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In Colorado we find the bodies of hikers who failed to tell anyone where they were going, every year. A surprising number of who deside to hike in the winter and don't properly pack for the weather, don't go in a group, and don't inform anyone what trail they are taking.
Always and every time infom other exactly where you are hiking, what time you are starting and do not change your plans.
Apparently someone tried to bushwhack to the top of 13’er just a few days ago. He had a cotton hoodie and nothing else. In November.
Rescue found him at 2 am upright in the fetal position and covered in snow. It took 5 hours to get him down from his perilous position. He’s somehow still alive.
I often wonder about people like that. Will he learn from it and grow or was he up there in those conditions precisely because he’s not the sort of person to take important life lessons to heart?
And for chrissakes try and use a reliable trail map
You can do everything right and still end up in trouble.
Yes, because shit still happens. But many incidents can find their source in people not being well-educated in the dangers, ignoring standard warnings or procedures, and/or how to solve issues.
I've lived in remote areas and even locals have gotten into trouble, ie: using a logging road shortcut in a snow storm then dying by carbon monoxide poisoning, walking/driving on an ice road then drowning (because the ice isn't thick enough).
After seeing seasoned hikers get lost and die in Joshua Tree and people following their GPS up mountain passes in winter in Oregon to only get stuck and die. I decided to buy a Garmin Inreach mini 2 last year. It has a SOS feature.
I'm not a big back country hiker, mostly exploring forest service roads. As I've gotten older I realize some of the close call mechanical issues I've had with my Jeep, could have been a bad situation for me. Just a week before Rona closed everything down I did get my Cherokee stuck on the side of a mountain road. It was starting to get snow covered and I was looking for a place to turn around when I slid into a ditch. If it wasn't for the 1 random winter camper I passed a mile back, it was a 11 mile hike back into town in a no cell coverage area even in town. I wasn't dressed for winter as it wasn't snow lower down.
I probably would have tried to hike at dusk into town first before using the SOS feature but it would have been nice to have it incase I had trouble getting back into town. I didn't have it then so who knows how that would have turned out. Anyways I'm more cautious now.
It probably wouldn't hurt for you to start carrying an emergency bag around in your trunk on outings like this. It doesn't take up much room and could safe your life. Some food and water and something warm (clothes, sleeping bag, or both) could really go along way, esp if rescue can't come immediately and it's really cold out there, or you need to hoof it out.
I keep one in my car all the time, and these days I don’t get out into the woods all that often.
But sometimes having a bag with some snacks, water bottles, a nice knife, compass, small first aid, and warm clothes is just handy.
Last winter my car battery completely died after a failed stop off at a gas station that turned out to be closed. and I was able to stay warm in the car by just putting on the extra sweater and eating a cliff bar while I waited 2 hours for my wife to get a new battery to me.
I also eat the snacks and drink the waters more often than probably necessary, just because of long trips to see family out in the sticks.
The compass also came in handy when my phone died halfway through Iowa and I had to navigate with a paper map to the nearest town to buy a charger. Knowing which way is north on a cloudy day in the cornfields is handy.
Having a basic emergency kit in your vehicle that’s good for more than just jumping your car or changing a flat is very useful. I’ve needed a warm sweater or rain coat way more often than a Jack or jumper cables.
We don't deserve dogs. But I'm glad they put up with us.