If you're going into the woods ( desert, etc) the other thing you should do is leave a note with someone -- or 2 someones -- as to where you are going and when to start looking. Saves the guys in SAR oh so much time....


-- who

-- Where

-- how long

-- gear/ training

-- any medical issues

- communications gear? ( cell? walkie talkies? PRB?)

i may have said this before but i do that before i go off on the two week solo canoe trips.along with a photo of me and the tent,canoe,PFD..so on.left on the dining room table it's also for the police/EMT to know where i am if something happens at home.
God Forbid...

A great reminder. Thanks.

So true. It makes it so much easier for SAR.

This is a good idea even in non-wilderness excursions.

If you're concerned about helping the local SAR Team, leave your ego at home and contact them to get current info on what would help them before you go out. They might also have info you wouldn't have regarding current conditions you may be unaware of.

If you are out and discover that you are lost... STAY PUT!!!

I know, I know ...it's just around the bend, just over the hill, just over there, that spot looks familiar, that going downhill will get you out of any trouble and I'm sure you could get home without the help of SAR...but to HELP the SAR guys, stay put.

You might also consider leaving your recorded shoe track and a scent article (ask the team where and how), a list of all items including all food and snack containers you will be carrying and the name and number of the person you left your info with and who you would contact first when you get out. If something goes awry and you come out in a different location than planned and the time has come for notification to the agency responsible for SAR operations, call them immediately and inform them of the situation in addition to notifying your contact person. Do that before you go home, cleanup and have dinner.

The longer you wander around to try to find a way out, the longer SAR personnel are at risk responding and searching for you and the more tax dollars are being spent bringing in more and more resources as the perimeter expands.

Don't take this as all-inclusive info, I've been out of it a few years.

This is taken from the internet: http://tracker.sbsar.org/accident/Search%20and%20Rescue%20deaths.pdf

Edit: This was not meant as a rant; if it was taken that way, the rant is over.

It's a good idea in day to day life too. My wife and I communicate our comings and goings via text since we are always going in different directions. At least we know when we have to start worrying.

Yes, if you want to tip the balance in your favour, you provide that critical starting point. That makes the difference.

The simplest note changes everything. It's not the 11th item, it's the item that happens first, and the other ten follow. (Semantics maybe, but indulge me.) It is the first thing you do, before you strap on your 10 essentials. Always.

It's perhaps more important in the small trips than the big ones. Preps for a major trip include all standard notifications, planning for contingencies, etc. But in a local trip, I can cover a lot of ground in a 30-minute drive, and much more within an hour. That puts me into a range of different terrain. And it's a lot of square miles to cover, just to find my car.

Contrast that with the simplest method: a post-it note in the bathroom mirror. Gone for a stomp, Dearest, out at ____x____, back for supper/ before dark.

I'd pint some up* and put them in your box with checklists - Mush easier to do if you have one handy


( * examples?)

I give DW that information whenever I'm going out on an adventure. I also include:
-what time to start worrying if I don't call.
-what time to call the cops/rescue people if I haven't returned.
-google map with directions to where I'm going and location of trailhead where I'm parked.
-phone number of park ranger's office (if there is one).
-copy of my trail map with direction of travel marked.

She gets both a printout and e-mail with all this info. It gives her much comfort.

-Blast