommended sharing location with friends and family, even on short outings.
“I think a lot of people just think ‘Oh it’s a quick short easy hike no big deal,’ but it’s often those hikes that end up getting people in trouble more than the big long hikes that they’ve been planning for. When you plan for something, you have all the plans right, but when you’re going out for like a short hike, and you forget to bring your water and forget to bring your bar, then it starts raining, and you get kind of lost and don’t know where you are that’s when the oh shit moment happens and you don’t know what to do,” Monberg said.
Although the public often hears about fatalities and injuries in the media, Krebs would like people to know that the outdoors is not a dangerous, scary place and can be very safe as long as one is prepared for any situation. Survival skills should not be complicated. According to Krebs, these hard skills should be easy to comprehend and learn if taught correctly. Whether joining a survival skills course or visiting Colorado Hikes and Hops, learning about safety while hiking can improve a hiking experience.
“There is a lot of information you can learn but there’s just a few basics that can make such a big difference between you getting out, getting home or not,” Krebs said.
