Telling other adults what to do can be tricky business. This poor hiker's husband and hiking partner have taken a little flack for letting her hike alone and unprepared, but let's face facts - what were they to do to stop her?

We've said many times here at ETS, that survival situations like this are usually the result of a series of small missteps. Simply stated, this hiker, didn't see hers. Most don't what from I've read. I'm planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in about 2 years time. This story really made me sit up and pay attention. Instead of passing judgement or blame, I ask myself what I can learn from this. "What can I do to mitigate my risks on my own big hike?"

I'm pretty confident in my outdoors skills, but I will be spending some serious time honing my skills - especially my navigation skills - over the next couple of years. Map & compass, and GPS. We will be taking more than one method to keep us oriented to the trail, and also multiple ways to signal for help. Purposeful campfires in the PNW are notoriously difficulty for us non-locals to master, so some extra back-up will be taken for this purpose, just in case we need a signal fire.

More locally, as a parent and Scout leader, it's important to teach my kiddos to keep safe when they are out adventuring. I teach them basic first aid, how to light fires & build shelters, how make water drinkable, etc.... but what to do to stay found, and what to do if they find themselves lost or hurt, are my top priorities.

I am no expert, but I put a lot of faith in the "Hug a Tree" strategy. There's some excellent information about kid's survival here on ETS, and I believe that it's great advice for adults too. (Sidebar: I have a friend who is alive today, because she wasn't too proud to wear a Hello Kitty bike helmet when it was the only one that fit her.) It might have saved this poor woman's life: http://www.equipped.org/kidsrvl.htm

Here's a little video I made about teaching my three year old to hug a tree. She has a lot to learn, but it's never to young to teach them to think about safety first!

Backpackgirl Learning to Hug a Tree

Stay safe out there, my friends!