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Your skin needs protection in order to prevent skin cancer, wrinkles, and burn. Never leave home without wearing sunscreen, even on cloudy days. OK, maybe not at night. An outdoor walker gets lots of exposure to sun and wind, you need to reduce that consistently. And mosquito bites are no fun! Also see Facts on West Nile Virus Tutorial.
- Choose a waterproof sunscreen of SPF 20 or higher.
- Apply the sunscreen a half hour before your walk so it will absorb into the skin to start its protection.
- Put it on thickly - most people use too little and do not get the protection they paid for.
- Don't forget your ears and any bald spot you don't cover with a hat.
- Protect your lips with lip sunblock.
- Reapply your sunscreen if you have been sweating or are out for a longer duration.
- Mosquitoes bugging you? Buy sunscreen that include
 repellent. In mosquito season avoid eating bananas which mosquitos adore; they are repelled by citrus odours, however. Bring along extra suncreen and insect repellent containing DEET.
- Your hat and clothing are also a good line of defense against the sun. Cover as much as is comfortable with loose, breathable clothing. Dark coloured clothing attracts mosquitos so wear lighter colours. Stay away from dark greens or you’ll look like a tasty leaf :)
- Sunglasses: choose glasses that give both UVA and UVB protection.
- Bug Report: Check out the bug report link on the Weather Network for the area you are hiking. Mosquitos & blackflies can be very bad in late May & June. The bug report will give you an idea of how bad these insects will be: mosquitoes, blackflies, deer flies, horseflies, etc.
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