Originally Posted By: hikermor
... What can we learn from these incidents? For starters, carry lots of water, especially in your vehicle where weight is a negligible factor. Extrication gear (i.e., shovel) is always a good idea.


Once again, a $250 PLB would have turned a fatal incident into a merely embarrassing one.

Know where you're going, and the difficulties and hazards you may encounter along the way.

Know the capabilities and limitations of your body, your gear and your vehicle.

Have a "Plan B" and reasonable means of self-help, self-repair and self-rescue.

Leave a hike/travel plan. Tell someone trustworthy where you're going and when you'll be back, every single time you set out for any sort of journey or activity where an accident may befall you unnoticed by others or away from immediate assistance, no matter how routine.

P.S. I have a dim recollection of hearing about some sort of app that lets you set up a deadline after which your custom emergency message will be broadcast to recipients you've pre-selected unless you cancel it before the deadline. Does anyone recall anything like this?