The summer is almost upon us and already there have been lost hikers and even a death after someone lost their footing.

One thing is for certain, there are things you can do to reduce your risks while hiking.

Anybody can get lost. It’s easy to do. You can get lost in the day time… forget a map, misread the trail, not pay attention, have too much fun.

You can slide into the brush, trip on a log, rub up against poison oak or stinging nettles, turn your ankle or come home with ticks.

The weather can change from hot to cold, from calm to gusty and from dry to wet. You can be delayed coming home and find yourself in the dark.

The question isn’t what to do once you are in a dire situation. Rather, know how to avoid getting into a bad situation in the first place.

But also you want to be prepared and capable of dealing with a situation if it happens.

Here are some hiking safety tips to help keep you out of trouble…