Please note the title – it mentions ‘comfort’ in addition to ‘safety’! It has been observed that oftentimes ‘comfort’ of campers is not given due attention, with the effect that a few or more participants actually end up being plain uncomfortable, with many nursing niggling injuries and even illnesses. And this mars the joy that one desires for participants to have... Unfortunately, this is also true of ‘experienced’ outdoors people who tend to stay stuck in outdated practices that have proven to be inefficient and unfriendly not only to the environment but also to people!

This article

• Addresses comfort and safety related to ‘camping’ (camping: staying in tents in the outdoors)
• Is restricted to some aspects of camping in Sahyadri

• Is primarily aimed at organisers - leaders and participants of organised outdoor events involvingcamping, but may benefit ‘experts’ too.
  

Please note that this article is far from being comprehensive, and it is recommended that the reader study relevant literature to enhance his/her knowledge of this subject, and practice accordingly. For the sake of brevity, I am going to refer to just ‘safety’ which will also include ‘comfort’, and to ‘organisers’ which will also include ‘leaders, instructors, office holders, etc.’

Components of ‘SAFETY’  - Safety of people, environment & equipment
Safety in outdoors is in the context of

• Physical safety
  
• Emotional safety
  

And, we are looking at avoiding

• Illnesses
• Injuries
• Damage to environment & equipment
  
  

Campsite location

• Try to locate a camp on a relatively impacted site, which is fairly plain and level; e.g.: old established campsites, barren land in which hardly anything grows, and rock surface.
  Cutting drainage-runnels around a tent is an outdated and environment unfriendly practice. it points toward
  - Bad choice of camping spot for a tent and/or
  - Bad quality of tent and/or
  - Inability to pitch tents perfectly!

• Beware of rock fall areas as well as dead branches and termite ridden trees that tower above tents – these are potential killers.
  
• Camping in stream/river beds tends to harm sensitive riparian (of river) environment. Also, just like during the monsoon, pre-monsoon thunderstorms can also create flash floods which are a hazard to life and property. Always camp away from with the help of the ‘200-feet’ guideline.
• The ideal distance between water-source, kitchen(s) and toilets is 200 feet (70 adult steps) – this helps in preventing/minimising contamination of food and the source of water. Use this as a guideline and take judicious decisions to locate all three in your campsite.
  

• Locate each tent in such a way that occupants get to sleep on a fairly level surface. Slight unevenness can be managed with padding of empty gunny bags, etc. Note that a person who has not slept well potentially becomes a ‘safety issue’ – he/she may require medical care at a later stage for reasons arising from sleep-deprivation.
  
  

Camp kitchen

• Have an orderly kitchen that makes efficient use of resources, including fuel. The organisers should run an orientation/training session for cooks – especially if they are local or non- outdoors people – to acquaint them of the organisation’s safety values and practices.
• Kitchen hygiene is of utmost importance. One bug that thrives here can create mayhem in the whole camp. Kitchen staff must be supervised to ensure cleanliness and good hygiene (regularly washing hands, using clean dusters for wiping utensils, always keeping uncooked and cooked food suitably covered, etc.) 
• Disposing off kitchen waste appropriately is extremely important. Waste water needs to be scattered about 200 feet (70 adult steps) away from the kitchen and water source. Solid waste ideally should be carried ‘out’ (back to an urban garbage disposal system) – because waste buried in the outdoors tends to attract animals, and in remote areas, adversely affect wildlife.
  Consequences of inappropriate disposal of kitchen waste may be
  - Decomposing stuff that breeds flies and germs, which can easily affect campers
  - Unclean camp surroundings which also ruin site aesthetic
  - Unwanted visitors like snakes that follow foraging rats
  
  

Camp toilet

• Many outdoors people who go hiking/climbing use toilet paper. Actually, there is nothing cleaner and more hygienic than water. Toilet paper has to be used only when water is scarce. With proper planning, and with appropriate briefing for prevention of wastage, enough water can be made available for ablutions.
• AVOID leaving ‘deposits’ exposed all around a campsite. Note: Apart from being atrociously unsightly, exposed human faeces are
  - An invitation to illnesses. Flies that get 
attracted to the lumps of turd also visit camp 
kitchens and eating plates
  - Potential ‘land mines’ for campers to step on, 
especially in darkness
  

Toilet tents

• At any campsite (especially on multi-day camp), organisers could have toilet tents for both genders. Such a toilet tent is put up over a trench-like pit. The soil that has come out can go in each time the toilet is used, just enough to cover the deposit.
• Maintaining toilet tents is the job of camp organisers – remember, participants are ‘novices’ and will struggle with camp-life. Besides regular cleaning, ‘maintenance’ may also necessitate shifting the toilet tent over to a new trench. Experienced campers keep additional trenches ready in advance at multi-day campsites.
  Brief participants about use of toilet tents as soon as they reach camp. Demonstrate acts like zipping up tents (with one hand), filling in soil and keeping things clean. This is especially useful for children.
  

Cat-holes
One recommended practice is to dig individual cat-holes to do one’s job. Here are a few ‘specifics’:

• Cat-holes should be 200 feet (70 adult steps) away from water source and kitchen.
• Use a ‘trowel’ to dig a hole, preferably in organic soils (not in mineral soil which lacks 
organisms that help decompose stuff).
• A stick (branch, twig) will not be efficient, and will take a much bigger effort. So: a good trowel 
is a piece of equipment – just like, say, your water bottle, cap and climbing harness.
• After the job is done, fill up the cat-hole with the soil that has come out of it. While doing this, 
take care not to soil the trowel or your shoes. 

  Evolve a uniformly understood ‘signal’ like a standing stick embedded in the filled-up cat-hole to inform a site- hunter where not to dig!
  

• Brief participants about cat-holes as soon as they reach camp. Dig a cat-hole to demonstrate. Encourage participants to take a jaunt around the campsite in daylight so they can see a few locations (hidden from all, room-with-a-view, twin-spots for chatty dumps, etc.) for taking a dump. Ensure people have understood. . It is the job of the organisers to un-taboo this subject and address it in a matter-of-fact manner.

Let participants see organisers role-model (e.g., announce loudly that you are ‘going mining’ and be seen walking off with a trowel).
 Organisers should take ‘inspection rounds’ and...
- Thank participants for being sensitive and supportive of the camp’s safe practices (if they have been diligent), or
- Give them feedback and request them to follow safe practices (if they have been lax) – it is good to repeat instructions as many times as is required.
Organisers should NOT avoid this topic.

Camp hazards

• Ensure that all organisers in a camp are well aware of how to avoid fires in camp, and what to do if a fire starts. Also, have all participants thoroughly briefed about ‘fire’ – prevention and response to fire in the camp. Identify safe spots and explain expectations. Keep fire- fighting equipment handy and permanently located in the most convenient spot. E.g., a) ‘multi-day campsites’ should have buckets filled with soil kept at accessible locations, b) long branches of plants like nirgudi are known to be great for putting out bush fires – locate such plants close to a campsite – do NOT cut branches in advance! (Cut-and-stored branches will anyway dry up and be useless).

• The ‘objective hazard’ that campers in the Sahyadri need to be most concerned about: snakes and scorpions. The only thing that works is a completely zipped-up tent. Such a tent needs to be extremely well ventilated with netting-liners to doors. Proper maintenance will ensure that the nettings have no tears and vents.
• Stress the importance of maintaining hygiene to participants. Help children be clean – many will need coaching and monitoring.
  
  

General tips

• After winding up a camp, the site of the camp should be cleaned and as natural looking as possible. This takes commitment and effort.
• Have a documented Emergency Response Plan in place for each camp. Ensure that all organisers are well versed with it, and that each person’s role is clear to him/her. Brief participants about their role in case of an emergency.
• Have at least one member of the organising team hold a current first aid certification (ideally wilderness first aid).

Briefings to participants and other interactions

• Participants of any camp, whether they are going to occupy it for just one night or for multiple nights, need an ‘orientation round’ to get familiar with camp layout and the facilities available to them. This helps increase their comfort, and also enables them to walk about in the dark with ease.
• During the orientation round, participants should be acquainted with camp-specific safety guidelines. This ensures compliance, and judicious independence of adult participants.
• What a camp organiser could do to inspire open communication and safe interaction with participants:

1. Be self assured and confident. Your demeanour (i.e. bearing, behaviour) will impact participants positively. But this confidence will come only through proper training and experience which has been reflected upon. So:
2. Be competent in your skills, and be open about what you are skilled in and not skilled in. Pull in into your team co-leaders who complement your skills-set. Remember: any ‘show of confidence’ without a solid base of competence is soon perceived as ‘hollow’ by participants, including, or especially, children! 
3. When ‘instructing’ (e.g. first briefing given to campers), use ‘teaching techniques’: explain verbally, illustrate by doing, request for questions and answer them immediately, confirm that participants have understood what you want them to, walk around, use your sense of humour, relate to children in the group, seek support from the adults.
   
4. Set up specific times when you meet with participants. Enquire about their health and wellbeing. Act immediately to address any concern that is voiced.
E.g. on a hiking programme where participants are walking from camp to camp:
   - If someone has not been ‘sleeping warm’, then investigate root cause (Sleeping gear not adequate? Food intake not sufficient or appropriate? Etc.)
   - Have a ‘blister-meeting’ in each camp where hotspots and blisters are looked at and treated with first-aid – participants would love you for taking care of their feet!
   

In conclusion

• An organisation should strive for camping practices that address ‘safety’ comprehensively. For instance, while there is intense focus on safety of people and even equipment (its costs money!), comparatively speaking, little or no attention is paid to making things environment-friendly. Organisations should have documented safe practices based on its values, and camp organisers and leaders should be trained in such practices.
• Organisations should not only encourage but facilitate safe practices. E.g. a) Include a set of trowels as part of common camp-gear, b) Raise and allocate funds for leadership development and wilderness first aid (in addition to ‘standard’ courses like basic and advance mountaineering courses). 
• An organiser’s concern and goal should be to avoid and prevent illnesses and injuries, and for which he/she needs to keep both physical as well as emotional safety of participants in mind. A ‘participant’ needs to voice any discomfort being experienced, and should get it addressed as soon as possible. Both roles (organiser and participant) require a high degree of awareness about self and others, and open communication. Camp organisers need to create an environment, a culture, of such openness. This can be done through proactive communication, through sensitising both camp organisers and participants, and providing forums/platforms for dialogues and feedback to happen.
  

Shantanu Pandit
This article was previously published in the souvenir ‘Sahyankan’ brought out by Chakram Hikers.

It was on Malhargad near Saswad during one monsoon in the evening that I first experienced someone having symptoms of ‘mild hypothermia’ progress to those of ‘moderate hypothermia’, which included extreme form of discomfort and uncontrollable shivering. We put the man inside two sleeping bags and served him hot cups of tea before his shivering subsided. After coming out of his tent, the shivering returned so we fed him an early dinner and enforced rest inside the two sleeping bags. That saw an end to his troubles.

So what had happened? Why did one person get hypothermic and the others, who also had got wet in the rain and participated in all activities arranged for the group, did not? To understand that, we need to look at the ‘immediate history’ of the patient:

Since two days after having arrived at the fort, the man had had on just a vest, having avoided wearing a shirt, perhaps to show off his ‘physique’ (which was, we all concurred privately, rather skeletal!). Plus, he had not eaten lunch on both days because ‘he never took lunch’. And he had of course participated in all activities on both days, getting wet in the rain in the process.

Conclusion: The man had not eaten enough for his body to have created the heat required to keep him warm in cold and windy conditions. Whatever his body had got through two meals per day had got utilized for physical activities. Normally, this would not have mattered in a period of two-three days but our man had added to his body’s misery by helping lose a lot of heat existing in his body to the environment by not having dressed appropriately.

The rest of the group members had all eaten heartily and followed periodic instructions on warm layers given by the leadership team. This had kept all of them fit and comfortable. And this also points to another, somewhat uncomfortable truth: the leadership team had fallen short in assertiveness and convincing capability to have prevented the discomfort to the man. For ‘wilderness first aid’ is very clear on this: do everything to prevent a situation that may require first aid.

Most outdoor pursuits like hiking require sustained activity over time. The tips given here are primarily to clarify concepts that should help plan diet and clothing for outdoors, and will use hiking only as an example to illustrate points. While Himalayan weather is cold at all times of the year, there can be cold weather conditions in the Sahyadri in winter as well as in the monsoon.

It is important for hikers to consider the various aspects regarding food intake and clothes-layers that are relevant to the hiking world, especially those who take on the role of ‘leaders’ and take novices on hikes: leaders have the responsibility of understanding the cause behind participants’ specific problems. Following are a few

guidelines on how these two factors (amongst many others!) can help a person stay strong, healthy and comfortable while hiking in any kind of weather condition; based on these guidelines one can take decisions for choosing one’s hiking diet and clothing.

Diet tips for food for hiking

WATER

Everything our bodies do – physical activity, digestion, breathing, etc. - depends on water. If we get dehydrated, functions in the body start getting affected. I was walking a Himalayan route once with a ‘local’. This person just refused to drink adequate quantities of water while the rest of us drank as required. Eventually, after about 15 days or so, while climbing off-trail up a steep slope, he started getting ‘stitches’ in his chest – a sure sign of extreme dehydration where the lubrication of the pleural lining gets affected. Sure enough, aggressive rehydration provided him relief.

A sure sign of onset of dehydration is yellow coloured urine. If not attended to, then the dehydration could start causing cramps, typically in leg muscles - by which time the dehydration state has advanced to levels necessitating first-aid.

It is good to have at least two litres of water in one’s rucksack while starting on a hike. Sipping water throughout the day is ideal for hikers (hence the growing popularity of ‘hydration packs’).

FOOD

Hiking needs a lot of carbohydrates. While some ‘simple carbohydrate’ foods like sugars release energy ‘instantly’, this is of use only for a short time. So what one needs are complex carbohydrate foods like in wheat, rice and potato to carry out any sustained activity. It is no wonder that hikers typically eat breakfast-foods like upma, pohe or phodnicha bhaat! The sprinkling of dal and ground nuts (sheng-daane) adds to the share of proteins, while a liberal slice of fruit or chocolate drink helps in getting things started before the energy from the main breakfast food kicks in. It is recommended that as much as 70% of a hiker’s food in a day could be carbohydrates. At the end of a hiking day, a quick ‘dose’ of carbohydrates helps recovery and setting one up for the remaining chores of the day (like pitching tents, cooking dinner or even enjoying the location while taking photographs or birding).

Proteins help in muscle-repair. For example, those who end up with sore muscles should take extra helpings of proteins during dinner. Eating nuts, chikki, etc. periodically through the day is recommended. Sprouts (mode alele kad-dhaanya), pulses (dal), eggs, cheese and other milk products are typical examples of protein that hikers can pack in. These of course need to be taken with normal quantities of chapatti/roti and rice, along with servings of vegetables (fibre!).

Fats help in keeping warm, apart from their other benefits. In cold climates, it is recommended to include lot of fats during dinner. During sleep, the inactive body effectively digests fats (3-4 hrs.). So, on a Himalayan hike, if there is someone who has been ‘sleeping cold’, his/her comfort (i.e., warmth) can be dramatically increased by having that person eat extra fatty food during dinners. (Here it is assumed that the person is appropriately using his/her sleeping bag: see below). Butter, oil, eggs, cheese and other milk products are typical examples of foods that supply fats to our bodies.

Additional notes:

• The above are only explanatory guidelines, and do not point to a ‘compartmentalised diet plan’ – we of course always have a mix of all food components in our meals.
  
  
• Use the above guidelines judiciously. E.g., it is a bad idea to eat a lot of fats in the morning - they do not help immediately since they take a lot of time to get digested.
  
  
• Think through some practices that have evolved through years, and improve by judging what is appropriate, and change what is not. E.g., i) the reason why especially Himalayan hikes have a ‘hot drink’ after dinner is to provide some instant energy for the last chores of the day as well as some immediate warmth before the complex carbohydrates and fats start kicking in, ii) ‘drinking less water while hiking’ has been proved to be a completely wrong practice; one needs to plan in order to anticipate water sources on one’s route and so the quantity of water to be carried in water bottles.
  
  
• Eating multiple small snacks while on the move has been seen to be more effective than one large meal in the middle of the day. Experiment with food items to help you try this way of hiking!
  
  
•  ‘Junk food’ is exactly that: junk food. Discard it. It also adds to your rucksack weight and volume!
  
  
• Alcohol and soft drinks are diuretics – they increase the amount of urine one passes – and so do not help one stay hydrated or warm in the outdoors. AVOID completely!
  
  
• Keep doing your own research and reading – this article is by no means comprehensive.
  
  

Tips for managing clothing layers

‘Managing layers’ is all about helping one’s body retain or lose heat as necessary. For instance, one loses/gains a lot of heat through the head; so, after reaching camp in cold conditions, when one is hungry and tired, wearing a woolen/fleece cap makes a huge difference in terms of feeling warm. While today all-weather hiking T-shirts and trousers are easily available, the ‘layering guidelines’ advocate clothing made of synthetic material for cold weather conditions where one cannot afford to have sweaty clothes on which take a lot of time to dry, if at all. In warm weather, cotton works great and many people find this fabric more comfortable to wear.

Two sweaters of thickness ‘x’ each with a layer of air between them are better than one sweater of thickness ‘2x’, as air is a great insulator. Also, if two sweaters make one feel a bit too warm, one can remove one sweater and feel comfortable. The windcheater, the uppermost layer, does the work of forming a cocoon outside one’s body and trapping one’s body heat. Refer to the example stated at the beginning of the article – it is a crime to lose the heat that the body has manufactured! Similarly, appropriate use of sleeping bag prevents heat loss and ensures sound (and warm!) sleep. I am strongly reminded of what I had heard great sport psychologist Mr. Bhishmaraj Bam say in one of his lectures, ‘When you rest, rest with commitment’!

Additional notes:

• -  During a small halt while walking in cold climates, put on your windcheater: it blocks the wind AND traps the body heat. Many want to feel good with the wind playing on their sweat – not realizing that that wind is stealing precious heat.
  
  
• -  Hand gloves and socks: next to the head, one tends to lose a lot of heat through palms and feet. So, despite covering the head, if one is still feeling cold, then one should cover palms and feet.
  
  
• -  It is fairly common to see a hiker in the Himalaya walking in multiple layers of clothes in even sunny conditions – this is an unhealthy way of walking and unnecessary since the extra heat produced during an activity needs to be lost.
  
  

Important notes especially for cold conditions:

For outdoor persons, ‘wilderness first aid practices’ define onset of hypothermia as beginning with the first sign of shivering, which is ‘controllable shivering’. It is important to arrest further deterioration of this condition (from ‘mild signs and symptoms’ to ‘moderate s & s’, and, worse, to ‘severe s & s’).

Heat is lost through;

1. Conduction (direct contact, e.g., sitting on a cold rock)
2. Convection (e.g., breeze)
3. Radiation (spontaneous heat loss to a colder environment) 4. Evaporation (e.g., during breathing) Heat (for our context) is produced/gained by:

1. Eating food
   
   
2. Activity (e.g., walking, shivering!)
   
   
3. External source (e.g., shekoti!)
   
   

That last alternative should be the last to be adopted in today’s times – to be used in emergencies, and only as a supplement. The second can only be temporary. So, to stay healthy and comfortable on a hike 1. EAT WELL and 2. MANAGE LOSS/RETENTION OF ONE’S OWN BODY HEAT.

(Refer to http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/how-body-heat-is-lost)

Concluding statement:

If one pays attention (‘listens’) to one’s body, one can generally get a good idea as to what is one going through, and then it becomes easy for one to take preventive action rather than get into situations that need first aid.

You could try the following links, with the caveat that a) these articles all refer to items from a foreign diet and b) you will have to connect specific sections and even sentences from the articles for gaining relevance and comprehensive picture.

http://hikinghq.net/food.html
http://thru-hiker.com/articles/pack_light_eat_right.php 
http://www.backpacker.com/august_2003_health_hiker_diet/gear/6406 
http://www.thehikingguide.net/hiking-guide/hiking-guide-to-food-and-nutrition

Shantanu Pandit
This article was previously published in the souvenir ‘Sahyankan’ brought out by Chakram Hikers.