Ultralight and the 10 Essentials

[Daniel Fish]

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[John S.]

A dayhiking list based on the ten essential groups.
http://texas.sierraclub.org/dallas/page.asp?10essentialgroups

Medical- ID/medical tag, first aid kit, medications
Shelter- rain gear, heat sheet
Fire- fire starter/tinder
Hydration- water container, purification method
Communication- safety plan, whistle, cell phone
Navigation- map, compass, flashlight
Nutrition- food
Insulation- jacket, hat, foam pad
Sun Protection- sunscreen, sunglasses, coverage clothing
Tools- knife, wrist watch

In case of emergency, take enough so you can stay healthy (medical), dry (shelter), warm (fire), and hydrated (hydration) until rescued (communication).

[Nick Gatel]

John,

Except for the cell phone that looks like my normal 5 day kit ;)

[Marko Botsaris]

"I've camped with the same kind of gear that John Muir would carry but I think you would be insane to take that kit into the high sierras."

He was a bit of a loon alright. Most of the dangerous stuff he seemed to get into was related to physical risks. There was the famous incident where he decided to get *behind* the falls at the top of Yosemite falls, where even *he* suddenly realized, with just his heels hanging over a tiny wet ledge with nothing but Yosemite valley yawning below that, the yes, he must be a loon. It seems his competence kept him alive.

He was probably someone the average person would get seriously hurt trying to keep up with. There is a hilarious story – not written by Muir, but by the "victim" – of a guy that decided to tag along (more or less unwanted) with Muir as he hiked into the mountains in Alaska for a day. At one point Muir tried to give him a hand up somewhere and his shoulder got dislocated. Then somewhere along the way as Muir tried to get him back to safety the guy's other shoulder got dislocated. So Muir had to cut steps in the snow and gradually move this guy with unusable arms down the mountain. When they got back to the ship Muir was still game and succeeded in very painfully (and probably not very correctly) re-seat both his shoulders. LOL

[James holden]

again more stranded hikers from the same trail as from 2 weeks ago … they couldnt fine their way … again this is not any alpine or whatever trail … its a very popular day hike trail within 1-2 km of a popular beach, a hydro station, and close to houses … just bring up some gear and know how to use it

;)

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Hikers+stranded+steep+terrain+Coquitlam+Eagle+Ridge/8468730/story.html

METRO VANCOUVER — Coquitlam search and rescue members rescued a group of six stranded hikers from very steep terrain of Eagle Ridge Sunday night.
The hikers were stranded about 45 minutes from the trailhead of the Swan Falls trail and all were able to walk to safety just before 10 p.m. once shown the way by rescuers, according to Coquitlam SAR spokesman Michael Coyle.
"I speculate that they either got turned around (or) lost the trail, possibly because of snow at the top of the ridge," Coyle said in an email around 8 p.m. – about two and a half hours after their distress call first went out. "They probably found the trail after they called for help but by then the batteries on the phone were drained."
The terrain is so steep that parts of the trail have ropes for balance.
The ages of the stranded hikers are unknown Coyle said.

the previous rescue …

http://www.coquitlam-sar.bc.ca/2013/05/rescue-on-eagle-ridge/

n Sunday May 19th, Coquitlam SAR members had just returned from assisting Ridge Meadows SAR in the search for a missing man in Maple Ridge, when we were paged by Coquitlam RCMP at 19:00. Three 23 year old male hikers reported themselves lost. They had been hiking on the Dilly Dally trail out of Buntzen Lake, and had somehow missed the trail due to snow at the top of Eagle Ridge.

The subjects indicated that although they had all done this hike before, they had lost the trail in the snow, and had attempted to navigate to where they believed the trail to be. This turned out to be the wrong route, which left them stranded where they were found. They did not have a GPS, and carried minimal equipment with them.

Several weeks of warm weather has melted much of the snowpack, but hikers should be aware that snow lingers on Eagle Ridge well into June, and can obscure trails and trail markers, make for very slow travel, and presents a risk of slip-and-fall injuries. We would also like to remind people that navigation items such as a wilderness GPS, a map and a compas, along with knowing how to use them, can make finding your way much easier. Remember to always take enough clothing and food to handle an emergency, and to call for help early when you know you are lost.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Sounds like the local SAR should park a trailer there.

Like my comment about the wilderness trails close to Seattle, I think it fools people into a false sense of security.

[Daniel Fish]

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[Ken Thompson]

I pass out copies of the BLM issued maps of the King Range(Lost Coast) here. Too many without any map at all. Or almost as bad, the Wilderness Press map. Extra tide charts too. The button compass is a nice touch. Not really needed right on the coast as the ocean is hard to miss.

People are always appreciative.

Edit : For clarification. I do not pack in extra copies as a rule. I just give mine to the unprepared dufus. Never happy about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A6Bu96ALOw Magic at :30

[Dale Wambaugh]

You never know…

So the story goes, a lady from LA was in Lahina and asked a tour boat deckhand, "what ocean is that out there. The deckhand regained his composure and replied, "that is the Pacific Ocean, Ma'am." And she said, "oh, that's nice, we have one of those home in California too!"

You can give them a map, but can they read it? Maybe a whistle and the name of their next of kin?

[Nick Gatel]

When hiking I mind my own business and keep my conversations with strangers to a simple, "Hi."

If someone asks for help, I assist them as best I can.

[W I S N E R !]

"When hiking I mind my own business and keep my conversations with strangers to a simple, "Hi."

If someone asks for help, I assist them as best I can."

+1 Nick.

[Stephen Barber]

Nick sez: "Except for the cell phone that looks like my normal 5 day kit ;)"

Good point! Actually, a well prepared for anything day pack is pretty much a UL backpack! I put together a daypack with "what I want if I get stuck overnight" gear, and when I got done, about the only difference between that and my regular pack was a real sleeping bag and tarp, and food!

p.s. for Nick – the demo pack gets mailed tomorrow!!!

[Daniel Fish]

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[W I S N E R !]

Oh boy…

[Ian]

It might be a PNW thing. When we were hiking N. Cascades last week, we encountered several hikers and almost without exception "Beautiful day!" "Where you hiking to/from?" "Where are you from?" etc etc.

When I was in DC, everyone is in a bubble and as a rule, you don't strike up conversations with strangers unless you want to get pepper sprayed.

[David Ure]

Craig, love the new hair style. Kind of a post modern Elvis Presley approach.

But about the recent weight gain…

[Cayenne Redmonk]

Oh yes, some idiot goes out unprepared and now we all need to wear hunter orange and be prepared to help them.

Lots of people get lots in the streets. Many more than get lost in the woods. Should we be prepared to suspend our lives to help them all ?

–G.B.–

[W I S N E R !]

"Craig, love the new hair style. Kind of a post modern Elvis Presley approach.

But about the recent weight gain…"

________________________

Yeah, thanks, but apparently Daniel thinks it's not helping my "trail aura".
I'm afraid my posture, eye contact, smile, and confidence might not be radiating that I'm here to help, that I care.

Is it the double chin or the hair?

I'm firing my stylist tomorrow.

[Nick Gatel]

I wasn't passing judgement on anyone.

Probably not a good idea to assume what others can or cannot; or are willing or not willing to do. I'll just say that I have probably been walking a lot longer and more than most people. So I have had to help a few folks, some in serious circumstances. I'll let Craig speak for himself, should he care to. I have hiked quite a bit with him and he was once an EMT, so he is the one person I would be thrilled to see in an emergency. I just don't think it is my responsibility to check every person I see on a trail to ensure they are prepared and competent. I believe in personal responsibility. Of course, on most my hikes I see few people and most of them know what the hell they are doing.

[Daniel Fish]

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[Daniel Fish]

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[Daniel Fish]

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[Ian]

I was just making an observation that there are cultural differences within the U.S. and even within the PNW itself. Where I live, striking up a conversation with a perfect stranger is normal. DC, not so much.

I often travel solo and I've learned to meter my interactions with strangers based on my location. Not saying this is true across the board but trying to talk to strangers in DC the same way I do in the PNW would make people very uncomfortable. I may be a lot of things(including but not limited to being a gold medalist smart @$$) but I don't try to make people uncomfortable and I try not to be mean spirited.

If I were to sense that someone is turned around or in distress on the trail (or wherever) then I would obviously be happy to help them regardless of the location or circumstance.

[Daniel Fish]

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[Nick Gatel]

"Maybe Nick will share how he *felt* after helping those folks he's referred to."

Daniel,

When we find someone in dire straights, then most of us help. That is human nature. We see it nightly on the news — people rushing to rescue others in natural disasters or human caused tragedies. Giving someone some water, food, directions, or other minor assistance isn't a positive or negative feeling for me. Assisting someone who is ill prepared ticks me off. My trip is shortened, changed or basically cancelled. But we do what we need to do.

The last time this happened was about 2 years ago. It was winter and a friend and I where going to summit Mt. San Jacinto. It started to snow pretty good about 2 miles from the peak and visibility was poor. We were prepared for anything the weather gods might throw at us. Then we ran into a young couple who were wearing jeans and cotton sweat shirts. We stopped because they looked like they needed help. There was no one else hiking because of the weather. They asked if we were going to the peak and could they come with us. It was obvious they were wet and cold. I told them they needed to turn around immediately and go back to the ranger station or the tram. They said the couldn't because they get lost easily and the falling snow had covered all the footprints. By now it was really snowing. So we told them we would take them back. After talking to them it looked like they were close to hypothermia. We gave them most of our warm clothes and kept them moving. We made them eat some of our food while hiking. It was slow going. My friend and I were now under dressed and began to get cold ourselves. Snow turned into rain and we were getting soaked because they were wearing our rain shells. Long story, short… All ended well and we got them to the warm tram building. Did I feel good about this? No, I was pissed. We ended up cutting our trip short. They put us in jeapordy. We did what we did because we are human.

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