What is the first thing one should do when planning a climbing or caving trip? Tell someone (or more than just someone) exactly where you will be. As we all get excited about leaving for a few days, we get wrapped up in packing gear, gassing up the truck, buying groceries, and just plain getting amped up. We may tell someone the general area in which we are going, but never really get down to giving them the details.
In my experience, phone and pager service rarely works when I get up into the mountains. Your loved ones need to know precisely where you are going to camp and how long you plan on being gone (and what do do if they do not hear from you by that time).
What are the nearest towns, phone numbers of police or emergency rescue folks in the area, directions to get there, maps, camp ground names, cave names (if applicable) and rock formation names (if applicable)? These are a must!
Also, tell them exactly what course of action is required of them if they do not hear from you. Should they call the police, people in the area etc?
All of these precautions may just save your life or the life of someone with you. Rescuing people from the base of cliffs and from deep inside a cave is laborious, difficult, time consuming and requires special skills that not all police or fire personnel are equipped to handle. Know who can and will be available in case of an emergency!
Cave and Climb Safely - We all want to life to do it again!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
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