In my opinion, the added risk of a cautious hiker/backpacker going alone is very similar to driving alone without an extra set willing eyes to look for hazards.

I've seen no statistics comparing the safety of hiking alone to hiking with others. I don't think there could be any as nobody knows the mix of people out there. We also don't know if a fatality that occurs when a person is alone would have occurred if they were with someone.

Always hiking with a group may actually increase risk. Many won't become proficient at navigation. Many will not do any of the planning. Many won't have even basic skills to spend a night. They will just follow a group.

The most common fatality or rescue I see in Colorado news is for a person who got separated from a group. I'd hate to have the first time I hiked/backpacked alone be when I got separated from a group and lost.

I agree with filing a plan with someone. To make it really good, I put a picture of me with my pack on, a picture of my footprints, a map of where I'm going and a picture of my tent, and a picture of my car. I email this to a friend so he can email it to SAR if the need arises.

I also leave a copy of the plan on the dash of my car and leave the doors unlocked. I also have the return date written in big letters on the plan so a ranger who sees it there for a few days will know when I'm expected back. I've been told they mildly pay attention after the car is there two nights.

Personally, I always call the Forest Service before I hike. Sometimes they give information which causes me to change my plans. If the conditions are significantly different than what they told me, I call them back with an update.

It's also important to check the weather online here. It can look really nice, but a big snowstorm or severe thunderstorms might be just over the horizon.

As with most activities that are considered dangerous, a person's safety mindset has more to do with a successful outcome than the activity itself. The word "experienced" means nothing to me in a news article. Often from the content of the article I could change that to "lucky until then."

This is for SAR team members. In my opinion, SAR reports should be published. Perhaps they could be released 3 years later so identities aren't so clear. There is one victim written account here which has some good information.



Edited by Gershon (10/11/12 10:43 AM)
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