Successful rescues cement the need for unwavering adherence to the basic safety rules: Stick together, be prepared and leave an itinerary of your trip.
They also provide guidelines for survival. Rescued backcountry travelers often provide the best insight into safety in the high country.
For example, when you choose a parka or rain gear or space blanket – a lightweight fabric designed to retain body heat during an unplanned bivouac – go bright. Eschew the earth tones and keep it loud when venturing into the woods.
Day-Glo orange worked for Eric Chandler. The Mississippi day-hiker had spent one cold night lost near Mount Evans when rescuers in a helicopter spotted him waving his bright orange poncho. An encounter with a mountain lion forced him off the trail, and he was reticent to regain the trail for fear of another encounter with the cougar.
Now, Chandler “would not even think of hiking in the high country without a partner,” he said.
“I know now I need to be a little more prepared,” said the 47-year-old from Horn Lake, Miss. “I left some of my most important things back at the hotel. Just a bunch of small things – a weapon, a cellphone, a mirror, more clothes, extra socks, a space blanket – I thought I wouldn’t need for a quick hike. I know that even for a 2- or 3-mile hike, you need to be prepared for anything. There was some fear that night. It was really cold. But I didn’t let myself panic because I really didn’t have that luxury.”
A bright parka helped Eileen Leland, too. The 55-year-old New Castle hiker spent two nights last fall lost in the woods near Edwards after separating from her companions. Air searchers spotted her waving her bright red jacket more than 50 hours after she was reported missing.
One of the 10 essentials for backcountry travel is a whistle. Easily overlooked, the simple whistle can lure searchers in the event of trouble.
Charles Horton can attest to the power of a whistle. The 55-year-old massage therapist spent nine days in the snowy Flat Tops Wilderness Area outside Steamboat Springs last April after a day-long ski trip turned epic with a twice broken leg. His spectacular story was nearing a grim end when he heard a snowmobile after eight nights alone and injured. He weakly blew his whistle three times – the universal signal for help. Amazingly, the searchers on the snowmobile heard the feeble blasts and now Horton has one heck of a tale to tell.
He’s got a few lessons to share, too.
“Always, always let somebody know where you are going and when you plan to be back,” he said, noting he never leaves home now without a space blanket and fire-starters beyond matches or a lighter. “And try to learn as much as you can about the terrain you are traveling through. I didn’t panic because I understood the terrain. It’s hard to fear what you know, and fear can be the biggest thing that can kill us in the woods.”
Of course, any time you venture into the hinterlands, pack a map and compass. But remember, a compass is the best computer in the world but it does only one job: point north. Compass holders must know how to interpret the compass bearing and apply it to a map.
One more tip from leading search and rescue experts is for the friends and family of hikers at home. If a backcountry hiker is overdue, call for help immediately.
“Don’t wait. Pick up the phone,” Bill Barwick of the Alpine Rescue Team said. “The wait could be the difference between life and death. It could be the difference between us working in light or dark. Be as much help to that person as you could possibly be and call for help.”
Staff writer Jason Blevins can be reached at 303-820-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com.
