Wilderness Safety

Before You Go

Most backcountry emergencies start with poor planning. A few minutes of preparation prevents hours of suffering.

Tell Someone Your Plan

Always leave a trip plan with a trusted person. Include:

  • Trailhead name and location
  • Planned route and destination
  • Expected return time
  • What to do if you don’t check in (call ranger station, not 911)

Check Conditions

  • Weather: Mountain weather changes fast. Check the forecast the morning of, not the night before. Know the afternoon thunderstorm patterns for your region.
  • Trail status: Ranger stations, recent trip reports on AllTrails, and local hiking forums are your friends. Bridges wash out, trails reroute, and snowpack lingers well into summer at elevation.
  • Fire restrictions: In the western US, check fire danger levels and any campfire bans before heading out.

Weather Hazards

Lightning

If caught in a lightning storm:

  • Get below treeline immediately
  • Avoid ridges, summits, lone trees, and bodies of water
  • Spread out the group - don’t cluster together
  • Crouch on the balls of your feet if you cannot descend, minimizing ground contact
  • Drop trekking poles and metal-frame packs

Hypothermia

The number one killer in the backcountry, and it doesn’t require freezing temperatures. Wet + wind + exhaustion can cause hypothermia in 50 degree F weather.

Warning signs: Uncontrollable shivering, confusion, slurred speech, fumbling hands.

Prevention: Stay dry (rain shell + wicking layers), eat frequently, stay hydrated, and turn back if conditions deteriorate. “Cotton kills” is a cliché because it’s true.

Heat Illness

On exposed trails in summer, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are serious risks.

Prevention: Start early (before 8 AM in hot climates), drink before you’re thirsty, eat salty snacks, and soak your hat/bandana at water crossings. Plan for 1 liter of water per 2 miles in hot, exposed terrain.

Wildlife

Bears

In bear country:

  • Make noise on the trail - talk, clap, or use a bell
  • Carry bear spray and know how to use it (practice with an inert canister)
  • Black bears: Stand tall, make noise, back away slowly. Fight back if attacked.
  • Grizzly bears: Do not run. Speak calmly, avoid eye contact, back away slowly. Play dead if charged - lie face down, protect your neck, spread your legs.

Snakes

  • Watch where you step and where you put your hands
  • Give rattlesnakes a wide berth - they want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them
  • If bitten: stay calm, immobilize the limb, and get to a hospital. Do NOT apply a tourniquet, cut the wound, or try to suck out venom

Ticks

Check yourself thoroughly after every hike in tick country. Pay attention to the hairline, behind ears, armpits, and waistband. Permethrin-treated clothing dramatically reduces tick encounters.

When You’re Lost

Stop. Don’t keep walking hoping you’ll recognize something. Follow the STOP protocol:

  • Sit down and stay calm
  • Think about where you last knew your location
  • Observe landmarks, terrain, and your map
  • Plan your next move carefully

If you have cell service, share your GPS coordinates with your emergency contact. If you don’t, stay put. Search teams find stationary people much faster than moving ones.

River Crossings

  • Unbuckle your pack’s sternum strap and hip belt before crossing (so you can ditch it if you fall)
  • Use trekking poles for stability - face upstream
  • Cross at the widest, shallowest point, not the shortest distance
  • Never cross above a waterfall or rapids
  • If the water is above your knees and moving fast, turn around. No trail destination is worth drowning.

First Aid Priorities

In an emergency, deal with the biggest problems first:

  1. Severe bleeding - Apply direct pressure. Use a tourniquet if pressure fails on a limb.
  2. Airway / breathing - Clear obstructions, begin rescue breaths if trained.
  3. Shock - Lie the person down, elevate legs, keep warm.
  4. Fractures / sprains - Splint and immobilize. Improvise with trekking poles and clothing.
  5. Everything else - Blisters, minor cuts, stings. Handle after life threats are addressed.

Leave No Trace

The seven principles aren’t suggestions - they’re how we keep trails open and wild places wild.

  1. Plan ahead and prepare
  2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces
  3. Dispose of waste properly (pack it out - all of it)
  4. Leave what you find
  5. Minimize campfire impacts
  6. Respect wildlife
  7. Be considerate of other visitors

The simplest rule: leave it better than you found it. Pick up trash when you see it, even if it’s not yours.