Inform others of your position on lone hike

[Hisham]

Going without a plb (or possibly a satellite phone instead) is not something I would do hiking alone unless the risk was low... Eg. Clear track, some traffic, non alpine, familiar trail.

I think all semi regular hikers should invest in a plb. 250$ and will last for ten years without further investment, or until you need it... Other walkers should borrow/hire one.

Other than that, be experienced and confident with navigation. Be aware that in poor conditions even experienced hikers are prone to getting lost or in trouble and have that mindset.

Consider some fundamentals...
Water
exit strategies
gear and what you would do if gear breakdown
Anticipated pace versus trail conditions and real pace.

[Lindsay]

When I read this thread, I can't help but sense a cerain hubris from some of the posters.

After Andrew Gaskell's recent misadventure I'd have thought people would have become more circumspect.

Andrew's experience surely shows that it can happen to you.

All of us who bushwalk accept there is an element of risk and that this is slightly increased for those of us who walk alone. However I think that the posters have indicated that they do everything that is reasonably possible to ensure that they will not need rescuing, and if they do the best information is available to the rescuers.

Everything? I don't think so.

To exemplify my point. Missing Tasmanian

What more do you suggest can be done Ron? Looking at the link Andrew says himself that he was under-prepared, however the people who have posted in this thread seem to take every reasonable precaution.

[RonK]

Do you see the title of the thread?

Did you read Andrews' post?

Get a beacon.

Most, but certainly not all have said they carry a PLB.

[Lophophaps]

All of us who bushwalk accept there is an element of risk and that this is slightly increased for those of us who walk alone. However I think that the posters have indicated that they do everything that is reasonably possible to ensure that they will not need rescuing, and if they do the best information is available to the rescuers.

That sums it up nicely. On longer or more serious trips I have a lot of planning, escape routes, a fair to good attempt at remembering the walk (the map prompts me), fallback options and the like. I also attempt to start and finish early. Then if matters come unstuck there's daylight to sort things out. Last resorts are a mobile phone if in reach of a tower and a PLB.

[GRLillistone]

Hi
I am normally accompanied by others on bush walks but occasionally others are not available. I carry the usual array of paraphernalia like maps, compass, iphone4, etrex30, food, first aid items. I am reluctant to use my phone and I don't have a personal locator beacon yet, but will buy one if this happens more frequently. The phone apps that record tracks are normally a bit reluctant to forward position or a track-so-far every now and then, by email and normally require a paid subscription and waste the battery power which I would like to conserve anyway. Currently, in addition to providing someone with my plans and route, I have settled on copying the gps lat lon from the etrex to an email and sending this off every hour or so if within phone reception.
I was wondering what others do in an endeavor to act in a responsible manner to those who may care of your whereabouts when such occasions arise ....and you do take a risk.

In situations where PLBs have been activated because an individual or group has become lost in the bush, a little common sense, preparation and some basic self-rescue skills could have prevented them from becoming lost in the first place. Even after becoming lost, these skills could have helped get themselves out of that situation well before family members alerting the authorities and the public mounting a large scale search. In some cases, it could have saved their lives.

1.
Firstly, it's important to have good map-to-ground skill; that is, being able to visualise your surroundings on a topographic map - and vice versa - to navigate your way through the bush. There are so many examples of people getting lost in the bush simply because they relied on following tracks, whether they were marked on their maps or not. This is a bad practice, as tracks become overgrown and new tracks are cut and cleared.
Use your map-to-ground skill to read natural features such as spurs, creek lines and re-entrants and don't rely on man-made features like tracks, roads and fences. Challenge yourself by trying to navigate map-to-ground without even using a compass to orientate. While it may seem daunting at first, with practice it becomes quite easy. It trains you to really look in to your surroundings and confidently assess the easiest route to take over rugged terrain.
Map-to-ground skill is the most basic fundamental of navigation and should be honed as a priority.

2.
Take a few minutes to look at the weather forecast and meteorological history for the area in which you will be operating. This will give you a good idea of whether you need to take extra water, cold/wet weather clothing or other location-specific items.

3.
Only assign one emergency contact. This will enable you to retain control of your flow of communications. By telling several people about your activity, you greatly increase the likelihood of one or more of them becoming hysterical, miscalculating and calling the authorities. Furthermore, once they have declared you missing, you increase the risk of information being double or triple-handled and the resulting confusion when they deal with the authorities.
Ensure that your emergency contact is someone competent, who knows how to deal with the situation and what steps to take in the event that you’re missing. Importantly, ensure that your contact understands the difference between late and missing. Running late due to rough terrain, adverse weather or simply because you are taking your time or stopping more often than expected does not mean that you are in danger.
Only tell your contact the general area that you will be operating in and your estimated time of arrival rather than giving highly accurate specifics of your proposed route. This gives you a degree of fudge factor. Pour over your map to get an appreciation of your proposed route and conduct a terrain analysis to assess how difficult it will be to traverse. Once you have a rough idea of how much extra time you may need if you get delayed, then simply factor your estimated self-rescue time into your estimated time of arrival.

If you prepare yourself prior to stepping out and know how to apply these simple self-rescue skills when the situation arises, you should be able to rescue yourself and be back with your loved ones well before you are declared missing.
And, importantly, you won't prematurely set off a PLB and waste money, resources and peoples' time when they spend a weekend searching for you, when in fact you made a simple mistake and panicked after having become disoriented within earshot of a track.