Wilderness Travel Tips

Wilderness travel can be dangerous. Whether backpacking, floating a river in a canoe, or four-wheeling down isolated two-tracks, it means leaving the safety and relative predictability of civilization behind. There are some things you can do to make it safer, though, without taking away from the adventure. Here are six tips for doing that.

1. Preparation. I have seen twenty-year-odds eight miles from the nearest road, at nightfall, with no water, and facing a sub-freezing night with short sleeves. Obviously, they had underestimated the time, and probably didn't make it back to their car before some suffering. More importantly, they had not prepared for the possibility of their hike taking longer than expected, or for a possible change of weather. Think of all the possibilities, and have some preparation and planning for each before you leave.

2. Map and compass. Have a map and know how to read it. Even a highway map is better than nothing. People lost in the wilderness have many times hiked farther into empty country because they had no idea which direction to travel to the nearest road. Having a compass is a good idea too, but be sure you know how to use it. Practice near home if you need to, and start using it before you need it, just to keep in practice (and to keep from getting lost).

3. Other navigation skills. Learn how to use a watch and the sun to determine direction, or how to use a stick and shadow. Compasses break, and maps get lost. You should know at least one or two ways to determine direction. You should also note the direction most likely to take you out of the wilderness before you start. If you remember that a highway runs along the entire south side of the area you are in, you know which way to go in an emergency.

4. Survival skills. Learn a few basic survival skills and wilderness travel becomes safer as well as more interesting. Knowing that sleeping under a pile of dry grass or leaves can keep you warm could save your life someday. Learning to identify a few wild edible plants can feed you if you lose your food, and make a trip more interesting in any case.

5. Fire making. Practice making a fire and lighting it with one match. Try it in some woods near home when it is raining. Try it in the snow. Fire can save your life. Rarely does anyone die from starvation in the wilderness. They commonly die from exposure. Know how to keep yourself warm and dry. Carry matches and a lighter, and know how to start a fire.

6. Help from others. There will be nobody to rescue you if nobody knows where you are. Leave an itinerary with someone. You may want to carry a cell phone as well. I don't care for them myself, but they save lives regularly. Just be sure to charge the battery before you go.

Finally, don't just read these tips. Apply them. Even experienced outdoorsmen have paid the ultimate price when they forgot or refused to follow the basic rules of wilderness travel.

The Ultralight Backpacking Site | Wilderness Travel Tips