Trip Safety Plan

BEFORE THE TRIP
1. Leave with family/friend: backcountry safety plan

AT THE TRAILHEAD
1. Leave in your car: shoe/boot make and model; hiking shoe sole imprint (make a boot print in aluminum foil, mark your name with a marker, and leave it on your dash); description of hiking clothes; emergency contacts; second cheap digital camera with group picture in memory.

Note: There is controversy about how much info to leave in cars at trailheads. Some think leaving how long you are out and route is not a good idea.

2. Keep on your person: safety plan; medical ID tag

ON THE TRAIL
1. Trail registers: sign in and out for an extra safety measure.
2. Rangers/hikers on the trail: talk to any Rangers you see and introduce yourself, most important if hiking solo.

OFF THE TRAIL
1. Make contact with family/friend who is holding your backcountry safety plan.

Medical ID tag
You: (name; address; phone)
Next of Kin: (relationship; name; address; phone)
Family Physician: (name; address; phone)
Work: (company; address; phone)
Birthdate:
Height/Weight:
Health Insurance: (name; policy #; phone)
Medical History: such as heart ds, lung ds, diabetes
Medications: blood pressure pills, etc.
Allergies: prescription drugs, bee sting, etc.

If you are overdue on a hike, who should the person who knows you are overdue call? Although Field and Game or some other service might do the actual searching, they usually have to go through the police for authorization. So knowing the nearest local police station location and emergency numbers would be good to have. If you just call the State Police, you could be talking to someone miles from the correct area. They would probably ask, "What county?" Also, rescue services often do not have 24 hour phone service like police stations do.
My suggestion is to call police first. If you are the one calling for help from the trail, dial 911 before calling the rescue service.

"My suggestion is to call police first."

Hi frank,

I don't know how it works out your way, but in Washington and California, the county sheriff is the contact for SAR situations. Probably varies from locale to locale.