Safety in the backcountry

People often fear the wrong things. I think people are likely to live longer, happier and healthier lives if they make frequent trips to the backcountry.

I agree, people do tend to fear the wrong things. I was on a group hike the other day going up a mountain and the trail was sketchy. We were not planning to descend that same trail, it's too steep and it was slick with mud. We planned to go down the ridgeline to another trail that had an easier descent. Anyway, two of the ladies were thinking of bailing out when were nearly to the top of the mountain. But they were concerned about bears. I had to be blunt with them and tell them that they were a lot more likely to be injured by falling going back down that trail than to have any problems with wild animals, and that the real risk they were taking is that with only two people if one of them got hurt they were going to have some real problems and our group wasn't going to be coming back by the same route and we would be unaware. They opted to stay with the group.

Interesting statistic. People routinely ask me if I'm not afraid of dangerous people/animals/weather etc. You don't bring a gun?!! I've heard it all.

I've always tried to explain that the only people I run into 30 miles deep into the Cascades are serious adventurers, including lone women of whom none seem concerned.
Creepy people don't generally trek that far into the wilderness to prey on someone but they do hang out near highways and car camping spots.

As far as animals are concerned, I feel that I don't need a pistol to protect myself from most animals and the ones I possibly could use protection from wouldn't be stopped by a pistol anyway, so what's the point? Obviously, I'm not about to lug a rifle around with me.

In fact, the only times I've ever had problems with people was near a road or in an easily accessible camping area. Problems including inappropriate gun discharge /bullets whizzing over our campsite, alcohol induced behavior, a persistent weirdo knocking on our tent in the morning and insisting we come look at the bigfoot tracks that he found. Everytime I've gone car camping with people something like this has occurred to some extent or other.

I feel safer alone in the mountains than in parts of Seattle. Thanks for the statistic to back up my hypothesis.

"According to the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, your odds of becoming a victim of violent crime in a national park are one in 708,000. In the United States overall, it’s one in 50."

Of course, this does not mean anything about the overall safety of being in the backcountry… It's really akin to the logical fallacy called, 'beating a straw man'.
I man, really, once you're in the backcountry with so few people out there it is a given that there would be far less incidents of violent crime… the criminals are in the cities. They may as well have said you are less likely to hit by a car in the backcountry than in the city… meaningless.

But the quotes says nothing of the real dangers in the backcountry: snake bites, lightening, hypothermia, falling, getting lost, etc.
I would bet big cash that the statistically you are much more likely to get bit by a snake or hit by lightening or fall off a cliff in the backcountry than you are in the city.

As Mark Twain said, "Damn lies and statistics." … or something like that… the original posted quote really says zero about the overall safety in the backcountry.

Billy

"once you're in the backcountry with so few people out there it is a given that there would be far less incidents of violent crime… the criminals are in the cities".

Inversely akin to the Bermuda Triangle question. "Why do so many more people disappear there" people ask.
Simple. 30 times more boat and air traffic means more people disappearing there than in the middle of the lonely Atlantic. No aliens or warpholes required.

Billy,

Did you read the post?

"…your odds of becoming a victim of violent crime…"

Nice job of ignoring the point of the post and then hauling it off into left field.

Sorry Greg, but I don't agree.
I think eveyone else too it off into left field and tried to read something in it that isn't there…
Billy

"Lies, damned lies and statistics." One of my favorites.

The original stat is mildly interesting, far from surprising and practically useless.

What would be somewhat informative is the location of the backcountry violent crimes, particularly their proximity to trailheads. Probably something like 90% within 1/2 mile of trailheads, 9% within 2 miles, 3/4% between 2 and 5 miles and 1/4% more than 5 miles. Changes the whole 'vigilance profile'.

I would imagine a lot of these violent crime stats include alcohol-fueled stupidity at national park campgrounds, which the average person considers 'wilderness' but which nobody here would.

What are the odds of being injured in the backcountry vrs. everywhere else? And the odds of being killed. That is the real statistic that matters.

About 1/4 of recorded black bear attacks resulting in deaths in North America, happened to people at home.

Im not going home any more.

you are more likely to be bitten by Luis Suarez when playing soccer than being bitten by a shark when swimming in the ocean.

n/m

This reminds me of a time when a friend of a friend wanted to go on a bping trip with me. We discussed gear and food choices and he wasn't an ultralighter. But then he said he never goes into the backcountry without his pistol. "There's lots of weirdos out there. One time I saw a guy with a daypack sized pack and I was fifty miles out. What was he doing out there? I didn't want to know". I pictured an sul hiker with a cuben pack lol. Needless to say I never went on a trip with him.

"you are more likely to be bitten by Luis Suarez when playing soccer than being bitten by a shark when swimming in the ocean."

You're looking at this all wrong. Suarez has played hundreds of games and has only bitten 3 times.

hummm…

Let's say a thousand games. That puts us at 0.3%.

Still higher than shark bites.

Yeah but much smaller jaws on Suarez than on Jaws.

Well, if we're gonna compare apples, oranges, and handguns…

I've technically have been very slightly gored by a wild boar when I was stationed in Hawaii in the ARMY. What are the chances of that? We were putting out a brush fire on a rifle range when out of nowhere comes running a wild boar straight at me. I spun around and conked it on the head with the fire beater (mop handle with a semi mud flap attached)that I was using to put out the fire just as it scraped its tooth, tusk or whatever you'd want to call it across the back of my right hand. I just got a bad scratch. We'd scared it with all the noise we were making, plus the smoke from the fire, and it was trying to run away. I just happened to be in its way. lol

Also, in Hawaii technically I was bit by a Lemon Shark (again)on my right hand. What are the odds? It was an accident. It didn't mean to bite me. I was feeding it. I don't even have a scar. It was more freaked out about it than I was and immediately took off to get away from me. It was only about 2 1/2 feet long.

There you have it. Two examples of the unthinkable happening. Neither even vaguely serious. One an accident. But if word had gotten out to the masses, there would have been panic about a wild boar mauling and a shark attack in Hawaii.

Vague statistics aren't helpful at all. They can easily give the wrong impression.

Just incase anyone is wondering, I'd go backpacking and scuba diving again in Hawaii any day, and with no gun. The natural world is breath taking, which after all is one of the main reasons we all enjoy it so much.

…In fact, the only times I've ever had problems with people was near a road or in an easily accessible camping area. Problems including inappropriate gun discharge /bullets whizzing over our campsite, alcohol induced behavior, a persistent weirdo ..

+1. "Problem people" seem to multiply with easily accessed trailheads, though most of my use of these trailheads has been psycho-free.

"According to the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, your odds of becoming a victim of violent crime in a national park are one in 708,000. In the United States overall, it’s one in 50."

I suspect much of that is a result of drunken car camping, murdered rangers involved in other criminal operations (traffic stops, narcotics interdiction, etc), domestic disputes, etc. It'd be interesting to see what the odds are once the hiker is a mile away from the trailhead in the NP.