Horseback riding through mountains, forests, and rivers seems tranquil until….

In 2009 I took a backpacking adventure into the wilderness of Southern Chile. I went during their fall season, so the weather was just a bit mild but not too hot to feel terribly uncomfortable. So the outdoor activities were endless. Many new exciting activities were shown to me, therefore as being a huge outdoor person I took full advantage in trying them all. One activity in particular caught me a little off guard.
During one of the days I was touring in Pucon, Chile I decided to take up horseback riding with a bunch of other individuals whom I met during my trip. The horseback riding adventure was to show us the beautiful countryside, mountains, and rivers. It was excited to see more of Chile but also to go on a horse again. It has been years, since I last galloped and I knew this was the perfect opportunity to get my riding love back. Well that’s what I thought.
We spent over an hour riding until something whacked the back of my neck, had me flying of just seeing dizziness. All I remember is the tour guide telling me as she was standing over me, ” You got good luck”. I was like huh, what!? So what happened was the horse behind me had it’s horseshoe fly over one person and hit me directly on the back of my neck. If you have ever seen a horseshoe well they are heavy and made up of just metal. You can only imagine how much pain I was in afterwards. Although, apparently, if a horseshoe hits you, it is a sign of good luck….. which equals a little pain too! It sure didn’t feel like good luck to me!
The very next morning I woke up to a purple/green bruise on my neck that did not look very appealing. Yet, I must say occasions like this can really make adventure/travel story.

Although this is the type of news we don’t want to hear, we need to expect it. Some countries are not as well off as others because of their location on the map. Some are more susceptible to earthquakes, others to hurricanes while others to tsunamis. And let’s face it, most of us will never take into account these risks when backpacking in a country. Should we? Shouldn’t we? It’s a difficult questions to answer.

The way I see it is that we are surrounded by danger wherever we are. Let it be a psycho that goes into a school and randomly shoots at people, or getting hit while crossing an intersection, anything can happen to us at home. And yes, there is a certain degree of danger that’s involved with traveling but as long as you are aware of that danger, there is no need to worry.

When I was in Rio by myself two months ago, I knew not to be wandering around the streets on my own at night. And although I did pass as a local, I never wore jewelry on me to attract unnecessary attention. I avoided getting in any type of mugging situations by avoiding these simple things. At the same time, I heard mugging stories from backpackers at the hostel because they found themselves drunk at 3AM and needless to say, some of them got mugged. The point of the story is to be aware of the danger. This being said, it’s not always obvious when mother nature strikes. One cannot always be ready to deal with such a disaster. But one thing you can do is avoid certain places at certain times of the year. Don’t plan a trip to Cancun when it’s hurricane season or avoid Thailand when it’s monsoon. It’s certainly easier said than done, especially if you’re backpacking for a long period of time.

I’ll let you go with a few tips:

• If a hurricane hits, make sure to stay indoor and away from windows. Close all doors.
• If there is a tsunami watch out, stay away from the shore. Don’t think you can outrun the wave it because you won’t!
• If a lightning strikes, stay indoor, away from windows, doors, radiators, stoves, sink and other plugged-in appliances. You should unplug all electrical appliances asap. If you find yourself outdoor, stay away from trees, fences, power lines and swimming.
• If an earthquake strikes, drop on the ground and find shelter under a solid piece of furniture. If you find yourself near a door, use the doorway as shelter. If you’re outdoor, stay away from buildings, street lights and wires.

So the other day or so I came across these toe shoes. Now, I know what you are thinking… what?… toe shoes? But yes, the perfect backpacking shoe. I thought I would share this with you, since I know carrying shoes are the pain while backpacking. Well no more wet, smelly, big, uncomfortable backpacking shoes! Check these Vibram FiveFinger shoes out.

So I got a pair and wow I must tell you, they make walking, hiking, running, and yoga feel like a “breeze!” They are so comfortable and it feels like you are walking in bare feet all the time.

I love hiking and running, especially while backpacking. Exploring beautiful scenery and being on a mountain or climbing a volcano, you need high-quality equipment to make your experience go smoothly. I say backpackers this is your solution compared to big, bulky, and uncomfortable running shoes.