What's in your hike plan

[mahony]

Like a good dooby, I send my wife and my in-laws a hike plan whenever I go out hiking. I typically send something like this:

I'll be hiking in Franconia Notch and parking at the Lafayette Campground for this hike. The route is .4 miles up Lonesome Lake Trail up to the junction of the Hi-Cannon Trail. Then 2.0 miles up to the junction of the Kinsman Ridge Trail then NorthEast for .5 miles to the summit of Cannon Mountain. I should summit Cannon about 2 hours after my start (expected to be around 3pm). I may take a short detour down the North/East Side of Cannon to the lookout over the former Old Man of the Mountain (about and extra .5 miles each way). After cannon I will head back along the Kinsman Ridge Trail SouthWest toward the Kinsman Mountains and Kinsman Pond Campsite. My plan is to stay at the shelter. I will not be carrying a tent, so the plan is use the shelter or Bivy in the woods if the shelter is full (unlikely with clear weather predicted).

In the morning I will hike the Kinsman Ridge Trail over North (.5 miles) and onto South Kinsman (.9 miles) summit for sunrise or early morning. I plan to leave South Kinsman around 6:30 (after sunrise) and head North on the Kinsman Ridge Trail to the junction of the Fishin Jimmy Trail where I will descend 2.0 miles to Lonesome Lake and then down the Lonesome Lake Trail (1.2 miles) back to the parking area at the campground. I expect to be down to the parking area around 8:30am. I will then plan to meet everyone at 10am at Monkey Trunks.

Extra notes: I'm expecting clear but cold weather. The summits are expected to be in the 30's with 15-20mph winds. As always I'll be prepared for wet and cold weather and will amend the route as needed to respond to changing conditions.


So I have a few questions for the community:

Is there anything else (from a SAR perspective or other) that I could include that would be useful to know if I went missing?

How do you deal with contingencies (e.g. I really had to chase that bear into the bushes to get a better picture or sunset was so cool I wanted to hang around for sunrise)?

What is the "late cutoff" before you tell someone to send in the cavalry?


PS: I put the notes in to assuage loved-ones fears that I'm not completely insane and planned (or expected) for snow, rain, bears etc.

 

[DiamondRidge]

I usually include what I'm wearing and my planned bail routes (should I need them).

My "call out the calvary" times vary. If I'm out with my little MooseMaiden, they're allowed to start worrying about 5 hours after my expected time back, but aren't to call out SAR until 12 hours. If I'm out alone or with other adults, worrying is silly and don't call out SAR until I'm 24 hours overdue.

My contacts also know what I carry in my pack and that I'm always prepared to spend a night if need be.

One other thing that we do is to leave plans with another hiking friend - my parents mean well, but hiker friends know the trails and the hazards that we are likely to encounter - and thus might be better able to assist F&G/SAR.

 

[giggy]

being brutally honest, I used to do this when I was a newbie -

I haven't in years... I just say going here, going there... plans change right up until last minute due to weather, conditions, etc...


If I say to the wife - this is plan and start naming trails and stuff.... -she says in her best irish accent - "I don't give a ***** where you're going or anything to do with hiking talk".... ...


I am sure SAR will love that post...

 

[RollingRock]

being brutally honest, I used to do this when I was a newbie -

I haven't in years... I just say going here, going there... plans change right up until last minute due to weather, conditions, etc...

I'm actually do the same thing unless I feel the weather conditions (especially in winter) merit that I tell someone what I'll be doing.

 

[Little Rickie]

I leave my wife a topo map with my expected route and camping spots highlighted in yellow. If they change I'll call home. I call as I start driving home and say I'm out of the woods and all is well with an ETA.

 

[Rik]

being brutally honest, I used to do this when I was a newbie -

I haven't in years... I just say going here, going there... plans change right up until last minute due to weather, conditions, etc...


If I say to the wife - this is plan and start naming trails and stuff.... -she says in her best irish accent - "I don't give a ***** where you're going or anything to do with hiking talk".... ...


I am sure SAR will love that post...

Being even more brutally honest, I didn't even do this as a newbie.


Mine looks more like:

Haystack + from the Garden.

Wife knows not to call for help until the next day.

(I admit that my most recent Grand Canyon trip had more detail but it was mostly to comfort my wife at home.)

 

[Tom Rankin]

The only time we notify people is if we are going on a multi-day trip. Since we do not hike alone, the issue is minimized.

 

[Neil]

I do off-trail hiking, often solo and I would prefer to have someone (eventually) come looking for me if the ***** hits the fan. I leave a tracing of my planned route drawn on a map using a mapping program (Topo) and leave a .jpg of that route on the computer desktop. Then, I stick fairly close to this route. FWIW I also carry a FRS radio.

 

[Mike P.]

Giving too many details seems to make my In-laws worry more..... (Still hear from them every winter about my first Spruce trap which was only slightly over waist deep)

I'll leave my wife an Email or note on the kicthen counter that typically says which peaks, which trailhead & when to call for a rescue if she has not heard from me. (which depends on the weather, season, if solo, etc. but varies from 3-8 hours longer than it should take.)

Is leaving a detailed route a good thing? I'm thinking that if I am overdue, it's for one of three reasons, injury, bad trip planning on how long it would take or I'm off the planned route. Would giving a detailed route focus the initial search to those trails? If on another trail by mistake, would it be better to be vague so SAR folks look on (for example) all the common routes up Washington from PNVC & not just HRT?

Thankfully, I never get lost or hurt (knock, knock)

 

[DougPaul]

I do off-trail hiking, often solo and I would prefer to have someone (eventually) come looking for me if the ***** hits the fan. I leave a tracing of my planned route drawn on a map using a mapping program (Topo) and leave a .jpg of that route on the computer desktop. Then, I stick fairly close to this route. FWIW I also carry a FRS radio.

Make sure that your safety person knows to tell SAR that you have the FRS radio (or any 2-way radio: eg CB, Ham) and what channel/frequency you will be on. It could certainly be helpful if they know to use it (and have access to a matching radio).

FRS ground-to-ground range could be quite short (perhaps less than 1/4 mi) if there is heavy tree cover and the line-of-sight is blocked by terrain. The best place to be would be on a clear summit or ridge. (For the searchers, the best place to be would be at high points or in an aircraft.)

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

Is leaving a detailed route a good thing? I'm thinking that if I am overdue, it's for one of three reasons, injury, bad trip planning on how long it would take or I'm off the planned route. Would giving a detailed route focus the initial search to those trails? If on another trail by mistake, would it be better to be vague so SAR folks look on (for example) all the common routes up Washington from PNVC & not just HRT?

Don't worry, the SAR folks know that hikes often do not follow the initial plan. They will also look for your car to make sure you started from the planned trailhead (or not...).

Doug

 

[dug]

"I'm on XYZ Trail climbing ABC Mountain. Should be down around 1:23 o'clock. Call you from the road."

 

[Neil]

Make sure that your safety person knows to tell SAR that you have the FRS radio (or any 2-way radio: eg CB, Ham) and what channel/frequency you will be on. It could certainly be helpful if they know to use it (and have access to a matching radio).

FRS ground-to-ground range could be quite short (perhaps less than 1/4 mi) if there is heavy tree cover and the line-of-sight is blocked by terrain. The best place to be would be on a clear summit or ridge. (For the searchers, the best place to be would be at high points or in an aircraft.)

Doug

I figure that FRS has a little more range than shouting. Not much more in circumstances you mention but in others I've had crystal clear reception at close to 5 miles (summit to summit in clear, dry weather).

Informing SAR re: the radio and channel is part of the plan.

 

[Stash]

Xerox of the map with route and cam locations hilited posted on the 'fridge. ETA for return. Both so wife knows when to call the insurance company and where to look. A body speeds up the payment...

 

[Laurie Maynard]

It is sad when I say this to myself out loud, but I think that because my husband and I hike EVERY weekend that those whom would notice our absence don't actually pay much attention anymore. I have told my mother where I will be, but then never check back in with her and she has never tried to reach me in a panic wondering where I am. Though on the other hand. Russ will let his mother know what our plans are and she asks that he call as soon as he is out of the woods. I'm not sure my mother would have worries unless she hasn't heard from me in a few days! Most often Russ and I post our intents on facebook which is where our family, friends and co-workers reside. If one of them suspects we are missing then at least they will know where to look to find the details they need. My co-workers would of course be the first to notice my absence and especially if I haven't called in. Usually the facebook notes are put there in the event that someone would like to join us though and not so much in the event of a needed rescue.

 

[erugs]

Like Laurie, I don't think people really listen when I mention where I'm going. I think they know if I've said "hike" or "bike" or "kayak" or "sail" but that's about it.

Sometimes I'm on an AMC trip as leader or participant, mostly I'm hiking with a small group of friends. I might be a little more detailed if I planned a hike alone. I would definitely be more detailed if I was straying from my usual territory. I probably wouldn't go to a "least-populated" site if alone. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I speak to my mom when I'm on my drive home. She's hiked many of these same peaks (she's 88 now and her last 4,000 footer was Osceola ten years ago) so likes to hear. Well, she always likes to hear from me.

 

[sierra]

I dont know where to start if your serious. What exactly do you think that is so awfull out there. Lets say you twist your ankle and it could take you some time to get out. Do you want your wife calling in the SAR folks to rush out there and litter you out before dusk? Seriously I mean this well, you should really sit back and rethink your dedication to the outdoors. Lets say your hurt but not to bad and youll get out in 15 hours if you TRY, but your wife panics and calls in the "calvary" in 4 hours, now while the SAR folks are on thier way to "Help" you,one of them gets struck by a falling boulder, you realize when someone gets injured trying to get to you,its on you right.

 

[Neil]

What exactly do you think that is so awfull out there.

Goblins, black flies and mud.

 

[WinterWarlock]

What exactly do you think that is so awfull out there.

Goblins, black flies and mud.

We are the people our parents warned us about!

All the rest of us are out there...isn't that scary enough?!

 

[ferrisjrf]

Seriously I mean this well, you should really sit back and rethink your dedication to the outdoors.

While I'm not really known for leaving detailed (or even 'undetailed') itineraries, and I'm not really a proponent of planning and/or safety checklists in general, I gotta play a little here.

Hikesafe rule #2: ...leave your plans. Tell someone where you are going, the trails you are hiking, when you will return and your emergency plans. Note that the Hikesafe hiker responsibility code was developed by, and is endorsed by the WMNF and NHF&G.

I do love all the, shall I say, wicked hardcore posts, though, extolling the virtues of self-reliance and independence in the mountains. I feel tougher just reading them...until those goblins come running after me, calling me names and pushing my face in the dirt.

Jason