What Search and Rescue Teams Want Every Hiker to Know

Dear Casual Hiker, Thru Hiker, Weekend Warrior Hiker, Vacation Hiker…well, you get the point,

My name is Nancy and I am a member of a search and rescue (SAR) team in Western North Carolina.  We are a tight-knit group of outdoor enthusiasts who choose to put our own lives on hold and often at risk, to help folks find their way out of the woods if they’re lost, or carry them out if they’re injured (or worse).

It’s not a job for everybody and many a date night, kid event, friend gathering, and lots of sleep has taken the back burner to notifications on our phones reading something like this, “Got a search forming up.  Let me know your availability.”

But here’s the thing:  We love our job, and the die hards among us are incredibly loyal to the cause of paying it forward to our fellow human beings (and most SAR teams are volunteers, in case you thought we were making the big bucks doing this!).

Thankfully, most of my team’s many searches end well; however, we are occasionally faced with nail-biting operations that end with dramatic rescues, some that end with permanently debilitating injuries , and a search in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that ended in the tragic death of a hiker who was less than a mile from a trailhead, on one of the most popular hikes in the Park when she became lost.

We see the gamut of the hiker experience spectrum—seasoned life-long hikers, casual hikers visiting our trails on vacation, old, young, athletic, not athletic, you name it.  My eyes have been opened wide to the large number of well-intentioned yet underprepared hikers there are on trails.

While SAR teams will always be willing to come to someone’s aid, what we want more than anything is to work ourselves out of a job by educating our fellow outdoor adventurers.  Educating hikers to not need help in the backcountry is my number one goal as both an outdoor blogger and SAR member.  If I can plant one seed in someone’s head and it helps them one day?  Well, that alone is worth all the volunteer hours I pour into this blog too.

Whether you’re a seasoned thru hiker or simply someone who thinks they might take a short hike in a National Park on vacation, I implore you to take a peek at the links below, so you can either pat yourself on the back that you already know everything, or fill your pack with a bit more gear and your head with a little more knowledge:

• What you should always do and pack before leaving on a hike
• What you should do if you get lost on a hike
• What your kids should know before leaving and always always carry with them on a hike
• What you can do to keep your dog safe on a hike (I’m a veterinarian, so this topic is near and dear to my heart also)
• A collection of articles I’ve written covering various topics such as hypothermia, snake safety, etc.
• Sign up for my email series of “Hiking 101” tutorials that pertain to preparedness and safety in the backcountry (it’s completely free and simply a labor of love to the hiking community)

As one gentlemen commented about this information, “This taught me that as frequent day hikers we are not dumb, but not as smart as we need to be.”   Be as smart as you need to be to endure anything Mother Nature throws your way.  She is a school-of-hard-knocks kind of mom, and she’s not gonna cut you any slack if you’re in a bind.  Your life could truly depend on this information, no matter how short, easy or well traveled your hike may be.

And finally, if you enjoyed and learned from this post and the ones that are linked to it, I’d love it if you would help me with my mission to pay it forward and consider sharing it within your own circles. If we can collectively prevent folks from needing a SAR team to come to their aid, I’d say it’s the most valuable trail magic any of us will ever provide.  Here are a few ideas of how to share it:

• Share it on Facebook.
• Pin this post on Pinterest.
• Email your friends with a link to the post, even if they’re not avid hikers but are the type of people who may dabble in hiking on a vacation (this type of person, the “vacation day hiker,” is one of the most common types of people my SAR team searches for in the backcountry).
• Encourage your friends to share the message within their own circles and to continue the chain of knowledge for as long as it will travel.

Feel free to comment below if you have questions or want to share a tip or two, based on your own experience in the backcountry.  Most of all, be safe and prepared, friends (and of course, have tons of fun in the process!).

Happy trails,

Nancy

P.S.  If you’re on Facebook, consider joining my blog’s Facebook group. We have a heck of a lot of fun sharing deals and advice on gear, trails, and outdoor education topics.  I also have “Facebook Live”  events where I cover a topic pertaining to preparedness and safety.  It is truly a fabulous group of folks! 🙂

Some of our SAR team had the good fortune of meeting one of the people we rescued during a fundraiser for him after his waterfall accident. He is an AMAZING guy and you can follow his inspirational journey on Facebook at KyleLives.

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