10 Comments
Jun 2, 2022·edited Jun 2, 2022Liked by Cole Noble

Great list! I would add, it's imperative to carry basic first aid, and I encourage people to get Wilderness First Aid training from an organization such as NOLS. Be prepared to be self-sufficient in case you have to wait an hour or longer for help, and be prepared for your body temp to drop. This is why extra layers and an emergency bivvy or blanket is important. A safety kit should include things like a whistle (to call for help with three short blasts; your voice will wear out sooner than a whistle), bandages to stop bleeding and a small syringe to irrigate a wound, self-adhesive wrap to bandage and support a sprained ankle, etc. I carry a kit with this on all my high-country outings in case I get hurt or I encounter someone who needs help. I appreciate that you said to not be reliant on a cell phone; not only can they run out of battery, but many mountainous areas do not have coverage. I carry a SPOT GPS tracker for solo outings so it leaves an electronic trail of where I am, and it has an emergency SOS button to call to search & rescue. Three years ago, an experienced local mountaineer (here in Telluride) went missing, and didn't have a phone or anything. He had fallen down a mountainside and died from trauma. The search for his body lasted weeks and was agonizing for family. He was too casual about safety going out, since he was relatively close to home and on familiar territory. Sadly, this can happen.

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Jun 6, 2022Liked by Cole Noble

Pretty good lists. I have one issue, and that is the concept of putting anything in your water bottle except water. If you put anything but water in it, it should not ever be in your tent. That is just inviting the bears (and mini-bears ...) into your tent. The "contaminated" water bottle needs to be up in the bear bag on a hoist every night literally forever from then on. Remember that all wildlife have better noses than humans. Just because you can't smell it, doesn't mean they can't.

On another note, I cannot stress enough having at least one person (and preferably two, of course) fully trained in Wilderness FirstAid. I am, and was very happy that our group had some, because we did get into a situation where understanding the fully import of the problems made a difference in the outcome of the problem. AMS is NOT something to be ignored, under any circumstances. Understanding the differences between the levels of AMS is important. HAPE (High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema) and HACE (High-Altitude Cerebral Embolism) are bad news. If you are at altitude, somebody needs to understand these syndromes, especially if you and your team are going to be at altitude for an extended period or away from easy access down-mountain.

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Incredibly informative for us novice hikers. Who knew about moose??

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Jun 2, 2022Liked by Cole Noble

Very informative and helpful!

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At this point, I am ramping up my weekly cycling kms. in preparation. Hiking is the THING that motivates me through all the other months, and I am so grateful for the motivation. As I cycle (ugh), I think of those blissful minutes, at the top, watching the sun go down... and pedal on.

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