Medical Considerations for Solo Adventurers

The thrill of solo adventuring lies in fulfilling personal curiosities and goals. Travelling alone can provide moments of personal growth and self-discovery that are difficult to access when adventuring in groups. It also fosters a stronger connection to the wilderness that no one else can rely on. Since no distractions exist, solo adventuring encourages people to be more in the moment. But adventuring alone can also be intimidating. Solo adventuring requires in-depth knowledge of various outdoor skills that people rarely have when they first get started.

With no one else around, solo adventurers must be confident in their abilities to respond to myriad complications including fatigue, changes in weather, lack of experience, and others. A comprehensive understanding of these factors and thorough preparedness before the trip can ensure that solo adventuring does not turn into a liability, but remains fun and safe. Maintaining one’s health, both physical and mental, is key. This guide outlines medical knowledge and supplies you will need to know and have to make smart decisions for your solo adventures. What makes solo adventuring particularly worthwhile is the time spent contemplating the natural world and the way your life fits into nature. With the pristine wilderness looming ever ahead of you, it is important to learn the medical considerations that protect you if something goes awry.

Any outdoor adventure involves risks and solo adventuring is, unfortunately, no exception. While understanding all the considerations for risks and preparedness needed for outdoor survival is the goal of those offering widespread education for solo adventurers, it is up to you where and how you choose to test your mettle. The rest of the solo adventure series will guide you through health and safety information and considerations so you can make an informed decision about, and better prepare yourself for, solo adventuring.

Essential First Aid Skills and Supplies

Every solo adventurer needs to have certain first aid skills and supplies and know how to use what they carry. They should have the confidence needed to solve any basic wound care, be experienced with CPR, and know how to recognize signs of shock. When there's a lack of professional help available in an emergency, the care that a solo adventurer provides can sometimes mean life or death. This becomes even more crucial; therefore, they must understand their limitations. Carrying a well-stocked first aid kit for the activities you pursue and the environments you're travelling in is very important. To be of any help, though, you must be aware of the fundamentals and comfortable with them.

Creating a set of first aid supplies is very simple to do, and then you invariably have the supplies to assist in your first aid care. Just start with a good-quality, standard first-aid kit from the drugstore, then tailor it to your specific requirements. Some band-aids, gauze pads, or anything else similar are relatively common and can be found in most first-aid kits—maybe not a lot, but probably enough to do the job at hand. In a generic first-aid kit, the only genuinely valuable things are the smaller and better packed away from damaged containers, as a general rule of thumb. The contents are usable. For emergency medication such as antiseptic wipes or ointments, anti-diarrhoea medication, allergy pills, or insect bite ointment, it's a good idea to check with your healthcare provider. For stays longer than thirty days, be sure to pack all prescription drugs. Every item in the first-aid kit should already be understood and can be used by the individual. Items in the first-aid kit should also be easily manageable with one's tool or device physically.

Preventing and Managing Common Outdoor Injuries

Any adventurer will likely experience some of these injuries during their outdoor or wilderness adventure. From twisting an ankle to skidding a knee, spraining a wrist, bonking a head, or stubbing a toe, these are the most common. Ligaments are the most common tissue injury in the lower extremities, while in the upper extremities, fractures are more common due to hand and wrist injuries and elbow injuries. The vast majority of reported injuries in outdoor and wilderness activities are instrumental in aetiology. Several risk factors are recognized, such as environmental factors, gear, the individual, the activity, and the nature of the activity conducted. Insect bites and stings are diverse outdoor risk factors that depend on location, weather conditions, time of day or night, and the specific situation.

A successful strategy for preventing injuries, wherever they occur, necessitates the application of external constructs of biological principles of injury causation to the design and management of physical and biomechanical systems, as well as the physical, behavioural, and social environments in which they function. There is a wide variety of environmental risk factors that can lead to injury. Management for women, the obese, and older adults becomes more complicated in a wilderness or outdoor setting. Risk factors for the climber or hiker setting include the quality of the water, the weather, the clothing, the type of activity conducted, time spent in contact with nature, and finally, the interaction between a predisposed host and the insect. It's important to recognize these conditions early in order not to exacerbate the pain, swelling, or injury. Shall we therefore attempt to prevent injury and manage it if it occurs?

Mental Health and Well-Being for Solo Adventurers

Especially when travelling alone, caring for your mental wellness is just as important—not only to maximize your enjoyment of the experience but to ensure your preparedness for handling unexpected risks. Participating in any solo endeavour should be done with an awareness of and consideration for the psychological challenges that may arise along the way. They’re all-natural, and even expected, aspects of spending more time in solitude in the great outdoors, but are worth acknowledging. Larger challenges that solo experiences can present include, but are not limited to: feelings of isolation, anxiety or stress regarding the outcomes or uncertainties of the show or hike, and the feeling of needing to have heightened awareness to keep yourself safe. These mental obstacles can sometimes lead to impulsive decision-making or escalated fear responses, which could ultimately make challenges more distressing. In preparing to adventure in solo pursuits, it behoves us to lend a thought to our mindsets and to be compassionate and understanding with ourselves.

The above challenges are not, however, guaranteed outcomes of human isolation. By setting realistic expectations for our experiences and developing healthy coping techniques to turn to in isolation and stress, we can maintain mental health. Here are a few techniques to use as part of your pre-trip mental training: integrate mindfulness, maintain a written dialogue of all your goals, fears, and rational thoughts about your experience, set an intention to maintain a deep interest in your surroundings and all your activities, and/or identify a mantra to bring yourself back to when you feel doubt or criticism setting in. It can also help to maintain connections with loved ones while encountering the vast unknown and to share some of the joy of your outdoor journey and its benefits to you as an exploratory adventurer. Managing soloism and anxiety can certainly be a challenge, and learning through experiences what works for you in terms of mental self-care and wellness is critical for those adventuring on solitary journeys. For those needing the assistance and support of mental health professionals, options include counselling and/or clinical therapy in cities, through health insurance policies, and/or by referral. Whether you integrate these mental self-care techniques or need professional outreach, your journey can be strengthened by your self-respect and self-awareness. With your mental wellness sustained, bigger and brighter opportunities for mindfulness, joy, awe, and wonder can be at your fingertips while you play and adore the outdoors.

Emergency Communication and Evacuation Protocols

Many tools exist for communication in the wilderness. This can be as high-tech as satellite phones that are becoming increasingly lighter to carry, or as basic as a GPS with the ability to send emergency messages. Even without these technologies, hikers can carry personal locator beacons that send out distress signals and work in areas outside of cellular coverage. Whatever the method chosen, it is imperative to have the means to contact the outside world in the case of an emergency. Before leaving on a solo adventure, put thought and consideration into a communication plan. Tell a trusted friend or family member where you will be when to expect you back, and to alert emergency services if they lose contact with you. Make sure they understand any signals or messages you might use and the appropriate responses to them. This might consist of regular check-ins over the phone or messages over a device.

In an emergency, good communication is both about the tools you use and the message that you send. Avoid vagueness; clearly express the nature and degree of the emergency. Be as precise with location as possible and estimate the number of people who need help. A distress signal will attract attention from rescue teams, but should not be activated prematurely, as there can be serious legal ramifications and financial costs if rescue is unnecessarily deployed. If you are able, communicate a realistic plan for rescue with a specific timeline. Depending on your situation, some situations call for a quick evacuation by triggering an emergency response, while others require waiting for a rescue. Evaluate your circumstances impartially to make a decision. Familiarity with local resources can help make the best decisions in an emergency, such as trails or roads in the vicinity and types of wildlife species in the area. This knowledge can alleviate stress and aid in rapid decisions. Communicating over a device saves time and effort if it is appropriate for your emergency. In this case, it is important to be concise and only communicate essential details to reduce battery usage.