Solo Safety in the back country

 In a previous post I spoke about learning to travel in my motorhome alone and how I needed to do a little more planning as to overnight stops. Gone are the days that I can have my co-pilot look for an overnight stop an hour or so before I want to stop.

In a similar vain, I needed to examine the amount of solo hiking and fishing I do and what steps I can take to minimize risks. I have been thinking about this for a while. A couple of incidents in the last 8 months have made me aware that I need to do something. During the summer when I was fly fishing with Sonia up on the Grand Mesa, I walked across what I though was a little mud. It turned out to be quick mud and within minutes I was stuck up to mid thigh with both legs. Luckily Sonia and a fly fisherman were able to toss me various logs and about 45 minutes later I was able to get unstuck. Sonia had a Spot X, a satellite messenger device, which we didn’t need but would have been useful had I not been able to get out. But since there were two of us, she could have just driven my truck for help. 

But if I was fishing alone, it might have been a long cold night if another fisher person wasn’t nearby.

During one of my recent solo hikes in the Lincoln National Forest, I came upon a family of Javelinas, that day I had not seen another person the entire time I was hiking. The Javelinas were a good distance away and ran away from me. It did get me thinking that had I come across them suddenly and much closer, dad Javelina, may not have been very happy and my understanding is that they can be dangerous.

Yes, there is a school of thought that says I shouldn’t do this stuff alone, but that isn’t a reality for me, if I want to do the things I enjoy. I always carry my cellphone, since it is also my camera, but I don’t always have cell coverage. 

I have been weighing the pros and cons of various satellite messenger devices vs Personal Locator Beacons, (PLB). I finally settled on a PLB, there is no subscription fee and they all use the COSPAS/SARSAT satellite system rather than a private propriety satellite system.

In preparation fro my upcoming Big Bend trip I purchased a ACR ResQlink 400 PLB. Basically it is a backcountry SOS device for any life threatening emergency when you don’t have cell phone service. You deploy a very small antenna, which covers the emergency activation button, then press and hold the activation button for 2 seconds. It will then send your GPS coordinates and an emergency beacon for 24 hours via the COSPAS/SARSAT satellite system to NOAA, which then contacts the local search and rescue. It also has an infrared strobe light to help SAR locate you. 

                                                 The PLB is pretty small

Additionally, I wear MedicAlert dog tag and subscribe to their service. The dog tag has a toll free number and my ID number. Emergency personnel can call the number and speak with someone who has access to my medical information if I am unconscious. The demographic and medical information is easily updated by me online.

Of course, a rescue in the backcountry is not like dialing 911 at home, so I might have to hang around a long time and therefore always have extra clothing layers and an emergency survival shelter in my pack as well as the other essentials. Worse case scenario, SAR would know what to do with the body if the rescue turned into a recovery. That's for my good buddy Scott, since I know he's thinking it about now. 

I would encourage anywhere that ventures into the back country alone to consider a PLB or a satellite messenger device. 

I am leaving Saturday to begin my next road trip. I’ll spend 2 weeks in Big Bend National Park and 8 days in Big Bend Ranch State park. I will have very limited cell service if any, and there are only three locations with WiFi in BBNP. BBNP is larger than the state of RI, so I won’t be passing by the WiFi spots very often. But I may do an blog update while I’m there.

Tight lines and safe travels