[pct-l] Couples / Radio

[Barry Teschlog]

A pair of FRS type radios would be one tool to deal with short range (few miles) communication while physically separated.  

Another would be a firm protocol for hiking separate such that each person always knows their relative position to the other (in front of or behind) and what to do, and what each other will do, at various decision points.
Examples would be:  

Person in front always stops at trail junctions until person behind catches up. 

Person in front always stops at un-bridged creek crossings until person behind catches up.

Person in front stops every XX hours and waits for person behind to catch up.

If person in front needs to step off the trail for a while for a cat hole break, they leave something obvious at the point in the trail where they departed - a trekking pole stuck in the ground with their hat, for example.  Person behind, if they get to that point, stops and waits until first person returns from off trail break.
If person in front gets to pre-agreed lunch spot or end of day camp site, they leave a known mark on the trail (LNT compliant such as scratch in dirt, small rock cairn, sticks as arrow, etc) for the person behind, etc.
When person in front hits a point where they are to wait for person behind, they are to wait for XX amount of time prior to back tracking to find person in back (in the event they are injured).
Each person must be capable of navigating & paying attention to the trail adequately so as to not get lost - it doesn't do any good for the above protocol if one or the other wanders off or misses the signals (item left for a step off, lunch spot or end of day mark, etc).

Of course, if the plan is to never physically separate, to always hike "nose to tail", then a radio or protocol is moot.