Training for emergencies is a good thing and done all the time in a professional setting; take the military, police, hazmat, firemen, and other first responders as examples. For medical emergencies, everyone can keep up on their first aid and CPR certs. I remember one party filled filled with HAZMAT field workers and someone started choking on some sort of raw Korean beef. We almost had to draw lots to see who would perform the Heimlich maneuver on the person. The point is that we all knew what to do because of our training, which we received each year.

Gershon brings up quite a few good points about map and compass skills, which are added on by jbylake. Gershon has really been working on the navigation skills over the last year and seems to have it down. It is the kind of skill that takes practice to develop an expertise in and continued practice to keep; just like making fire and other outdoor skills. However, I think it is one of those skills that is ignored due to our good trail system. Experience in following a trail on a map does not necessarily mean expertise in using map and compass.



I totally agree with this Gershon quote. I have NEVER been lost. But I have been unsure as to exactly where I was. On two occasions when sent out to do some field mapping (of geology), I was dropped off outside my map area. Both times it took me most of the day to positively figure this out. And both times I used the traverse method of field surveying to keep track of where I was and what I did. This way I was able to roughly reconstruct what I had done from a more regional map.


People who get lost may have experience reading maps, but also may be in an exhausted, hypothermic, hyperthermic, or another state of confusion. These conditions lead to bad decision making. Learning to recognize confusion, then stopping yourself and as OM said "make yourself a cup of tea" is just what you need to do in those instances. Set up camp and get rested; don't go compounding your problems by continuing to thrash about. Once you get rested and your head clear, then you can go back to your problem solving.

Practicing map and compass skills, first aid skills, and other backpacking skills is a great idea. I'm not sure I would practice getting un-lost, but rather not getting lost. Someone who has put in the time on these skills will respond to the emergency (or need) with the appropriate response because of the practice. How much to practice? In my opinion, until you develop a basic level of expertise in each skill.


Gershon, I'm looking forward to checking out your book as well.