The handkerchief, also known as the hankie or bandana. Worn by cowpokes, Rocky Balboa, and Western States finishers of yesteryear. To many, the hankie is an antiquated remnant of trail running, replaced by SPF 100 ultra-wicking bucket hats and space-aged ice-management systems. But I’m here to convince you that the hankie is still an essential piece of trail running gear, and not just because paisley looks amazing on everyone. Hankies were ultralight before ultralight was cool – typically weighing 2 ounces or less and taking up virtually no space in a pack or pocket. You can throw one or two into your vest and forget about them until you really need them. And before you ask, no, I’m not sponsored by Big Bandana.
Don’t believe me yet? Here are several ways that a hankie could save you on your next trail run.
The Heat & Sun
Let’s start with the most obvious, creating an impromptu and improvised sun shield. I live in the Pacific Northwest, which means I worry about the sun for about two weeks mid-August, before the rains return. I took that attitude with me when I visited the Grand Canyon on a cold, overcast March day. Well, cold and overcast at the rim, anyway. I did not anticipate the clouds breaking and it being 30 degrees hotter down in the canyon. And it’s not just a pale Pacific Northwesterner’s misadventures in the Grand Canyon; I’ve been on several adventures when hikers, skiers, or runners stop and ask if I have extra sunscreen when the clouds unexpectedly break or the trail is longer than expected.
In these situations, a hankie saves the day. Tuck a portion of it under your hat, let it flow over the sides of your face and cover the back of your neck for added sun protection. Cool looking? No – but now you’re on an adventure. A hankie can be moved around, letting you adjust if the sun is beating down on one side, keeping the other side unobstructed for the breeze to cool you. It’s the perfect movable transformable sunshield. You can buy high-SPF hankies, but even a common one can provide additional protection to exposed areas or save the day when your emergency sunscreen expired seven years ago or exploded inside your running vest.
Additionally, unlike synthetic material cotton bandanas absorb and hold water. Holding water is exactly what you want sometimes. Running the Canyons 100km this summer along the storied Western States course, I could reach down and saturate my bandana in every stream crossing, barely breaking stride. I would then squeeze out the cold refreshing water over my head and body, and wrap the cooling bandana around my neck. Occasionally, I’d use the absorbent hankie to wipe the stinging combination of sweat and sunscreen from my eyes so that I could better see my sky-high heart rate and rock-bottom pace on my smartwatch.
The Cold
On more than one occasion, I’ve been out with just a running cap when the weather shifts suddenly, the temperature drops, and the wind picks up. My ears start to burn from the cold, and I press them with the palms of my hands to warm them to no avail. With a folded hankie, I tie a bandana around them, pressing the tips of my ears to my head and blocking the wind. Another hankie hat to the rescue.
Speaking of tips… a certain appendage can and will get frostbitten even if your core is warm, especially in thin running shorts. A well-placed hankie can provide just a little extra protection, when needed.
(The Other) Fluid Management
Yes, Real TrailrunnersTM blow snot-rockets, pushing one nostril and forcefully blowing out the other. But sometimes, you just need a hankie. There is nothing worse than power hiking in a conga line of runners up a mountain and feeling a fine mist waft over you from above on a blue-bird day. In these situations, the courteous thing to do is to blow your nose into a hankie rather than your neighbor’s face. Rumor has it, Midwest folks have even been known to safety pin a hankie to their running or skiing mittens to always have one conveniently nearby.
Sometimes, you REALLY need a hankie, like when you have a relentless bloody nose. Or that postnasal drip some folks get running in the cold can be more of a wipe-than-blow situation in which a quick wipe with a hankie can save your mountain summit selfie from a snotpocalypse.
First-Aid
It was a beautiful morning, and I made it to a popular trailhead in the Columbia River Gorge before most of the day hikers. I made the slow climb from the parking lot on the Old Columbia Highway past the waterfalls, crested a ridge, and started a modest descent before I would be doing more climbing up to Larch Mountain. As I started the descent, I saw the first hiker of the morning coming in the opposite direction. As I looked up, my foot caught a root, and I launched down the trail like Superman, except unlike Superman, I was bound by gravity. I hit the trail and rolled several feet down the mountainside. I scrambled up, and realized my left shoulder was several inches lower than where it was moments before and in intense pain. I had dislocated it for the first time. I instinctively told the hiker to grab my arm and shove it upwards as hard as he could. We both yelled; me in pain and him in shock with the loud “Pop!” as it settled back into its socket.
In 2017, Kilian Jornet won Hardrock 100, racing the 87 miles with a dislocated shoulder. But I am not Kilian, nor are you. (Unless this is Killian reading my article, in which case, “OMG! Hi, Kilian!”) After gathering myself, I turned to shuffle back to the trailhead. Each walking step made me wince. I realized though that I had my bandana tied around my neck. I tied it around my running pack to make an impromptu sling that brought me substantial relief. Rescued yet again!
The handkerchief is or should be an essential component of your trail-running first-aid kit. Dating back nearly a century, the Boy Scout Handbook describes several first-aid uses for the handkerchief: it can serve as a tourniquet or a bandage. A good sized hankie can wrap around your head if you’ve taken a fall and your head is bleeding. It can also completely cover a hand that has been hurt or wrap around a bleeding leg or arm.
Finally, there’s nothing like coming off a dusty trail, blowing your nose for the first time, and seeing the brown snot pouring out. Gross. A bandana worn outlaw style over your face and nose can help protect against pollen and dust in these situations. Unfortunately, a bandana does not protect against viruses or wildfire smoke, but it can still make your breathing seem easier, especially if wetted.
Be Seen
Fall. The air is crisp, the days shorten, and in the backcountry, you may unexpectedly hear the sound of rifles. I notice they are wearing fluorescent orange vests and hats, and I am in my black running shorts and top. Every hunter I have come across on the trails has been extraordinarily respectful and careful, but incidents can happen, and we trailrunners can help do our part. Orange is the new black: no matter your clothes, if you find yourself where hunters are, a brightly colored (preferably, hunter orange) hankie can make you significantly more visible.
Visibility is also important during rescues. Even if you’ve got a Garmin inReach or similar device, rescuers aren’t finding GPS coordinates, they are finding YOU. A brightly colored hankie can save the day, and your life.
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
In 1873, John Muir said, “The mountains call, and I must go.” But sometimes, nature calls, and YOU must go, Now. Sometimes nature has called you several times, and you have used up all of your toiletry supplies, or didn’t bring any. In these situations in which you need an emergency wipe or menstrual pad, a hankie can save the day.
Hankie Times
The handkerchief has been in existence at least since ancient Greecian times because of its versatility and usefulness. Who knows? Perhaps the Greek messenger Philippides carried one during his inaugural marathon (or maybe he didn’t, and that’s why he died)! Whether to help with the heat, the cold, first-aid emergencies, visibility, and more, a hankie is there for you, and having one will make you the most stylish hip prepared runner out on your next trail run!