As spring rolls around and more folks are getting outside I am starting to see one thing in the news more and more, people getting lost and/or killed in the backcountry. While each case has different circumstances than the last these situations are almost always avoidable. This makes these stories even more tragic because we know that it didn't have to end up that way. With a little preparation prior to your trip you can greatly reduce the risk you take when you enjoy the outdoors.
Outfitters and guides generally have very good emergency procedures in place, as we would expect them to. They have an obligation to their clients to reduce the risk of the activity as much as reasonably possible. Not having these procedures in place would open them to law suits and would surely put them out of business quickly.
So, if the professional outdoor industry has shown us how important these procedures are, why then do so few recreational adventurers have them in place for their own trips? There may be a variety of reasons ranging from a lack of knowledge to (I hate to say it) just being lazy. In my experience, one of the biggest reasons is that there is no clearly defined leader in the group. This leaves a big gap in the risk management system because no one wants to take the responsibility of being a leader. Maybe you and your friends are just getting into paddling and no one has any more experience than the other, who should be the leader? Maybe your group has been paddling together for years and doesn't want a leader. No matter what the case, this is easily resolved.
If you and/or your group are just starting out then you should all work on developing the emergency procedures that you will have in place for your trip. This way everyone will learn how to develop these procedures and they will all be familiar with them. If you are just starting out paddling then you should consult more experienced paddlers to help you develop a solid plan. You can also contact organizations such as the American Canoe Association for some direction.
If your group is a little bit more experienced you could have one person develop the emergency procedures and then they should provide everyone in the group a copy of those procedures. If you are paddling with the same folks regularly you can switch up who is developing the procedures so that everyone stays in good practice and the same person isn't doing it every time. It is a good idea to provide everyone with a copy of the procedures a few days prior to the trip so that if someone has suggestions the plan could be revised in time.
What should these procedures actually include? What should be covered? How extensive should they be? Well, unless this is an expedition these procedures will be pretty easy to develop. Your emergency procedures should have things like:
- List of group members and relevant experience
- Expected departure/arrival time
- Vehicle information (color, make, model, license #)
- Boat information (color, make, who's boat it is)
- Location of put in/take out
- List of campsites
- Emergency equipment that will be on the trip (flares, PLB, marine radio, GPS, etc.)
- Emergency contact numbers (Police, Hospital, SAR, NPS, someone you trust, etc.)
- Contact information for local land management agencies
- Weather forecast for the trip
- Relevant maps
- Exit plans (how will you get out if something goes wrong)
- Any information relevant to your trip
While this may seem like a relatively long list it won't take that long to put together with the help of the internet. If you do one trip fairly regularly you don't have to redo the whole thing each time either, just make sure all the information is still correct (phone #s, weather, group memebers, etc.).
You should plan on leaving a copy of your emergency procedures with a trusted friend who will call the authorities if you don't return on time and with the local land management agency. There should also be at least one set with two different people on the trip.
With a little pre-trip planning we can reduce the risk that we take when we adventure in the backcountry. If you or your group does not do this already you should start and if you do, kudos.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
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