[pct-l] paying for SAR

[Ned Tibbits]

Where's Ned? Is he going to chime in on this? For crying out loud, Mountain 
Education has been teaching snow safety for 32 years!

OK. (And we know well the SAR side of things being Members of two SAR teams 
in the south Tahoe area.)

The Pacific Crest Trail, or any other similar long trail that usually 
requires snow training or experience (CDT, for example), is no cakewalk and 
has lots of challenges (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), none of 
which should be taken lightly.

I have not followed this thread closely, but I think this advice should be 
considered by next year's thrus:
- do not blow a lot of time off-trail as you head north because it will 
extend your arrival at Canada past mid-September,
- plan your hikes from the beginning so that you are off-trail in Canada 
before the first wet snow storms arrive (mid-September),
- don't count on "good fortune" delaying those storms like may have been the 
case for previous seasons' thrus,
- the new, powder snow of a pre-season storm is not the same as the hard, 
consolidated snow you walked on in the Sierra,
- powder snow may require you to literally wallow through it and even 
snowshoes may sink to your knees,
- you will be slowed to less than a mile an hour (usually a fraction of 
this, depending on circumstances),
- you will consume tons of fuel trying to make headway through it, so double 
your food,
- the trail will become a slippery, white ribbon, where you can see it, and 
is easily lost, so bring a GPS with Halfmile's data,
- if you do something foolish and get lost or hurt, you may have to wait too 
long for rescue, so don't rely on it,
- SAR may come to your rescue and it does not cost anything (depending on 
the local jurisdiction),
- the cold and the wet will kill you over time, so don't let it start,
- realize that once it starts, you have to stop it now (dry out, stay still 
and warm, wait),
- Do Not stray off the route other people know you are following (SAR will 
hasty-run the corridor, first, then widen the search),
- if you think you can find your way out by leaving the established route, 
first question your sanity (hypothermia messes with your head!),
- if you decide to do this, leave a note as Rocket llama did, but realize 
that SAR is looking for people, not little pieces of paper,
- do not go into the woods without confirmed-reliable communications (a bad 
storm or emergency can hit anywhere),
- know what to expect, what you're up against, where you are going (plan for 
the worst, then enjoy the best),
- success loves preparation (it may weigh and cost a bit more, but you'll 
come home to do it again!),
- if you don't know how to deal with snow, wipe out those fears and learn 
how from someone who does,
- snow camping and snow travel involve daily encounters with 
life-threatening decisions (don't assume all will be ok),
- a little pre-trip skills training that includes Self-Arrest, Navigation, 
balance and edge control techniques, emergency survival, route selection for 
safety details, hidden dangers beneath the snow, avalanche awareness, and 
more is priceless before you go,
- a five or six-month trip usually involves some amount of snow contact 
(chose to deal with the hard stuff and not the powder),
- if you are planning a thru hike two years away from now, next year go into 
the snowy high sierra and learn what it takes to get around, navigate, 
ascend/descend safely, not fall, so that you can re-tool thereafter to 
prepare for what you learned,
- and so much more!

Energetic, romantically-aspiring thrus naively assume it never snows in the 
summer and rely on statistics to safety-bracket their trip. This year we 
have found that it is "normal" for it to start snowing in the PNW come 
mid-September. Recent years, this has not been the case, but the rangers in 
Manning will and still do tell hikers to keep an eye on the sky in September 
because it certainly can snow heavily then!

Learn about the Realities of the Trail, what can happen out there, and 
prepare for it if you want to have a fun and successful hike!



Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org
-----Original Message----- 
From: tskye
Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2013 11:36 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] paying for SAR

Rocket llama's journal entry should be required reading for any future 
hikers. http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=436514. She is honest 
about her mistakes ( not prepared for snow, not enough food). But, even 
though she walked out on her own, her dad and her were prepared to have SAR 
come in if necessary. NO hiker should be out there without snow experience. 
Class of 2014- get out and hike in the snow this winter!!
Skyward
Winthrop WA


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