By John Barklow
While descending from the last saddle, my partner slipped and fell hard onto the razor-sharp shale, tearing the bottom of his pants. Shaking it off, we continued and began searching for a flat spot to lay up for the afternoon and wait out the bad weather.
As I settled into my tent routine and began making a hot drink, my buddy yelled that he was bleeding quite a bit from his earlier fall. Minutes later, when I poked my head into his tent, I found the floor awash with diluted blood and watery mud.
After determining that he required medical attention, we devised a plan to leave the mountains. The hike would cover 10 kilometers of rugged terrain and involve a river crossing near the end.
Arriving thirty minutes before dark, I was dismayed to see the river licking the high watermark on the rocky bank. Although it was dangerous, we felt an urgency to cross and reach the hospital before an infection set in or a Brown bear mauled us.
Gripping each other’s shoulder straps, we made progress, shouting encouragement as we battled our way closer to shore. However, just three feet from safety, we were violently knocked off balance and swept downstream.
Assaulted by the raging water, I rolled out of the pack and eddied out onto the muddy bank while my partner was swept through a strainer and around a bend in the river.
Frantically pushing through the alders, I wondered if I had killed him. Relief filled me as I discovered him floundering in knee-deep water 200 meters downstream.
Hours later, he exited the hospital with 20 stitches, a drain in place and a strong dose of antibiotics.
The backcountry has its own cadence and is indifferent to your schedule. There are no rules, referees or timeouts. You can never be too capable, and your best efforts are often required to ensure safety and success. You won’t always make the right choices, but hopefully, you can walk away from bad decisions and learn from your mistakes.
After 30 years in the mountains, backpacking, hunting and training thousands of people how to live and thrive in harsh environments, I’ve established my Cardinal Rules for the backcountry.
Stay Dry. Take every reasonable opportunity to dry out your clothing. When you reach the top of a ridge damp with sweat, put on a puffy jacket. Wear your clothing into your sleeping bag to dry instead of leaving it in a pile in the shelter to deal with the next day.
Manage your body heat. It’s your most consistent and reliable source of heat when outdoors. This metabolic engine runs on food and water, just like your truck runs on gas. Carry what you need to fuel yourself and be stingy with body heat.
Prioritize Shelter. Pack a shelter or learn how to create an improvised one. Carry a tarp, emergency bivy, paracord and a knife for making an A-frame.
Always Improve Your Situation. If your camp is in a poor location or a glassing knob is exposed to the elements, consider relocating it or setting up a tarp for protection. Move around to generate body heat, light a fire, or hike closer to camp if you feel ill.
Backcountry Mindset. Be prepared to stay an extra 24 hours outdoors. If you shoot a buck at last light and need to wait until dawn to hike back to camp, make sure you have the essentials to endure the night. Being mentally prepared to spend additional time afield is crucial, as it reduces feelings of urgency that can lead to poor decisions.
Manage Your Energy. Don’t become nutritionally or physically depleted. If you wait too long to dry out, warm up, eat or return to camp, you may be too far gone to self-rescue. Instead of pushing for many hours and exhausting yourself, take regular breaks to hydrate, eat, and rest throughout the day. If an emergency arises when you’re at your lowest, you may not be able to respond to the challenge.
Use these Cardinal Rules or adapt them to create your own rules and they will help you stay safe and self-reliant on your backcountry adventures.