Safety in the Backcountry

1. Safety in the Backcountry Your Speaker Today Paul Micheals

3. Why venture into the wilderness? • It is human nature to explore • Enjoyment of our natural surroundings • Health and fitness benefits • Personal skill development • Camaraderie and friendship

4. What’s required of us personally? • Physical fitness appropriate for the activity • Objectivity and awareness for our surroundings • Consideration for our environment

5. What is required of us a group? • Consideration for the well being of your fellow hiker • Knowing each of your strengths and limitations • Knowing when to call it quits

7. What is required on every trip? • Planning • Preparation • prevention

8. Planning – SMART • S – Simple • M – Measurable • A – Achievable • R – Realistic • T – Time Frame

9. Simple • Keep your objective plans simple and try to avoid making major changes to your trip on the day of the hike which are not included in the plan • Everyone should know where they are going, what they are doing and what they are getting themselves into.

10. Measurable • What are the goals and objectives of the trip? • Are they to walk a trail, go rock climbing, bag a peak? • Are individual group members agreed on these goals?

11. Achievable • What are the distances and what terrain is involved to reach our objective • What are the potential obstacles

12. Realistic • Does the trip meet the limitations and abilities of each individual in your hiking group (Physical, Equipment, Medical, ability) • Are you being honest with yourself and others when you say that you are capable of doing the trip

14. Time Frame • Planning time shouldn’t be about how far you can go. It’s about the amount of time you have in a day to travel safely within the existing conditions

16. Preparation • Obtain information about your trip (maps, books, pictures, trip reports) • Pack for potential changes to Outcomes • First Aid and survival packs are always essential • Do you have the right Footwear and waterproof clothing/protection • Leave a trip plan with family friends or local authorities

18. Prevention • Have you slept? • Have you eaten? • Are you hydrated or thirsty? • These are things to consider on the day you are leaving for a big hike or backpacking trip

19. Observe, Observe, Observe • Observe your intended route (check with eyes, map, compass (GPS if available) • Observe your Weather (Cloud cover, mountain fog, Lightening, UV/Solar • Observe your Terrain (Avalanche paths, Terrain Traps, Mountain Exposure flooding, predatory animals

20. Observe your intended route

23. Observe your weather

25. Observe your terrain

40. Risk Evaluation

42. It’s not a simple toss of the coin on what to do next • Has the weather changed? • Are you running out of time? • Are individuals tired or exhausted? • Do you have the equipment and experience to continue on • Are you lost or about to get lost? • Any one or combination of the above would suggest that you need to think about turning around. There is always another day.

44. Have a safe trip

45. Resources available http://avalanche.ca/ http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/weather/advisory/index.htm http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-74_metric_e.html http://bivouac.com/ http://www.clubtread.com/index.asp http://trailpeak.com/ http://www.mec.ca/splash.jsp http://www.gps-practice-and-fun.com/gps-software.html http://www.garmin.com/