Hiking In El Paso? Leave The Headphones At Home

I know. That's crazy talk, right? Leave without the cell phone and ear buds? If you're going hiking ... or, honestly, even just walking around ... you should leave that stuff off.

Hiking in El Paso is awesome and we have loads of places for you to do it, including the largest urban park in the United States of America. You really need to keep your wits about you though. There's danger out there.

I'm not a big hiker but I do hit the great outdoors now and then to go target shooting and I've learned, (the scary, rattlesnake literally crawling across my foot way), to make sure I'm aware of the surroundings.

Why Not Use Ear Buds & Cell Phones?

When you're hiking, taking your cell phone with you is recommended in case of an accident but, until you need it, leave it in your pocket and don't put those freakin' ear buds in at all. One, you're missing the beautiful sights and sounds of nature but more importantly, you may miss the dangerous side of nature.

READ MORE: More Hiking Safety Tips

In the city, you need to be aware of who's around you, traffic, traffic signals, etc so, shutting off 2 of your 5 senses isn't smart. In the wild, you don't have that stuff to worry about so it's easy to stare at your phone and listen to music. That could lead you straight into trouble though or ON to trouble like in this video.

You don't want that to happen, do you?

Sure, when shooting, I wear ear muffs but that's after I've checked the area I'm in and I stay in that same open area. Still being watchful of course. That's different than walking around, especially through brush or over boulders.

Stay focused or you'll wind up like that girl in the video..