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Responsibility Code


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#1 ski3pin

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Posted 09 November 2019 - 04:55 PM

The Lady and I spend a great deal of time in the backcountry. We believe in the 10 essentials. From our many years doing winter Mountain SAR on skis, we have spent so many "unplanned" nights out in tough conditions. We carry extra gear to help ourselves and to help others. All the time we are asked by fellow hikers about our packs - how many nights you out for? You training for something?

 

Now, when asked, we have started politely handing out this page. Please consider doing the same. An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure and picking up the pieces afterward is no fun at all. Note, we borrowed this from another source.

 

 

HIKERS RESPONSIBILITY CODE

  • Become self-reliant by learning about the terrain, conditions, local weather and your equipment before  your start. Set realistic goals based on your experience, not someone else's.
  • Tell someone where you are going, the trails your are hiking, when you will return, and your emergency plans. Be sure this person knows who to call when you fail to return on time.
  • When you start as a group, hike as a group and end as a group. Pace your trip to the slowest person.
  • Weather changes quickly in the mountains. Fatigue and unexpected conditions can also affect your hike. Know your limitations and when to postpone your hike. The mountains will be there another day.
  • Even if you are headed our just an hour, an injury, severe weather, or a wrong turn could become life threatening. Don't assume you will be rescued; know how to rescue yourself. Be ready for an unplanned night out.
  • The International Distress Signal is THREE of anything, ie., three flashes of light, three whistle blasts, three lines tromped out in snow, etc.

 

  • Share this code with everyone.

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2003 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II 2013 ATC Bobcat SE "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."- Abraham Lincoln  http://ski3pin.blogspot.com/


#2 ski3pin

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Posted 09 November 2019 - 05:22 PM

I need to add, this was the Lady's idea. She is a far nicer person than I am.  :)


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2003 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II 2013 ATC Bobcat SE "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."- Abraham Lincoln  http://ski3pin.blogspot.com/


#3 Kolockum

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Posted 09 November 2019 - 07:47 PM

Good stuff. Also for us we are constantly telling people just because it is a trail in the summer does not mean you should follow the GPS track of the trail in the winter. I agree with you my ol' lady is much nicer than I am with this kind of stuff. 


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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2017 Toyota Tacoma with 2000 FWC Eagle

 

"The nut behind the wheel is the most important one. Don't forget to snug yourself up every once in a while." John D & ri-f

 


#4 klahanie

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Posted 09 November 2019 - 08:51 PM

Good list.

 

All the time we are asked by fellow hikers about our packs - how many nights you out for? You training for something?

 

My favourite was being asked, "are you running away from home?"

 

I often see people with next to no gear in the local mtns. Esp trail runners. Granted, it's usually at low elevation. And whether you are a solo or in a group makes a difference as does fitness level, experience and other factors.

 

I think the risk of getting injured and the effect that might have on getting out is often under appreciated - I'm always cognisant of foot placement and the risk of hurrying.

 

The unexpected can happen but the most important thing, I think, is to know yourself. And the beauty of it is, the more more you go out, the more you learn.


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#5 Bigfoot Dave

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 06:58 PM

Thanks Ski and the Lady! As I read your  posts I always wonder what you have in your packs. Back here in Minnesota/Wisconsin I have a core group of items that always goes into the pack and then items that are seasonal and depend on the type of trip we are planning. We really enjoy our hikes and XC/snowshoe trips and do communications for trail runs and sled dog races when we can. I also do sawyer work on the Superior Hiking Trail on the North Shore of Lake Superior so gear is important. It would be interesting to have a "what's in your pack" column.

Your posts over the time I have been a WTW fan have really opened my eyes to the area you enjoy. Thank you so much, Bigfoot Dave W0NWO, Duluth, MN


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#6 Smokecreek1

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 07:38 PM

We spend allot time on this site discussing how to survive out there in the boonies (or anywhere for that matter): what to do and not do,  what is the best gear, truck tires, etc, all the things to have a good time and not kill yourself or someone else. Yet, there is always that unknown out there that could change everything.  Some days the bear gets you,some days you get the bear!

 

Several years ago we were discussing that factor here,  you know when you can do almost everything right and still not make it. I think Ski remembers the one about the very seasoned back packer and his dog, I think in Colorado who took a short cut around the other side of a lake instead of following his planned route.  Anyway he stepped on a rock slipped and his  foot got wedged in the crack (and he was just out of reach of the lake and water) and he was trapped.  When he didn't show up on time the search parties went out and didn't find him until it was to late!  One mistake and that was it. 

 

Then there were the Soffa's who took  short cut and tried to drive a 2 wheel S-10 from Alturas, Calif,  to Idaho across the high deserts of NECalif/NW Nevada/ SC Oregon, in the middle of a  winter storm; they got stuck in a snow bank and somehow despite doing almost everything wrong survived!  I worked and played  for over 30 years in that country and you don't do that and expect to survive. As a side, I was on one of the many search parties looking for them when they did not show up in Idaho.   All anyone knew was that they headed east from Alturas on snow covered roads with no gear, food ,nothing. into the high desert-they could be anywhere. Yet they somehow survived (ignore that made for TV movie they made about the incident).  Oh yes they ended up trying to sue the BLM, a couple of county road departments, two states and even the USFS. because they didn't see the road signs thru the storm that said these roads were impassible during inclement weather because of the snow and weather.  The trial judge thru the suit out the day it hit his desk.

 

So, anything extra you can do, like the 10 essentials, is a hedge against against the unknowns-then there are the Darwin Awards to help us remember what not to do!

 

Smoke


Edited by Smokecreek1, 10 November 2019 - 08:12 PM.

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#7 craig333

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Posted 11 November 2019 - 12:17 AM

Unfortunately few of our dogs are like Lassie.


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#8 ntsqd

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Posted 11 November 2019 - 02:26 PM

In '78 or '79 I was taught the 11 Essentials in the BMTC. Your list plus bio-degradable TP!


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Thom

Where does that road go?

#9 craig333

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Posted 11 November 2019 - 05:55 PM

That's got me to thinking. Even on the short hikes I do (or used  to do, still haven't got the sciatica under control) something could happen. I should be carrying my pack all the time. 


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#10 PaulT

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Posted 11 November 2019 - 06:54 PM

I've gotten some good ideas on always carry survival gear from these two sites.

 

Leon Pantenburg

https://survivalcommonsense.com/

 

Peter Kummerfeldt

https://survivalcomm...er-kummerfeldt/

 

Be sure to carry a couple of heavy duty (3 or 4 mil) 55 gallon or larger plastic bag with a face hole cut out of the corner in your kit for emergency shelter. Available on their web site are blue and orange versions. I found standard black contractor ones locally but if you were out in the winter and used a black one for shelter in a tree well, you might never be seen.by a search party, so I bought high vis bags at the PDX Sportsman Show.

 

Paul

 

 


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