LNT First Principle: Plan Ahead & Prepare

On September 2nd, 2017, a group of boys playing with fireworks started a fire near Eagle Creek in Oregon along a popular hiking trail. Cut off from the trailhead, 153 hikers found themselves trapped. Most of these hikers were visiting a popular swimming hole at the popular Punchbowl Falls, and many were equipped with little more than flip-flops and swimsuits. They were forced 6 miles upstream where they had to camp on bare ground, huddling together for warmth. Forest Service rangers reached them with  limited emergency supplies and in the morning led them several more miles the next day to safety.

The Eagle Creek Fire scenario is a fortunately unlikely occurrence, but it highlights how things can go terribly wrong even on a seemingly easy and simple hike, and how it pays to be prepared. The hikers were lucky they were able to stay together and all of them got out without serious injury, but it could have ended much worse.

The first principle of Leave No Trace is to Plan Ahead and Prepare.

What does Plan Ahead mean?

Know where you're going, and what regulations are in place. Find out who the land manager(s) are for where your are hiking and understand the rules before you go.

Questions you should be asking (not a complete list):

• Do I need any permits for my car or person?
• Is this a wilderness area?
• (For dog owners) Is my dog allowed?
• What is the weather forecast?
• Is it a hunting area and are there hunting seasons I need to know about?
• Is this trail going to be completely packed and busy when I plan to go?

What does Prepare mean?

If you head out unprepared or underprepared, you are risking not only your own safety but the safety of the Search & Rescue folks who would have to go out and save your butt.

The first thing you should do is tell someone where you are going, when you plan to return, and who to contact if you don't check-in at the pre-appointed time. I'm a solo-hiker, so I always tell someone where I'm going. Often, the location is meaningless to them, but at least they know which ranger station to call and forward my info to in case of emergency, and that info will mean something to the right people should the need arise.

There are multiple lists of "The 10 Essentials", "The 11 Essentials", etc. What you need to pack depends on what sort of hike you are planning on. When choosing what to pack, I always think "what is the worst case scenario that could happen to me?" Usually that's eaten by a bear, so then I think "what's the second worst case scenario?" That often involves getting lost or injured, so I like to pack enough I could overnight at least a night in an emergency. If I'm going into an area where there's lots of people I'm not as concerned, but if I think I might be the only hiker out there I want to have enough to survive for 48 hours. What that looks like will vary depending on where I'm hiking.

Instead of 10 essentials, when packing I like to think food, water, shelter, first aid, and navigation/signalling.

• Food isn't just my lunch I'm packing; it's granola bars and jerky that are extra in case I need them. (I also have a compact "survival pack" with a fishing hook and line, but I doubt I'm skilled enough to successfully catch anything...hopefully I never have to find out). 
• Water is dependent on where I'm hiking; if I know I'll have lots of opportunities for refills I won't pack as much. Water purification tablets are good for refills, and I also pack a Lifestraw just in case. The general rule is 2 cups of water for every hour of hiking, but it's good to pack extra if you can afford the weight just in case.
• Shelter for me is extra clothing, rain gear, and overnight survival. I have emergency ponchos and those silver emergency blankets in my pack along with any extra jackets or layers I deem appropriate as necessary. Hats, sunscreen, bug spray, and other protections from the environment I clump in this category.
• First aid is a first aid kit with gauze, bandaids, tweezers, and other little essentials. You never plan on getting hurt, but one misstep and a tumble can cut you up or worse. 
• Navigation/signalling are for finding your way and helping others find you. GPS is nice, but having a map and compass are a good backup for when batteries die. A flashlight (and batteries!) is essential for night travel. Whistles and hi-vis gear will help you be found (a whistle can carry farther than your voice).  A fire-starter of some sort is also helpful, whether it be a lighter or waterproof matches (I've tried to get my sparker to go, but have yet to successfully get a fire going on a test run...if you have that skill then kudos to you).
• The other miscellaneous things I pack are a multi-tool and a knife, because they're lightweight and you just never know when you might need them. (Just a few weeks ago I packed a sandwich with particularly difficulty packaging and required the multitool to get it open.)

Preparing for car camping trip...getting my essentials together!

Exceptions to the rule

No, there are no exceptions to this principle. Be prepared. Safety should always be you number one priority! No exceptions!