Spending the day in Glacier National Park or packing a tent and plenty of food for a three-day trip through Yellowstone are just a couple of the hiking adventures you can undertake within a few hours of Missoula. If you’re an avid hiker with hearing loss, part of your preparation for these hikes involves your hearing aids.
How Do Hearing Aids Change Hiking Prep?
Hearing aids bring hiking sounds like the crunch of leaves and the gurgling of a nearby stream back to life. To ensure they provide the clearest sound possible, you need to add a few extra steps to your hiking prep, including:
- Pack backup batteries. Depending on the length of your hiking trip, your hearing aids might not need new batteries. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Add extra batteries to your pack just in case your devices run out of power. If you wear rechargeable hearing aids, charge their case fully before you leave. You may need to bring a portable battery to recharge the case on longer hiking trips.
- Bring a hearing aid dryer. Glacier National Park is known for its beautiful, crystal-clear lakes. Unfortunately, if you drop your hearing aids in the water, you might not find the experience so enchanting. Bringing a portable electric hearing aid dryer or a drying jar filled with desiccating beads will prevent an accidental splash from souring an otherwise perfect day in the woods.
- Pack a cleaning kit. Hiking and sweating often go hand in hand, especially if you’re setting out on a sunny day. All that extra sweat can make your hearing aids dirtier than usual. You likely won’t need to clean your devices for a day hike, but thru-hikers will benefit from a cleaning kit.
- Wear clips. Hearing aid clips attach your devices to your shirt to prevent them from falling off. They’re not a necessity, but you should consider them for deep-woods hiking.
An estimated 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids. Caring for your devices is an essential step in securing those benefits. If you’re planning a long-term thru hike, you should also schedule a repair & service appointment beforehand.
Schedule a Repair & Service Appointment
During a repair & service appointment, we’ll clean your devices and check their programming to verify that they still meet your needs. If it’s been a while since your last visit and you’re planning a long hike, contact Western Montana Hearing and Speech to schedule your appointment with one of our specialists.