SOTA Safety TIP #8 - Reduce Your Navigation Risk

What

Build redundancy into your navigation capabilities and execution.

Why

As to the “why”, well, getting lost is no fun and could be deadly.  Our phones are super capable, and with GPS navigation, it takes the work out of figuring out where you are and how to get somewhere.  It also makes us a little too dependent on our phones.  Breaking your phone, or running out of power can put you in danger if you don’t have a backup plan. 

If your hike is on a well established trail, like the PCT, you may feel like your navigation risk is low but if a fire sparks up, or a flash flood closes off your return route, that won’t be the case.

Hikes that seem simple can look completely different on the way back under different lighting or become a real adventure if you are forced to take a different path.

SOTA Safety TIP #5 - Have Backup EmComs

What

All of us depend on our cell phones for.... well EVERYTHING, especially for emergencies which requires cell service and a working phone. Don’t depend on cell service in the back country! 

SOTA Safety TIP #3 - Have a First Aid Kit and The Training To Go With

What

Make sure your pack has a first aid kit and that you’ve had the training to use it.  Because most SOTA adventures are pretty short, I recommend just enough gear to stop the bleeding.  Anything more than that and you are probably going to need to press the SOS button anyway.

 

SOTA Safety Tip #1 - Bring Plenty Of Water

 What

As we roll into summer, bringing enough water really is the number one safety tip.  SOTA operators are always trying to reduce the weight of their pack and a big part of that is the amount of water they carry. The Mayo Clinic recommends 3.7 L of fluids for men, 2.7 for women per day.  Temperature and exercise raises that minimum significantly.  

My Survival Prep for Hiking

I really enjoy doing SOTA, (Summits On The Air).  It gets me outside and I can setup my “ham shack” on places that have a fantastic view and that are optimal for ham radio.  Since I don’t live on a summit, this hobby involves a lot of hiking, something that I really enjoy. I decided to produce this article on hiking safety for my fellow SOTA operators after my small incident on Turner Peak (which I wrote about here).  Since I give presentations on SOTA and people ask me about hiking loadout and safety, I can now point them to this post (Here is a link to the slides ).

The “incident” was really just a boo boo while hiking, not a massive injury, but it serves as a good example of a simple boo boo that you should be prepared for when doing SOTA.  It was a stop the bleeding kinda thing, and then go to doctor to get it sutured up to fully repair.  I’ve asked a few SAR (Search And Rescue)  members to chime in with their thoughts and suggestions as well.  This isn’t going to be an in-depth survival guide that plays the “what if” game.  Although the article is long, it’s keeping things pretty basic.  At-least, I think so.  Also, I've been updating this article when I've experienced something else that I didn't think of, or tips from my SOTA & SAR friends.  (Updated 6/22/2021)