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.
Great points Sarah! I have my first aid kit as one of my most important essentials, though it's in one of the supplemental links. perhaps I'll add it to the "did you forget" last minute check list. Thanks!
Also, you bring up a great point about that tragic story: the most experienced people tend to get into the most trouble because we feel confident everything will go well. We need to prepare for the times things go poorly!
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.
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.
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.
Great points Sarah! I have my first aid kit as one of my most important essentials, though it's in one of the supplemental links. perhaps I'll add it to the "did you forget" last minute check list. Thanks!
Also, you bring up a great point about that tragic story: the most experienced people tend to get into the most trouble because we feel confident everything will go well. We need to prepare for the times things go poorly!
Thanks for reading!
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.
That's a fantastic point. I should say, I only take water on day hikes and would never take flavored anything into the tent!
Another good point about wilderness first aid, especially on longer trips. You really ARE the first responder during and emergency
Incredibly informative for us novice hikers. Who knew about moose??
Yeah, I didn't know much about them for a long time. Turns out they get pretty nasty if you're too close!
Very informative and helpful!
Thank you! Here's to happy hiking!
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.
Yes! Preparation is so important! Good luck building up with the cycling. And hopefully we'll all be able to take in a great sunset sometime soon!