So this week I have had two relatively clear days, therefore it gave me some time to watch a zoom session about safety on the trail and I also finished a book called “Surviving Section A, The First 100 miles of the PCT”.
SAFETY ON THE TRAIL (AND NOTES FOR MY FAMILY).
🗣 I watched the presentation which was delivered by Kathy from Fowlers O Sullivan Foundation. Their details are now on the emergency checklist for my family. I know it sounds depressing, but it is important for my family to know what to do if I go missing. The presentation explained how easy it is to get lost on-route (especially women who tend to go for a wild wee and think “well, that tree looks a bit bigger, so I’ll go over there” then they think “no, that looks like a better spot and they go over there” – before they know it, they have lost the trail. More people get lost on the trail by looking for a “bathroom spot” or searching for water than anything else, so Kathy’s advice was excellent.
I won’t go into everything, but here are my main takeaways from the session:-
🎒 Make sure you can see your backpack on the trail when going to the loo. Don’t worry if you see someone coming, they will turn away! I am now very conscious of the fact that it is easy to get lost, so I will swallow my pride and keep the trail in view.
❤️️ If you do get lost on the trail, then use flagged tape to try and find your way back – that way you won’t go around in circles. (I’ve ordered some flagged tape).
🧭️ Ambiguous loss – I now know what this means. After a period of time, search & rescue will give up and declare that the person is missing but they will not spend any more time looking. What do the family do then? Visit https://fofound.org/ which is a charity that has a fabulous process for helping to find missing hikers.
🆘 – There is no shame in hitting the SOS button on your personal location beacon. Don’t be proud, it is what you are paying for!
🥴️ – Never underestimate how easy it is to get disorientated. She explained that after packing up camp one morning she completely went in the wrong direction for 3 miles!
🗺 – Most people won’t take a compass and paper maps, but Kathy gave examples of where apps were just not working. I will take my paper maps and compass and I already know how to navigate using old-fashioned techniques.
🎵 If you are lost, it’s important not to panic. Have a break, listen to some music, and eat lunch. Don’t continue to hike. It is likely that another hiker will walk by in the distance soon, and then you know where the trail is. 🥾 Go with your gut. If you feel that “something isn’t right” then check the app or your maps, especially if you have not seen a PCT sign for a while. Don’t continue hiking in the hope of seeing a sign. One woman walked over 20 miles in the wrong direction and search and rescue just didn’t consider looking that far!
📷 – I must take a photo of my gear and also what I look like at the monument as this helps speed up the rescue.
✍️ – I must sign every single trail register along the route. If I get into trouble then this gives rescuers a good place to start.
👩🌾 – If I am given a trail name, then I need to let my family know that name. People on the trail will not know me as Julia, then will know me as my trail name.
🔶 – Have something bright to signal the helicopter (I have a bright orange pad and my rucksack is also orange).
🏕 – If you are lost then don’t camp right next to a river. The sound of the river will drown out the noise of people calling your name, so camp away from a river (ensuring that you still have access to it).
🏔 – Pay attention to San Jacinto Trail Report for the weather https://sanjacjon.com/ ↔️ – When leaving Idylwild then let your family know which trailhead you took – there are multiple options and this can help speed up a rescue. After Idyllwild, we will start the San Jacinto Mountain Range (which I will be taking). Trying not to fearmonger, but we have a record snow year and things could get dangerous. If I get to Apache Peak / Fuller Ridge and I do not feel safe then I can take the Black Mountain Road (which is 8 miles long) and avoid the snow. It’s great to know that this is an option.
There is another safety zoom scheduled for next week, so I will make some notes on that one and report back with a summary.
TRAINING:
🏜 On top of walking every day, I completed a 10-mile hike on Sunday but added an extra 3.5 litres of water to my pack. In the desert, I could possibly carry up to 7 litres (although we have a high snow year, so I don’t think that is likely, but you never know!). Anyway, I actually found carrying nearly 30 lbs on my back quite tough on my hips and my shoulders (I’m small and only weigh 9 stone (126 lbs). I was glad to take my rucksack off at the end of the hike and I think I would have struggled to walk much further with that weight. These “shakedown hikes” are invaluable as I now know that I need to get my base weight down! For those that don’t know, your base weight is everything in your pack, minus consumables such as food, water and fuel. My base weight is currently sitting around 22-23 lbs, so ideally I need to get this down to below 20 (that is my goal). I need to figure it out to make sure that I am not packing my fears, but that I am also being sensible. Perhaps my chair will have to go? (I hope not!).
📕 BOOK – Surviving Section A, the First 100 miles on the PCT. This book is all about the mental game of a long-distance hike. Apparently, around 40% of hikers that start out at Campo do not make it to Warner Springs (mile 109). My goal is Kennedy Meadows (mile 702), so this book was super important for me to consume. There was so much covered in this book from weather to sleep to pooping in the woods. But from a mental preparation perspective, here are my main takeaways:
Mental Flexibility – be flexible with your plans. Manage your expectations.
Transparency – talk to others if you are feeling low. They are hiking too and will understand how you are feeling. Also, if you see someone sitting on the side taking a break, ask them if they are ok and just chat with them. You may have just saved their hike by doing so.
Perspectives – Ignore the gear shamers (I’m expecting this if I take a chair!). Everyone has different levels of experience so appreciate that I am perhaps more experienced than some, but then many more will be more experienced than me.
Acceptance – I can not change the past. What has happened has happened. On a hike you will spend many hours with your own thoughts. Don’t go down the rabbit hole of looking at the past – you can not change the past.
Resilience: Recover quickly from difficult conditions (I’ve been practising this one!). Remember the equation E+R=O (event + response = outcome). How you respond to an event will influence the outcome.
Hope – Always have hope and remember the “why”. Why are you hiking the PCT? (I will answer that one in a future blog once I can figure it out for myself).
Be ok with being bored – I may struggle with this one, but recognising that I am perhaps a bit bored is a good start.
EXTRA STUFF TICKED OFF THE LIST:
Insurance – all sorted. £359 from Big Cat Insurance company.
Water scoop – all sorted and is now in my kit. Thanks again for listening to my ramblings. It’s all getting very real now!
SAFETY ON THE TRAIL (AND NOTES FOR MY FAMILY).
TRAINING:
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