Between a Rock and a Hard Place

"He who fails to plan is planning to fail"

Planning for the unknown is always, well, unknown.  When you head out into the back country we hope and anticipate for the adventure of a lifetime.  However, what do we do if that is not the case and the un-anticipated happens?  Were we too busy planning for the fun stuff to not want to think about the unthinkable?  Let’s face it, accidents happen.  This is why they are called accidents.  When we start putting our efforts in to create the ultimate trip, we should throw in some time to consider the plans and options available to us if something happens that would turn our world upside down.  

In Canyoneering and most back country excursions you are going to be miles from help and resources.  Heck, as hard as it may be to believe in this day and age, you will probably be out of cell phone range as well.  So what do you do now?

With each of our entry level Canyoneering courses we always touch on risk assessment and management, planning, first aid, and evacuation considerations.  These are all concerns that any back country explorer should contemplate in their trip planning process.  A couple years ago I wrote an article here on our blog with 10 steps/suggestions of things to consider when planning your trip.  Check it out for the full listing, I’m going to re-expound on a few of those items here.

As often times as it is overlooked, it is vitally important to let others know where you are going, when you plan to be back, and have a check in time/SAR call out deadline point.  Leave maps and GPS coordinates with your contacts as well as phone numbers to the authorities for the area you are travelling.  This will help to ensure that they can get help to you as fast as possible.  We have been in canyons where we were slower moving than we expected and getting out of the canyon was taking us longer than our check in time.  We had left a time we expected to get out of the canyon based on past trips, and had created a SAR buffer zone in there of 3 hours before the Posse’ was to be mobilized.  We pushed right up to the 3 hour mark and still hadn't quite made it out yet, but knew we had to check in.  Out comes the SPOT personal locator beacon to hit the home base and let them know we are still moving forward. 

Carry a PLB.  A Personal Locator Beacon costs a minimal amount and units like the SPOT come with an additional insurance plan for covering rescue costs.  A good PLB Unit will help ensure that rescuers can zero in on your exact location and get help to you faster. 

What if you do not need rescue, but just run out of daylight?  Plan for more time in there than what the route descriptions says.  Take extra food and water and have enough that you could go overnight if necessary.  Most Canyoneering routes are only day trips, so plan as if you may have to spend a night.  Carry an extra fleece jacket, an emergency bivvy sack or at least a space blanket.  For Christmas this year I gave all of our guys that work with us a headlamp, whistle, and fire starter set.  Two weeks later one of them ended up getting caught in a canyon with daylight weaning.   They ended up spending the night in there building a fire using brush they found and huddled up in an emergency blanket.  We located them at 3 am and communicated via whistles. We had located them by the GPS coordinates sent to us from their SPOT beacon.  Plan for the unexpected.

Know how to find your directions.  Know how to read a topographical map and carry one of the area with you.  You can print off maps on your computer and place these into your dry bag in case you need them.  Know how to use a GPS and understand the difference between Lat/Long and UTM coordinates.  Know how to use the GPS and Map in tandem to navigate into and out of a canyon environment.  Don’t forget to mark where you parked your car.  This will save some unwanted time wandering the area looking for your ride after you are tired and exhausted.

Planning for that unexpected then takes a turn into doing something when it does happen.  Are you prepared to be able to do something about your situation?  First thing to do is DON’T LOSE YOUR HEAD!  Stay as calm as possible - sometimes easier said than done.  Take stock of the situation, your surroundings – be sure no one else is in danger, that the victim(s) are done being in danger, your gear – what do you have to work with, and then move forward from there with your plan.  You better darn well have, at a minimum, a personal first aid kit with you.  You can never carry enough supplies to plan for all emergencies, but you had better plan for some.  With any kit that you carry, make sure you know what is in it, and how to use what is there.  While a kit from the store shelf is a great convenience and a really good place to start, it won't do you any good to go buy it and throw it in your pack if you don’t know what is in it and how to use it.  Don't buy anything that is over your personal skill level.  When I started Canyoneering many years ago with Dave Black, his first aid kit consisted of a couple packs of Ibuprofen and Duct Tape.  He could handle many tasks with those two items, but his skill level and experience had brought him to that point.

Here are a couple of examples of the emergency material I carry with me: 

GPS, SPOT, Headlamp, First Aid Kit, Chap stick/lip balm, eye drops (sucks to get sand into your contacts), Whistle, hand warmers, rain poncho, space blanket, duct tape (in Zip lock bag), Toilet paper (in zip lock bag).

Breaking down the first aid kit:  Manual, magnifying glass, personal prescriptions, ibuprofen, Imodium tablets, allergy and decongestant tablets, Ace bandage wrap, whistle, Tums, different sized Band-Aids, anti-biotic ointment, fire tinder packs, flint and steel, water purification drops, blister treatment patches, liquid/spray on bandage (awesome if your in and out of water), ointment cream (used for chapped lips to cuts and scrapes, etc.)  All of it in a water proof container (make sure the lid seals tight).

For the waterproof container I have seen everything from this type pelican case to Nalgene bottles to just a dry bag or keg used for containing these types of items in them. 

It is naturally a beneficial idea to improve the knowledge skills that you do have.  If you are not comfortable with First Aid then look into taking a Wilderness First Responder or First Aid course.  Don’t use the excuse that “I always have someone more experienced with me, they can handle it.”  What if it is that person that gets injured, what is your plan then?

I hope that these ideas and thoughts have helped to spark your ideas and thinking for this upcoming season.  I hope that we can mitigate problems and emergencies in the back country.  Most of us aren't willing to admit we may need help in this department, but most of us do know people we feel need help.  Share this article with your friends and family that periodically head out there in the hopes that there will be less problems this year.  With a little vigilance and forethought we can make this season the safest one yet.  Also give us some insight into what you carry with you.  What does your first aid/emergency essentials kit look like.