For as complex as our road trips appear, we have one very simple rule that guides our days, specifically our hikes.
If everyone is safe and having fun, we keep going. If not, we turn around.
Of course there have been a few times when we weren’t in safe situations, by no fault of our own. The flash flood of Arches 2015 and Death Ledge in RMNP last summer come to mind. Both out of our control but we survived, so we were safe enough. Similarly to the safety rule, there are many times when we are not all having fun. Our first backpacking in Great Basin last year, nearly reaching the top of Mount Elbert in 2016 are two such occasion when I was not having the time of my life. We only quit one of those, but it neither adventure was that much fun for the rest of the family. (Note to self: get a better attitude when things get hard.)
Of the two standards, our safety is the priority and we have so many layers of planning that go into ensuring we end each hike alive and well. We carry bear spray, even in areas there are no bears. We sing “bear scare” songs, even in areas there are no bears. We don’t wear deodorant so we won’t attract bears, even in areas there are no bears. Come to think of it, we might be a little too terrified of bears. But that’s okay, we are good to go in case one some how wonders into Nevada while we’re hiking at Great Basin.
A few years ago we quickly realized that our biggest safety concern is getting lost. We have this incredibly not useful talent of losing the trail. It happens a little too often and it always plays out the same way. Zak begins by looking around a little too much. Ellie realizes we don’t know where we are. Zak says, “We know where we are, we just don’t know where the trail is.” Zoe freaks out because it’s against the rules to be off the trail. I vocalize the blame Zak should feel, which REALLY helps the situation. It obviously all works out, but we usually add a decent amount of mileage and lose a whole lot of gas in our “fun tank.”
Last year we invested in a really good GPS and Zak spends weeks downloading the maps of each of our planned hikes. This year we even purchased a Personal Locator Beacon, which will send a crew of assistance with just a push of a button. I’m a little concerned I’ll accidentally push it on those camping mornings with no hot coffee. I’m pretty sure a crew of rescuers will bring me a Starbuck’s latte. Right?
The biggest risk with these cool devices is that they may malfunction. So we now go the extra step and get old fashioned maps printed of our hikes. Again, Zak spends so much time on them and I’m sure he can add a lot more of what goes into getting them ready. He gets them professionally printed at Staples and picked them up today. They are beautiful. You may remember Zak’s post from a couple of years ago, Maps are Beautiful, and for the first time I agree. I spent some time tonight really looking at them and the topography is amazing. I got really excited for the hikes where we are obviously going to be hiking in a canyon and pretty nervous from some of the big mountain hikes.
At this point, I hope we can say we are prepared to not lose the trails.
