Being prepared isn’t just for Boy Scouts, it’s essential for hikers.

Here in New Hampshire, the NH Fish and Game posts news releases whenever there is a rescue incident in the White Mountains (since they typically coordinate the effort). Much of the time, these releases can provide insight into “what not to do” when hiking, or at least how to be better prepared. Of course, accidents can happen, but many times rescue can be prevented by having the ten essentials and making good choices.

A recent release was posted, that I’d like to go through. Not to shame any hiker, but to provide tips on what could have been better.

At 3:45 PM, NH Fish and Game was alerted after a hiker called 911 stating that they were lost. From the report:

“The hiker also reported that he was wet and cold and did not possess a light source or other essential gear.”

The hiker is lost, wet, and cold. It’s 3:45PM and they do not have a light source or essential gear. Calling 911 in the mountains isn’t like calling 911 at your house. It could be HOURS before rescue reaches you. Getting lost can happen to anyone, even experienced hikers. Be prepared to wait if something happens.

What could have been better? Bring a headlamp, even if you don’t plan to be out at dark. Bring extra layers. The weather can change quickly, and if you have to be out overnight, it can get very cold, even if the day was warm.

After the initial call to 911, the Conservation Officer attempted to call the hiker back several times to try to assist him (…), but was unable to make contact with him.

We will see later in the report that the hiker’s phone battery died.

What could have been better? Bring a battery pack. They’re small and don’t weigh much. They’re worth the weight when your phone, headlamp, and potentially other essential gear need electricity.

The team of AVSAR and Conservation Officers (…) successfully found him at 9:19 p.m. He was (…) wet, cold, and mildly hypothermic and was provided warm, dry clothes, warm liquids, and a light source from the rescue crew. The group then hiked 2.4 miles down (…), arriving at the staged vehicles at 1:45 a.m.

Remember, the hiker called 911 at 3:45PM. Rescue teams arrived at 9:19PM. That’s a long time to wait when you’re cold and wet. If the temps had been colder, this could have been much worse.

The hiker started their hike at 8:00 AM.

Upon reaching the Kilkenny Ridge Trail, he found deep snow conditions and kept losing the trail as he continued on. He was able to keep relocating the trail via a mapping program on his cell phone, but in doing so, drained the battery to the point that he was only able to make a 911 call and report his situation before the battery completely died.

What could have been better? As mentioned above, a battery pack would have helped keep his phone on so NHFG could reach him. It also might have helped in relocating the trail. The hiker could have turned around. Turning around requires no extra equipment. When you encounter conditions you aren’t prepared for, you can turn around and come back another day. As they say, “the mountains will always be there”. A paper map and compass? Many folks will say he should have had a paper map and compass, however, in the case of the trail being covered in snow, I’m not sure it would have helped. However, back up navigation like a Garmin InReach could have been helpful (as well as providing the means to communicate with NH F&G).

So again, I’m not trying to vilify this hiker (which is why I didn’t name them or link to the specific release). We all make mistakes, and anyone can get lost. But, we can also be prepared and learn from other’s (and our own) mistakes.