Editing Hiking (section)

==Hazards==
{{Further|Hazards of outdoor recreation|Survival skills|Sure-footedness}}
[[File:Austria ridge hike.jpg|thumb|right|Hiking on an [[arête]], [[Ötztal Alps]], Austria; an example of a hiking route that involves [[sure-footedness]], and a [[head for heights]]]]
[[Hazards of outdoor recreation|Hiking can be hazardous]] because of terrain, inclement weather, potential to get lost, or pre-existing medical conditions. The dangerous<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 December 2020 |title=Is Hiking Dangerous? |url=https://trekkearth.com/is-hiking-dangerous/ |website=Trekkearth |access-date=18 December 2021 |archive-date=18 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218070220/https://trekkearth.com/is-hiking-dangerous/ |url-status=live }}</ref> circumstances hikers can face include specific accidents or physical ailments. It is especially hazardous in high mountains, crossing rivers and glaciers, and when there is snow and ice. At times hiking may involve [[scrambling]], as well as the use of ropes, ice axes and crampons and the skill to properly use them.

Potential hazards involving physical ailments may include dehydration, frostbite, hypothermia, sunburn, sunstroke, or [[wilderness acquired diarrhea|diarrhea]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boulware |first=D.R. |display-authors=etal |year=2003 |title=Medical Risks of Wilderness Hiking |journal=American Journal of Medicine |volume=114 |issue=4 |pages=288–93 |doi=10.1016/S0002-9343(02)01494-8 |pmid=12681456}}</ref> and such injuries as ankle sprains, or broken bones.<ref name="Goldenberg">{{Cite book |last1=Goldenberg |first1=Marni |title=Hiking and Backpacking |last2=Martin |first2=Bruce |publisher=Wilderness Education Association |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7360-6801-7 |page=104}}</ref> [[Hypothermia]] is a danger for all hikers and especially inexperienced hikers. Weather does not need to be very cold to be dangerous since ordinary rain or mist has a strong cooling effect. In high mountains a further danger is [[altitude sickness]]. This typically occurs only above {{convert|2500|m|ft|sigfig=1}}, though some are affected at lower altitudes.<ref name="Mer2018Pro">{{Cite web |date=May 2018 |title=Altitude Diseases – Injuries; Poisoning |url=https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/injuries-poisoning/altitude-diseases/altitude-diseases |access-date=3 August 2018 |website=Merck Manuals Professional Edition |archive-date=27 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627041200/https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/injuries-poisoning/altitude-diseases/altitude-diseases |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Sim2018">{{Cite journal |last1=Simancas-Racines |first1=D |last2=Arevalo-Rodriguez |first2=I |last3=Osorio |first3=D |last4=Franco |first4=JV |last5=Xu |first5=Y |last6=Hidalgo |first6=R |date=30 June 2018 |title=Interventions for treating acute high altitude illness. |journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |volume=6 |issue=12 |pages=CD009567 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD009567.pub2 |pmc=6513207 |pmid=29959871}}</ref> Risk factors include a prior episode of altitude sickness, a high degree of activity, and a rapid increase in elevation.<ref name=Mer2018Pro/>

Other threats include attacks by animals (e.g., bears, snakes, and [[insects]] such as [[ticks]] that carry  [[Lyme disease|Lyme]]) or contact with noxious plants (e.g., [[poison ivy]], [[poison oak]], [[poison sumac]].   Lightning is also a threat, especially on high ground.

Walkers in high mountains may encounter hazardous snow and ice conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Avalanche danger |url=https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/backcountry-basics/snow/avalanche/ |access-date=2020-11-13 |publisher=Pacific Crest Trails Association |archive-date=2020-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112004423/https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/backcountry-basics/snow/avalanche/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Year round [[glacier]]s are potentially hazardous.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to cross a glacier |url=https://www.wta.org/go-outside/trail-smarts/how-to/how-to-cross-a-glacier |access-date=2020-11-13 |publisher=Washington Trails Association |archive-date=2021-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512102839/https://www.wta.org/go-outside/trail-smarts/how-to/how-to-cross-a-glacier |url-status=live }}</ref> The crossing of rivers may be dangerous and requires special techniques.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stream crossing safety while hiking and backpacking |url=https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/backcountry-basics/water/stream-crossing-safety/ |publisher=Pacific Crest Trail Association |access-date=2020-11-12 |archive-date=2020-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108110247/https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/backcountry-basics/water/stream-crossing-safety/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Border crossings===
Borders can be poorly marked and in 2009, Iran imprisoned three Americans for hiking across the Iran-Iraq border.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Gordon |first1=Michael R. |last2=Lehren |first2=Andrew W. |date=2010-10-23 |title=Iran Seized U.S. Hikers in Iraq, U.S. Report Asserts |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/world/middleeast/23hikers.html?_r=1 |access-date=2017-02-24 |archive-date=2018-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424140831/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/world/middleeast/23hikers.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is illegal to cross into the US on the [[Pacific Crest Trail]] from Canada. Going south to north it is more straightforward and a crossing can be made, if advanced arrangements are made with [[Canada Border Services Agency|Canada Border Services]]. Within the [[Schengen Area]], which includes most of the [[E.U.]], and associated nations like Switzerland and Norway, there are no impediments to crossing by path, and borders are not always obvious.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hiking the Via Alpina – Questions / Answers |url=http://www.via-alpina.org/en/page/771/questions-answers#And_what_else_should_I_know_about_walking_in_the_Alps_ |access-date=May 31, 2020 |website=www.via-alpina.org |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805111026/http://via-alpina.org/en/page/771/questions-answers#And_what_else_should_I_know_about_walking_in_the_Alps_ |url-status=live }}</ref>