Trust me, when you tell your co-workers and friends you’re planning
on spending 4 or 5 days on the Appalachian Trail they’ll ask: In the wilderness? With no cell service? With Bears, and snakes, and God knows what
else? All alone, or worse with an ax
murder? You’ll boost your credibility
around the water cooler and go from completely off your rocker to mildly
disturbed if you can articulate that you have developed an adequate safety
plan. There are no expert hikers, only
experienced ones, and the experienced hikers who are smart will tell you that
anything can go horribly wrong at any time, and you have to prepare for
that.
- · Every hiker’s pack is different, but the Appalachian Trail conservancy provides a list of essential items.
- · Keep your head on a swivel. Be aware of all surroundings like terrain, weather, animals, and people.
- · Plan a half way check point into your trip, like a hostel, hotel or campground. This way you’ll have at least one point where you can call home, or home can call if you fail to check in.
- · Type a list of names, addresses, websites, and phone numbers for your check point, shuttle service, car rental agencies, park resources, etc. as well as a detailed itinerary of where you plan to start and finish each day. Leave one copy with a friend at home and one copy with you.
- · Use a travel pouch with just enough money, 1 credit card, and keys hidden under your shirt, don’t put these items in a back pack in case it’s stolen or carried off by a bear!
- · Use the registers at shelters. These are often used for making snarky or uplifting comments, but in an emergency this is the first place authorities will check to try and determine your last location.
- · Know the distress signal—three short blasts on a whistle or three flashes of light with a mirror, flashlight or fire. The help response is two short blasts in kind.
- · Don’t count on your cell phone to work, or 911 to be able to find you even if it does. I purchased a ResQLink GPS beacon for about $290 (expensive but well worth the peace of mind). There are other emergency GPS beacons on the market (compare them here) that offer special texting features, but I wanted to be found in an emergency, and the RESQLink wins this category hands down, operating on the COSPAS/SARSAT military satellite network .
- · Don’t post your plans on Facebook in an attempt to alert every potential felon in a 50 mile radius that your household contents are up for grabs.
- · Consider classes or YouTube videos of first aid and orienteering.
- · Learn to identify the wildlife. There are no grizzly’s on the AT, but there are black bears and venomous snakes. Be prepared by knowing what to do in an encounter.
- · Without getting into the controversy that surrounds the humanity of bringing a dog on a thru hike, there are plenty of dogs that do well on section hikes. I always bring my dog with me – animals as well as malicious people are naturally deterred by dogs in most cases, especially those that can bark on command.
- · Give your muscles a chance to adapt to the distance and terrain by taking it slow. Nobody cares how far or how fast you hike on any given day. The AT is meant to be enjoyed.
- · Listen to your body! Don’t let a small injury like a painful ulcer on the foot or a muscle injury become one that requires a rescue operation. The trail will always be there for you and you can pick up where you left off at another time.
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