Hiking Safety: When To Turn Back

Hiking is one of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. Hiking is also a great way to get exercise. Hikers can choose easy strolls through the woods or challenging mountain summits. In both cases, safety is most important. Here are some things to take into account when out on the trails.

Hiking Safety

When To Cut Your Losses and Turn Back

Before every hike, I diligently check the weather reports to make sure that the conditions are favorable. Nobody wants to be caught in a rainstorm, thunderstorm, or a flash flood. However, despite all the preparation one can do, forecasting weather is an imperfect science and Mother Nature can change in a matter of minutes.

Weather

Let’s be honest, one of the most frustrating things for a hiker is to be just minutes from the highlight of the hike, whether it be an arch, a mountain summit, or slot canyon, and have the weather take a turn for the worse. You find that you now have a tough decision to make. Do you press forward and hope that everything will be alright, or do you literally take a rain check and turn back? The answers will vary for each person, but it will always be a crucial decision.

Not long ago, I was hiking to a couple of mountain peaks in Utah. They were the tallest summits for miles. I had already hiked 4.75 miles, cleared the tree line, and I was less than one half mile from reaching the first summit. The last obstacle was to cross a knife-edge ridge. The ridge had considerable exposure, so the going was slow as I was carefully navigating over and around the boulders. After making it across the knife-edge, I was only 400 vertical feet from the top, and feeling pretty good.

Unfortunately, while I was approaching the summit from the north, thunderheads rolling in from the south were blocked from my view by the summit ridge. In a matter of 15 minutes, the clear blue sky was replaced by ominous clouds and distant rumblings. Out of nowhere, pea-sized hail began to pelt me on the exposed ridge line. While I had yet to see any lightning, I could hear the thunder getting closer. All I needed was another 20 minutes to reach the top. As I huddled against some large boulders on the ridge line to avoid the hail, I weighed my options. Option 1: I could make a mad dash up the steep slope to the summit, stay there for a minute, snap a picture, then scramble back down, or Option 2: I could turn back, just 400 vertical feet from the top, wasting the 5 miles I’d hiked just to get there. Common sense told me to get off the ridge immediately, but the thought of turning back after being so close was torturing me, even though with every passing minute the thunder was getting closer and much louder, and the hail was coming down harder.

I quickly decided that living to see another day trumped getting to the top only to be struck by lightning, so I scrambled off the knife-edge and slid down one of the steep rock slides to get off the exposed ridge. Not 10 minutes after I had gotten down off the ridge line, I turned around at the perfect moment to see lightning make a direct strike on the summit. The thunder was deafening and seemed to simultaneously match the lightning strike. It was a moment that I will always remember. Had I decided to continue up to the top of the peak, I would have certainly been crispy from the lightning. It was very sobering and it definitely made me feel good about turning back.

Now there will come a time in the life of every hiker, that they will have to make a similar decision. Turning back after investing so much time and energy into a hike can be very demoralizing at the moment, but in the long run it is the best decision. That mountain, or that slot canyon will probably still be there next week, next year, or in 15 years.

Heights and Exposure

The fear of heights and exposure can cripple even the most experienced hiker. Exposure is defined as being exposed to precipitous drops of anywhere from 30 feet to over 300 feet or more while on the trail. While most hikes don’t require hikers to be subjected to exposure, some of the best vistas in the United States require traversing narrow trails with precipitous drops. Some hikers do not like to admit it, but there are some hikes that make them a little nervous and even a little scared due to exposure. If at any time during your hike you find yourself thinking that you may not have the ability and skill to safely continue on the trail, turn around!

Angels Landing is one of the premier hikes in Zion National Park in Utah, however the last half mile has sharp drop offs on both sides of the narrow trail. Hundreds of hikers hit the trail up to Angels Landing each weekend, most are prepared, but unfortunately, some are not prepared for the extreme exposure. Over a half a dozen people have fallen to their deaths on the trail to Angels Landing in the last ten years. The danger is real on this trail and many others. If heights bother you, don’t attempt this hike. It’s not worth risking your life.

Preparation

As with any hike or outdoor adventure, preparation is very important. Proper preparation can keep you safe in most situations. Turning back is not reserved for lightning. It could be the ominous weather forecast on the day you’re wanting to enter a slot canyon. It could be a desert hike where the temperatures are expected to soar past triple digits, or on the opposite side of the spectrum, maybe a blizzard is forecast, accompanied with below freezing temperatures. Many times, high altitude hikes can pose risks for hikers not acclimated to the thinner air. These are all situations in which postponing the hike for a different day could make the difference between life and death.

There are simple things that a hiker can do to minimize the prospect of danger. When out on the trail, always have a first aid kit with you, at least 2 liters of water, along with the proper clothing and hiking shoes. Know your surroundings. Research your hike in advance. You should know how long the hike is in time and distance as well as what obstacles you’ll encounter.

In July 2011, a man returning from The Wave died when he accidentally fell 100 feet from a cliff when he was attempting to return after dark. The hike to The Wave can be tricky since there is no trail and there are deep slot canyons in the area. After the investigation, this hiker’s flashlight was found to be defective. If you are found in a situation where you are running out of daylight and you don’t have a working flashlight, building a shelter and staying put for the night may be your best bet. If you have prepared before starting on your hike, you’ll know the weather forecast, the temperature highs and lows, what obstacles to expect, and when sunrise and sunset will occur.

Climbing/Off-Trail Hiking

Many of the injuries that occur on the trail can be avoided. Climbing rocks, scaling waterfalls, and going off trail is very tempting to many hikers. However, that’s when hikers get themselves into a jam. Many begin climbing rocks that appear easy without the proper equipment. Before they know it, they are stuck, they freeze, or they see how high up they are and freak out. Don’t succumb to this temptation. Too many people have to be rescued or are seriously injured or even suffer a fatal fall from climbing and scrambling without the proper equipment and skill level. Waterfalls can be especially enticing. Enjoy them from below and don’t attempt to scale them. Most rocks under the surface will be slick. One mistake and you’re down. Best to avoid climbing waterfalls all together, regardless of how tempting or how easy it looks. Remember, climbing up is always easier than climbing down, but walking back to the trailhead rather than being carried out on a stretcher is even better!

Hydration

Unfortunately, hydration is something that too many people overlook when hitting the trails. Hydration is just as important in cooler weather as it is during the summer months. In less than a month in the summer of 2013, three people died of heat stroke, brought on by dehydration. The deaths occurred on the same trail. While the temperatures were extremely hot, hydration was a huge factor in each case.

Always make sure that you carry enough water with you. In fact, you can never have too much water. I carry three liters of water with me on all my hikes and I have extra water in my vehicle for when I return. Even more importantly, I make sure that I’m fully hydrated before I hit the trail. This means drinking a lot of water on the day before your hike. If you are not going to the bathroom, you aren’t drinking enough. Know the signs of dehydration and stop when you need to re-hydrate. It may even be necessary to turn back if additional water sources aren’t available.

If you ever find yourself seriously short of water on a hike, stop, take note of your surroundings, and evaluate your situation. Are you on your way out or on your way back? Make decisions with a clear head. If it is very hot, you may want to avoid moving during the heat of the day. If you have a flashlight in your backpack, it may be best to wait in a shady spot until it cools down a bit. Hopefully, it will never come to this, if you are prepared before you start the hike by carrying plenty of water. Remember to be fully hydrated before the hike.

Turning Back

Here are some things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to turn back:
– Do my chances of getting badly injured/etc increase if I continue hiking?
– Do I have the proper gear with me in case I’m stranded for more than a couple of hours?
– How much daylight is left?
– How much food and water do I have?
– Do a couple of people know where I am hiking if I get stranded?
– Do I feel comfortable hiking along this trail, or could a fall be fatal?

While deciding to turn back may not be the popular decision, I guarantee that it will never be a bad decision. It is definitely better to error on the side of safety so that you can have another day out on the trail.

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