Always tell someone where you are hiking and when you expect to return. Friends, family, rangers, and visitor centers are all valuable resources that can save you from a backcountry disaster if you fail to reappear on time.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS Don’t undertake a hike that exceeds your physical fitness or outdoor abilities.
AVOID HIKING ALONE A hiking partner can provide the buffer between life and death in the event of a serious backcountry mishap.
BRING THE RIGHT GEAR Packing the proper equipment, especially survival and first aid supplies, increases your margin of safety.
The 10 Essentials
Except when hiking on gentle trails in city parks, hikers should always carry a pack with certain essential items. The standard “10 Essentials” have evolved from a list of individual items to functional systems that will help keep you alive and reasonably comfortable in emergency situations:
1. Emergency shelter: a tent, a bivy sack, or an emergency blanket
2. Fire: a candle or other firestarter and matches in a waterproof container
3. First aid supplies
4. Hydration: extra water and a means to purify more on longer trips
5. Illumination: a flashlight or headlamp
6. Insulation: extra clothing that is both waterproof and warm, including a hat
7. Navigation: a topographic map and compass, in addition to a GPS device
8. Nutrition: enough extra food so you return with a little left over
9. Repair kit: particularly a knife for starting fires, first aid, and countless other uses
10. Sun protection: sunglasses and sunscreen, especially in the mountains
Just carrying these items, however, does not make you prepared. Unless you know things like how to apply basic first aid, how to build an emergency fire, and how to read a topographic map or use a compass, then carrying these items does you no good. These skills are all fairly simple to learn, and at least one member of your group should be familiar with each of them.
More important to your safety and enjoyment than any piece of equipment or clothing is exercising common sense. When you are far from civilization, a simple injury can be life-threatening. Don’t take unnecessary chances. Never, for example, jump onto slippery rocks or logs or crawl out onto dangerously steep slopes hoping to get a better view. Fortunately, the vast majority of wilderness injuries are easily avoidable.
Advice for the First-Time Backpacker
There is something enormously liberating about spending a night in the wilderness. Many of the Pacific Northwest’s most spectacular attractions are beyond the reach of a comfortable day hike, leaving them for the overnight hiker to enjoy. But there are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your first few backpacking trips.
Differences Between Backpacking and Day Hiking
Many people who regularly take day hikes assume that backpacking is just day hiking plus spending the night. Wrong! The two activities have some very important differences.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS People often assume that since they regularly go on day hikes of 10 miles or more, they can cover the same distance when carrying overnight gear. This is a fundamental error because backpacking is an activity in which gravity displays its most sinister qualities. Your hips, shoulders, feet, knees, and probably a few body parts you had not even thought about in years will feel every extra ounce.
HIKING COMPANIONS Perhaps even more important, backpacking calls for a different mental attitude. It is usually unwise, for example, to travel alone, at least on your first few trips. This advice applies even to people who regularly take solo day hikes. Most people assume that this recommendation is for safety reasons, but while there is some safety in numbers, the main reason not to go backpacking alone is mental. Human beings are social animals. Most people enjoy backpacking (or any activity) much more if they have along at least one compatible companion with whom they can share the day’s events and experiences. Having a hiking partner will also make your journey more comfortable because you can lighten your load by sharing the weight of community items such as a tent, cookstove, and water filter. If you don’t have the sales skills to talk reluctant friends or skeptical family members into coming along, consider joining a hiking club, where you will find plenty of people with similar outdoor interests. (See Appendix C, for the names and addresses of some local organizations.)
Having good company on the trail (in this case, the Deschutes River Trail) can make your backpacking trip even more enjoyable.
SKILLS NEEDED Another thing that distinguishes backpacking from day hiking is that backpackers need a different set of skills. They need to know how to hang their food to keep out bears and other critters. They need to know how to select an appropriate campsite, one where breezes will keep the bugs away, where there aren’t dangerous or unstable snags overhead, where the runoff from overnight rains won’t create a lake beneath their tent, and a host of other variables. They need to know the optimal way to put things into their packs (where heavy items belong versus lighter ones) to carry a heavier load in the most comfortable way possible. Although the list of skills is long, they are all interesting, relatively easy to learn, and well worth the time and effort to acquire. (Turn to the recommended reading section in Appendix B, for a list of books that will help.)
IMPACT ON NATURE One final, often-overlooked difference between day hiking and backpacking is that backpackers need to be much more careful to minimize their impact on the land. All hikers should do things like pick up litter, avoid fragile vegetation, avoid cutting switchbacks, and leave wildlife alone. For backpackers, however, there are additional considerations.
Because you’ll probably be doing a lot of wandering around near camp, it is crucial that you put your tent in a place that is either compacted from years of use or can easily take the impact without being damaged. A campsite on sand, on rock, or in a densely wooded area is best. Never camp on fragile meadow vegetation or immediately beside a lake or stream. If you see a campsite starting to develop in an inappropriate location, be proactive: place a few limbs or rocks over the area to discourage further use, scatter horse apples, and remove any fire-scarred rocks.
In a designated wilderness area, regulations generally require that you camp at least 100 feet from water. In places with long-established camps that are already heavily impacted, however, land managers usually prefer that you use the established site, even if it is technically too close to water, rather than trampling a new area.
CAMPFIRES Do not build campfires. Although fires were once a staple of camping and backpacking, today few areas can sustain the negative impact of fires. In many wilderness areas and national parks, fires are now officially prohibited, especially at higher elevations. For cooking, use a lightweight stove (they are more reliable, easier to use, and cleaner than fires). For warmth, try adding a layer of clothing or going for an evening stroll.
EQUIPMENT
