Did you ever spend an unplanned night in the woods?

[iAmKrzys]

Did you ever spend an unplanned night in the woods? I'm curious as to how that went and if it changed what you bring along or practice to get better prepared should you run into trouble again?

I'm trying to re-***** my level of readiness for such an unforeseen event and I think I should bring along more food on my winter day hikes as well as practice starting fire in cold weather with limited resources (normally I don't have any need to do this.)

 

[Raven]

No I have not. Thankfully.

I try to carry the gear I need to stay alive if I fall off trail, become immobile, and can only reach what's in my pack. I'm happy to have no tales to tell but I'm often asked how many nights I'm out for on winter day hikes. "None but two if necessary."

Each of the ten essentials is just that but depending on your hiking scenario, some can certainly be more valuable than others. I hike solo most of the time. For me, I most value my headlamp, warm and waterproof clothing, and whiste. I carry all 10 plus.

Based on where and how I hike, it's the combination of cold and lower leg injury I need to watch. I'm not likely taking a fall off a headwall, not likely in an avalanche, won't be eaten alive. The light helps me out in the dark, the whistle notifies people if one is injured off trail, and the clothing avoids hypothermia keeping me from stupid decisions.

Im not dying of thirst in NH but dehydration leading to cramping could be a fatal flaw. I'm not starving but an extra 500 calories goes a long way in keeping one warm and with the energy to move.

If you encounter unforeseen issues and need to modify your situation, a knife or multitool is key.

Other than butterfly closures, duct tape, and a triangular bandage, there's not much I'll use in my first aid kit that would be "life saving." Maybe time to update that.

I've always got a way to start a fire. Never know when I'll need to burn a bridge. But the idea of starting a fire in most situations I see hiking in the Whites could be an exercise in futility, especially when cold and windy. That said, it can be the one life saving thing you need if no longer warming up.

http://hikesafe.com/index.php?page=full-gear-list

Hopefully some people will share their stories and maybe how their gear or decisions helped or hurt.

 

[Tom_Murphy]

No, never benighted. I have gotten back to my car many hours later than planned.

I strongly recommend a closed cell foam pad, such as a Z-rest.

I spent a lot time on winter day hikes stopping to try to start a fire and sustain a fire. The second part of that was extremely difficult / impossible when there is a heavy snow cover. I have given up on a fire as an overnight survival strategy in the winter. Extra insulation, a stove, and extra food are my plan if benighted in the winter. I have a PLB if immobilized. Also I don’t go above treeline unless it is a bluebird day.

I bring my white gas stove (SVEA 123R) and two EXTRA packets of instant mashed potatoes. I have gotten pretty good at making a quick warm meal in the snow.

 

[iAmKrzys]

Typically, my winter day hike gear list is similar to my backpacking list with some minor differences adding winter gear. I have never gotten stuck in the woods in the winter overnight but I did learn some lessons on backpacking trips or previous winter hikes:

• I found that I had trouble starting my JetBoil at below freezing temperatures using built-in igniter.
• When my hands got cold I was dismayed that could not operate a BIC lighter (I had trouble spinning the wheel to get enough spark to start the flame.)
• On a recent trip I tried using a push-button lighter but it would not start at higher altitude (around 9000 feet.) It worked fine again once we descended back to town.

I guess the lesson here is that there is nothing like good old matches.

Im not dying of thirst in NH but dehydration leading to cramping could be a fatal flaw.

• Hiking on a cold day I found that water in my plastic bottles began to freeze, so apart from carrying an insulated bottle with hot tea, in emergency I might need to use my stove to heat up water to stay hydrated.

If you encounter unforeseen issues and need to modify your situation, a knife or multitool is key.

• Last year while winter hiking I noticed that my microspikes were slipping off my boot on one side and upon closer inspection I discovered that one of the chain links opened up and kept getting disconnected. Since earlier I opted to only carry a knife instead of heavier multi-tool I was not able to fix this problem in the field. Since that event I added small Gerber Dime to my pocket in order to have mini-pliers available for simple repairs.

I strongly recommend a closed cell foam pad, such as a Z-rest.

I currently use Big Agnes Air Core Ultra for backpacking trips and it feels pretty warm to me around freezing point. I'm hoping that it would perform sufficiently well on a winter hike, but there is certainly a risk that I could puncture it and loose air thus loosing insulating properties, so maybe I should consider getting a better foam pad instead.

I spent a lot time on winter day hikes stopping to try to start a fire and sustain a fire. The second part of that was extremely difficult / impossible when there is a heavy snow cover.

Up until recently I did not even think about possibility of making a fire. That's something that I am exploring now, but indeed it does not seem like an easy thing to do effectively. I watched a Youtube video recently in which this guy set up two fires - one at ground level and the other one without clearing snow to the ground and he pointed out that that the latter was much harder to keep going: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOJH90CzJ7Q

 

[Raven]

I sometimes carry a foam pad. I also have a foam core backpack in my pack that has the same insulating effect as a pad if seated on it. Definitely need to be off the ground.

I have a liter vacuum bottle that is often filled with boiling water and tea. The psychological effects of a hot drink are hard to measure.

An extra wool sock makes a good water bottle insulator if needed especially when buried in your pack. Start with hot water. Wide mouth bottles don't freeze over the top as quickly.

A stove can be used to start a fire fast or get one going again in an emergency as well. 10-15 cotton balls swabbed in petroleum jelly make a nice fire starter too. Shhhh....it's cotton.

I've found a zip tie to be pretty useful a few times too. You can repair a torn microspike with it for example. Great for a quick strong connection and essentially weightless.

 

[peakbagger]

I have not spent an overnight but got darn close with a group from VFTT on a Weeks winter traverse several years ago. It was winter conditions and the snow conditions were deep enough that breaking trail was a challenge, the trail corridor was not well defined so we ended up off trail for the later half of the day leading to a lot of snow in the trees and dumped on us. The combination of deep snow and heavy exertion meant I and expect the others were soaked. I personally would have had serious problems if I was unable to make it out as I and expect the others were in the mode where the only way we were keeping warm was by continuing to press on. Had we needed to stop, I doubt I would have been able to put on enough gear to keep my core temperature up if stationary. The weather conditions were such that we were hiking through the tail end of a weather front and it cleared out right around sunset so we were looking at clear night with radiational cooling, it was below zero by the time we go out and continued dropping the rest of the night. I expect our only option was to dig a hole in the snow and try to get a fire going while we were still able to function. I know when we got to the vehicle (which had very poor heat) that I was mildly hypothermic and didnt really get warmed up until I got home and got in a hot shower. I did have a spare inner layer but expect it would just delay the inevitable onset of more severe hypothermia. No matter what is advertised, damp synthetics are far less efficient than dry synthetics for heat retention. Sure they are better than cotton or down and dry quicker but its only an insulating layer and if the body is not putting out enough heat its not going to generate heat.

Some comments about emergency gear and repair gear.

Tie wraps have their use but a major issue is they get brittle when cold and break,not great for winter use. One day I had a pair of crampons fail. I carried an assortment of tie wraps and made a fix which promptly failed three times. My friend had some copper wire and the fix held for a couple of hours. There are stainless steel tie wraps available that are far better than plastic.

I carry old military surplus Trioxane bars. Once lit they burn reliably. Scrape off some power onto tinder and it really speeds up getting a fire going. Butane lighters are handy but the colder they get the worse they work unless warmed up as the butane doesnt vaporize very well. Old fashioned zippo lighters or trench lighters work well in low temps. Hurricane matches are also handy although they need to be kept dry.

Canister type stoves are real handy in mild winter conditions but they suffer the same physics as butane lighters, the colder they get the worse they work. I realize folks will protest that their "fill in the blank" canister stove will work down to XX degrees by using a blended iso-propane fuel if the cylinder is brand new but for winter emergency use they are on the ragged edge of being unreliable when you need them. This was mentioned in the book about the Matrosova rescue, the S&R folks couldnt get their Jet Boils to work. Sure if the canisters are warmed up enough somehow, they will light off but its not something to fiddle with. The older white gas stoves dont have this limitation (although priming paste speeds things up). I use a canister stove for 3 seasons and they are great but for possible winter survival they are wrong tool for the job in areas where temps can drop well below zero (like NH)

 

[egilbe]

Inverted canister stoves work just fine for winter camping. They work like a white gas stove without having to pressurize it. Probably not as efficient as a white gas stove, bit the fiddle factor and the danger of burning firball is just about zero.

 

[Stan]

There are some good suggestions already but the one I would emphasize the most is the ability to safely start a fire under any circumstances. It serves a multiple of purposes but the most critical one is if an unplanned overnight takes a turn for the worse either because you're lost or injured. Then a smokey fire can help searchers locate you.

An underrated tool is a good knife. It too can serve multiple purposes. But the most important tool is your head and reading and learning about survival techniques will help you prepare not only equipment-wise but mentally as well. Confidence in your ability to handle the unknown and unplanned goes a long way to averting panic and panic is one of the biggest dangers you might face. In this regard, one of those compasses with a mirror could be helpful for you'll not only know which direction is which, you'll be able to see who exactly is in the predicament and who is responsible for getting out of it.

Yep, had that unplanned overnight experience. Glad we did. Ran out of food and water, had traveled light with limited gear and layers. Lost the sparsely marked trail in the dark and since our route ahead entailed a dangerous slide, we decided to hunker down. It was late summer, temps in the 50-60 range and a light mist falling. I never carry a pad unless I'm camping out but with the sharp knife I cut a bunch of fir boughs and made one. Spread an emergency blanket over that and another over us. Lit a fire briefly but only to gather fuel and assure our ability to get one started if needed later. Had it been cooler, we'd have slept under a layer of those fir boughs. Other leaves and boughs can serve the same purpose but fir is more comfortable and when you get done you'll smell like one of those scented cachets. Woke up at dawn, almost instantly found the trail, treated and refilled the water bottles, grazed on fortuitously ripe raspberries and hiked back another 8 miles to base camp, a rustic cabin, where my wife had a warm stew awaiting on the wood stove. Was she worried about us? Nope. Her attitude was, "If they get themselves in to it they can get themselves out of it."

 

[iAmKrzys]

10-15 cotton balls swabbed in petroleum jelly make a nice fire starter too.

The same idea for starting fire was mentioned in the video I posted earlier, so I got some petroleum jelly today and may try this out soon.

I have not spent an overnight but got darn close with a group from VFTT on a Weeks winter traverse several years ago.

I may have read a post-mortem analysis of that trip somwhere on VFTT before. If this is the same trip then I wonder a bit how group composition affected decision making? What I mean is that if everyone thinks the group is strong then the group is likely to push closer to the limit. Knowing that I have only myself to rely on I think I tend to be a lot more conservative and more likely to turn around early if in doubt.

There are stainless steel tie wraps available that are far better than plastic.

I probably should look into them, or maybe at least bring extra large size paper clip.

I carry old military surplus Trioxane bars. Once lit they burn reliably. Scrape off some power onto tinder and it really speeds up getting a fire going.

I have never heard of Trioxane bars, so I need to do some homework. I have some fire starter cubes, but I suspect I will need some support on snow in order to use them effectively, or otherwise they may sink into snow once they get hot and will not be useful.

Inverted canister stoves work just fine for winter camping. They work like a white gas stove without having to pressurize it. Probably not as efficient as a white gas stove, bit the fiddle factor and the danger of burning firball is just about zero.

I have JetBoil for now, so I am thinking that warming up the gas container may be something that I will do for now as I am not likely to buy another stove, at least not this season but thanks for the suggestion.

I never carry a pad unless I'm camping out but with the sharp knife I cut a bunch of fir boughs and made one. Spread an emergency blanket over that and another over us.

Now that you mention this I remember some really old movie for kids advising them what to do if they get lost in the woods and making a "pad" out of boughs was something shown in that movie.

 

[Trail Boss]

Yes but I was backpacking at the time so I had everything needed to spend the (extra) night.

Got into a spot of trouble during a solo winter-hiking trip (with only a handful of winter-hikes under my belt at the time). I foolishly extended my itinerary. Exhaustion suddenly came over me and I decided to cut my itinerary short and backtrack to access a bail-out route. Upon arriving at the exit route I discovered it was completely unbroken and rendered nearly invisible by a recent heavy snowfall. In addition, its markers were obscured by snow. I was on a steep-sided wooded ridge and, with energy levels at rock-bottom, I couldn't afford to wander down the wrong slope through unconsolidated snow, springing every spruce-trap in the neighborhood. I felt panic. I sat down to eat something and clear my mind. I was not equipped to spend the night without suffering (or worse). I wasn't injured, sunset was 2.5 hours away (it was March), and I wasn't technically lost (atop a shoulder and I needed to head east). I was simply very tired, spooked, and at the cusp of a situation that could go very wrong if I did something stupid. I began to look for tell-tale signs of the trail, like subtle dips and swales, broken branches, saw marks, etc. If the snow beneath let me post-hole (with snowshoes) then I was probably off the path. Before long I spotted a partially obscured trail-marker, then another, and yet another. Each one boosted my spirits and confidence. Below ~3500' elevation, conditions turned in my favor and the markers were now visible and eventually even the trail was broken. I exited thoroughly chastened and vowed to never overextend myself again.

On one other winter trip I split off from others and exited about an hour earlier ... but did not have the car keys. Doh! I changed into the dry clothing I had carried but was still cold so I built a fire to stay warm. I discovered collecting and preparing firewood is a great way to stay warm and kill time. I had nice blaze going but didn't have much time to enjoy it.

 

[ChrisB]

Did you ever spend an unplanned night in the woods? I'm curious as to how that went and if it changed what you bring along or practice to get better prepared should you run into trouble again?

Not quite, but....

A friend and I had a very humbling experience after a climb in Huntington Ravine.

One January weekend we were staying in the Harvard Cabin and set out to climb Pinnacle Gully. We got a late start (10 AM) from the cabin and the 3-pitch climb took longer than it should have do to poor ice condx and our own incompetence. As a result we topped out around 4:30 at dusk in zero visibility. It was not really stormy, just ice fog and blowing snow.

I knew the quickest and safest descent route would be the Escape Hatch, just east and downhill from the top of Pinnacle Gully. So we hooked a left and started following the terrain down looking to enter the Escape Hatch gully. But we missed the top of it -- and the old shovel handle that marked it -- and continued to drop down, down, down. Stupidly we descended for a long time, until my partner broke through the snow and found himself dangling above a rushing stream 8 feel below. It was then we finally realized / admitted we were sort of "lost!" After some head scratching we concluded that we had descended almost the full length of Raymond Cataract. In fact, we could hear its terminal waterfall in the distance. It was now about 7 PM.

We carried only climbing packs full of ropes, tools, ice screws and some extra clothing and snacks. While we both had bivvy sacks, we were otherwise not prepared to spend a January night out at treeline for sure. As we pondered the situation trying to decide what to do we both got cold. We we already pretty beat physically so continuing down was attractive. However that would entail a likely rappell of the frozen water fall in the dark. But, it would drop us very near the Harvard Cabin. The alternative was to reascend the cataract and hook up with the well-marked Lion's Head trail and follow that known route down. That's what we did.

We slogged our way back up till we could see the flats of the Alpine Garden. Then turned south and after a long stumble saw a line of cairns ahead of us. They turned out to be the Lion's Head trail, which we followed to the floor of Tucks and eventually the road back to the Harvard Cabin. We rolled into the cabin at 11 PM, just as the caretaker was organizing a rescue group to look for us.

Lessons Learned:

1. If your plan isn't working, change it!! We continued to descended into the cataract long after we knew we missed the Escape hatch. Fatigue, the ease of going down rather than up and denial all played a role. But that was wrong-headed behavior.

2. Don't Panic: At some point I think we were simply running scared and moving seemed to address that anxiety -- Even moving in the wrong direction! There's a lot to be gained by calling a timeout and taking a pulse to hear how your companions are doing and what their ideas about the situation might be. Do our actions make sense? Will they yield the result we want? Is it the best alternative we have? Let the cool heads prevail.

3. Familiarly breeds risk: We had climbed lots in Huntington and thought we knew the area well. That was part of the decision not to carry a lot of emergency gear. What could possibly go wrong? We've done this before including locating the top of the Escape Hatch. Not to worry!

4. I still have memories of the constant painful leg cramps I had all night after we finally sacked out in the cabin loft, extremely Dehydrated after 13 hours of moving. Never hurts to carry a bit of Extra water in winter despite all that weight

 

[hikerbrian]

No, never been benighted unexpectedly. But I rarely do day trips, so I've almost always got full overnight gear with me anyway.

Two honorable mentions:
1. Climbing in CA with a few friends about 10 years ago at a popular crag about 2 miles into the woods. Someone wanted to get that one last climb in, and by the time we cleaned the anchor and packed our gear, the sun had long since set. We started back up the barely visible trail to our car, got into a shallow valley, and could not see our hands in front of our faces. None of us had a light! It was kind of amazing how quickly panic set in. Embarrassingly quick, really. Thirty seconds of panic yielded a flip phone which, when opened, provided just enough of a glow to make out the boot tread and get us back to our cars (this was before the days when all phones had flashlights). It was humbling to do the slow walk back to the cars, half hoping and half dreading the possibility of meeting someone coming in the opposite direction, as we ascended the trail with the phone lit up a couple feet above the ground. Since then, if I'm going into the woods, I'm bringing a headlamp, probably two.
2. Last year's annual President's day Presi-traverse backpack attempt. We generally try to get over Madison, Adams, and Jefferson on day one and camp in Sphinx Col the first night to set us up with good options for day two. Last year, the Presi's had received several *feet* of snow in the preceding week, and Valley Way was unbroken when we started up early Friday morning. On Upper Valley Way we sank hip- to waste-deep *with snow shoes on*. In some sections, we had to clear snow in front of our chest with our hands and poles just to get a surface that our legs could reach up onto. We did this with 4 days' provisions for above treeline travel on our backs. Needless to say, our progress was slowed. We eventually made it to the hut, dropped our heavy stuff, and ran up and back down Madison. We started across towards Adams. The weather was forecast to improve in the evening with winds dramatically diminishing, so although we only had a couple hours' daylight left, we started towards Adams, figuring we could camp in Edmands Col. But the weather deteriorated. [Observatory had winds gusting to near 100 mph during this time]. We could see a snow plume blowing off the top of Adams and we were already pretty spent. So having barely set foot on Adams, and being nowhere near Sphinx Col, we turned back towards Madison and Valley Way and began looking for a protected spot to camp, hoping we wouldn't need to hoof it all the way back to Valley Way tentsite. We walked across Star Lake (a bit spooky with the weather doing what it was doing and knowing well the recent history of that spot) and found some decent-looking spots protected on one side by spruce. We dug in deep to get out of the wind, and got our tents set up (two tents of 2 people). The wind picked up dramatically during this time, and the spindrift was filling in our spot almost as quickly as we could dig it out. Eventually we got the tent set up, guyed it out using all 10 guy lines, and got inside, and it sounded like a freight train was running over us. I felt tremendous regret over not spending the extra half hour to find a more protected spot (i.e. Valley Way tentsite). It was COLD then, all of our water bottles were turning slushy, and we were spent. It was dark. There was spindrift filling my vestibule, as if a little hurricane was going off in there. So I pulled out both of my stoves and started to get my Whisperlite set up. There was so much snow blowing around in the vestibule that I didn't think I'd be able to get it primed. So I set it aside, pulled out my Reactor, plopped the fuel canister into a bowl of slushy water, and thankfully that lit right up, and in a few minutes we had our first boiling Nalgene to lift our spirits. Boy did that help. We got our sleeping bags nice and toasty warm, sealed up the vestibule a bit more with boots, packs, etc, trying to make sure we had SOME air flow, and continued melting snow. Eventually we got enough food and soup in us to be happy again. The wind raged and kept us awake and nervous half the night, fearing for the integrity of the tent, then everything went still around 1 am, then roared back to life at sunrise. [post script: we skirted Adams the next day but opted to bail before getting very far up Jefferson, seeing once again a heavy snow plume blowing off the top, and continued deteriorating weather.] I share this story only to emphasize the importance of having contingency plans and for acting on them when conditions warrant.

ChrisB- great story about Raymond Cataract. That spot is legend. It looks so innocuous from afar (and on the map), especially compared to the ravines on either side, but man, that has been the spot of many, many epics. Good on you for extracting yourselves out of that mess.

 

[Raven]

Tie wraps have their use but a major issue is they get brittle when cold and break,not great for winter use. One day I had a pair of crampons fail. I carried an assortment of tie wraps and made a fix which promptly failed three times. My friend had some copper wire and the fix held for a couple of hours. There are stainless steel tie wraps available that are far better than plastic.

I'll have to take a look at the steel ones and stick a pair in my pack. I've had great luck with the zip tie I used on my microspikes. It's not in a spot that gets much friction, but the red rubber ripped and I was able to use a zip tie to repair the loop that was there before the tear. It's been in place for at two full winters; I alternate between two separate pair of spikes, but this one has held up quite well.

I'm honestly surprised the plastic hasn't become brittle over time as you suggested, but this one is apparently evolved.

 

[TJsName]

I'll have to take a look at the steel ones and stick a pair in my pack. I've had great luck with the zip tie I used on my microspikes. It's not in a spot that gets much friction, but the red rubber ripped and I was able to use a zip tie to repair the loop that was there before the tear. It's been in place for at two full winters; I alternate between two separate pair of spikes, but this one has held up quite well.

I'm honestly surprised the plastic hasn't become brittle over time as you suggested, but this one is apparently evolved.

I had a similar experience with similar (positive) results. Perhaps not all zip ties are created equal. I used one I had bought to attached some outdoor lights to a steel wire, which were 'rated' for outdoor use. Held up for the entire moats hike, linking the end of a chain through one of the rectangular opening in the the rubber. I've also used the metal ones with decent success as well too though. The plastic ends are definitely easy to cliff the ends off though.

 

[sierra]

On a trip out West, I turned a day hike into a 19 hour day, so I guess it comes close. I was doing a traverse between two 14ers and coming back from the second one, broke my ankle when the talus I was descending slid out from under me. I've always carry a lot of gear as a soloist and it really helped to have it all. I did not run out of food or water, although I rationed my water towards the end. Some of the items that really helped me out were as follows. Advil, I carry a bunch in a small Nalgene. I ended up taking about 18 tabs. Duct tape. I ducted taped my poles together, then put a fleece over the top and wrapped that in DT for a great crutch. It got pretty cold after sunset, gloves, hat and xtra jacket came in very handy. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, although not practical, another 32 ozs. of water would have hit the spot. luckily, I was living out there and was very acclimated to 14k. Oh lastly, I could not stop thinking about the cigarettes, I had in my truck as I never smoke on a climbing day till I'm done.

 

[DougPaul]

Not quite, but....

A friend and I had a very humbling experience after a climb in Huntington Ravine.
<snip>

I too completed Pinnacle Gully in the dark (we had had to wait for a party above to clear the climb) and solo (my second had backed off after the first pitch). I had never been down the Escape Hatch, so I headed directly for Lions Head. My only problem was postholing through a snow slab on the descent and being left hanging upside down (on the surface) with my foot stuck under the slab. (Had to smash the slab with the my ice axe shaft to escape.)

Fortunately, not as humbling an experience as yours. (The night was clear and the view from the Alpine Garden was very nice...)

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

I almost had a solo unplanned night out when I suddenly found myself lying on the snow with a broken femur. (A snow snake had jumped out and grabbed my ski tip...) It was 2-3 pm and I was ~4 mi from the trailhead on one of the backcountry trails connected to the Waterville Valley XC system.

Under the circumstances, the only thing I could have done by myself would have been to get my pack off, down jacket on, and my tail off the snow and onto a 25in square (REI blue) closed cell foam pad. (Don't recall if I had a bivy sack with me.) I would not have been able to build a fire or dig a shelter. Fortunately someone came along and was able to help me to get the pack off, the insulation on, and the pad under me. My cellphone worked and we were able to call in an evac team from Waterville so my stay was pretty short (2-3 hrs). (If the cellphone hadn't have worked, I would have been able to wait while my helper skied out to call in the evac team.)


On day trips I carry enough to survive at least one night out, but have decided that a 25in square pad* is not an adequate substitute for a full size (REI blue foam) pad and now carry a Blizzard Survival Bag. http://www.blizzardsurvival.com/product.php/100/blizzard-survival-bag
* I was traveling "light" that day...


There is always the risk that one will be unable use gear or certain survival techniques for one reason or another.

Doug

 

[weatherman]

Spent one unplanned night out, with my wife (who is luckily still married to me), but it kind of has an asterisk as we had already planned to spend two nights out, just not three. We were in the Sierras and encountered way too deep snow + deep stream crossings on the summer solstice, causing long delays + eventually losing the trail as all markers and junctions were buried.

Things learned: 1) if you have the gear, and don't know where you are, stop rather than continue. Had we decided to call it an evening an hour earlier, we would have wasted a lot less energy. The next morning, having our wits about us, we easily found the right way down- it took us 15 minutes with a map and compass to realize we were very close to where we should have been, but the night before we had no clue. 2) Bring food for an extra night. Even though it was mid-June, it went down to the teens at night and we really needed the extra calories.

 

[TJ aka Teej]

I always have enough with me to stay out overnight if need be. I've stayed out because I had to 3 times, and have stayed out because I was having unplanned fun dozens of times.

 

[iAmKrzys]

Wow! Lots of great stories to learn from!

I guess panic setting in can be pretty tough to deal with since it is hard to control and it makes it hard to think clearly. I can easily see how getting disoriented, loosing critical piece of equipment or encountering some serious difficulty (e.g. an unpassable stream at a final stretch of a long hike) could result in onset of panic. How does one prepare for plans and assumptions going wrong? How much can one learn to improvise while facing tough situations?

Speaking of being lost I must say that I missed some trail intersections in the past. Usually, it is just a matter of backtracking and much less of a problem since I started carrying a GPS (if I have good maps) but even with that things can go wrong. Last September I was backpacking with a friend in Wind River Range and we came to a wide stream crossing. I had my water shoes at the bottom of the pack, so I had to get most of my stuff out of my pack and re-pack it to cross the stream and this took some time. Once we made it to the other side and put our boots on I looked at my GPS and realized that we missed an intersection that we should have taken right before the stream. We did not want to go back, so we decided to follow an alternate longer trail that ultimately took us to our destination, however, once our delays compounded we had to shorten our planned loop in order to eventually make it back to the airport on time.