Careful, Hikers!

Stories of stranded and caved-in hikers have been dominating the local news in the past couple of weeks. Last week, two boys were rescued after an ice cave they were standing in collapsed. Both survived the cave-in but with serious injuries. Just this Tuesday, the sad news broke that an Oregon 15-year-old who was buried after a sand cave he was digging collapsed had succumbed to his injuries and died. Yesterday came the story of three hikers stranded on Three Fingers Mountain after one of them injured his back, and the group was forced to stay a wet and cold night above 5,000 feet. Two of the hikers had to be air-lifted off the mountain, while one was able to walk down on his own strength.

Today comes the report of two more stranded hikers on a ledge in the North Cascades. The couple from Massachusetts are at 6,000 feet and largely gearless after much of their supplies slid down the mountain. One helicopter rescue has already failed, and a search and rescue team is hiking towards the hikers' reported location.

Reading these stories reminds us of some of the hiking safety basics.

• Even though we go out into nature to escape civilization, a cell phone can save your (or someone else's) life, so always bring one.
• Its also important, like a matter of life-or-death—as the stranded teenagers on Three Fingers found out—that you have to pack for the weather you're hiking to and not the weather at the parking lot or base-camp. It could be 70 degrees and sunny in the parking lot, but your destination could still have snow on the ground.
• When packing for a day-hike, you should always carry the extra weight to prepare for an emergency. A day-hike can quickly become an overnight outing and a matter of survival with something as innocuous as a twisted ankle.
• Best not to go into caves of any kind.

Be careful on the trails, guys! It's the last few weekends of summer and we know we'll be heading out to enjoy the wilds. But like your momma told you, prepare for the worst and expect the best! That space blanket, extra layers, and cell phone are worth their weight in gold (and more!) if you need them in an emergency.

"On The Trail" by Seattlest Flickr Photographer Nivad