Hike Safely

By Blake Miller

In late June two hikers visited Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest.  There was no real plan and no preparation.  The husband and wife just wanted to spend a day on the trail.

Parking their car by Sparks Lake, they hiked in and encountered a trail partially covered in snow and crisscrossed with blown down trees.  It was not an easy trek but they moved forward.  As darkness fell the husband recognized they were lost.  The weather changed, temperatures dropped and it began to rain.

They carried little gear.  A bit of food and a cell phone; that was it.  By 1:00am the husband recognized that his wife was becoming hypothermic.  The husband called 911 around 4:30AM and the County’s Search and Rescue (SAR) team responded. 

Three hours later, around 7:00AM the couple was found by SAR.  The wife was wet, seriously hypothermic, delirious and unable to walk.  The couple was carefully and safely evacuated.  Both were medically evaluated at the local hospital and later released.

This type of incident is all too frequent in the backcountry of our forests and parks.  Repeatedly we read about hikers hitting the trail without the right clothing, equipment or skills.

We can learn from other’s mistakes.

Be prepared and ready for wilderness travel.

Be properly clothed for the backcountry.  This starts with leaving the cotton (e.g., blue jeans, tee shirts) at home.  Once wet, cotton clothing retains water and saps body heat.  Dress for the climate and the changes expected over the length of the journey.

Learn to recognize the symptoms of hypothermia.  Even in summer, hypothermia creeps up on the backwoods traveler.  For a fine article on the recognition, prevention and treatment visit the SeattleBackpacker’s magazine web site: hypothermia.

There is a lot of information, checklists and opinions on what to carry on the trail.  A climbing group in the 1930s, The Mountaineers from Seattle authored the “Ten Essentials” describing ten items that should be carried in the back country.  Consider the ten essentials the foundation for what to carry.  To read more check out “What to Carry.”

Check the weather before heading out.  Adjust equipment load and content based on what is learned.

A phone call to the National Forest’s information desk or a visit with the park ranger to learn what the trail conditions are like is always the smart thing to do.  Plans are made to be adjusted.  If snow and trees cover the trail, adjust.  “Post holing” through the snow and scrambling over blown down trees is just no fun.

Always let a responsible person know ones travel plans.  Leave a “flight plan” of the route.  A suggested plan is at http://outdoorquest.biz/TripPlanV2.pdf.