While nobody goes into a hike with an expectation of getting lost or needing rescue, it’s a possibility that every outdoor adventurer should be prepared for. While that means ensuring someone knows your plan, packing extra food and water, and making sure you have a device to call for rescue, it also means generally being searchable.
To demonstrate the concept of being searchable, Colorado’s Alpine Rescue Team shared a series of images to their facebook page. There are several steps to being searchable, including leaving a trip plan with a responsible individual, carrying a whistle, light, and reflective material, using electronics that make you easier to locate (avalanche transceiver in the winter, satellite messaging device, mobile phone with location services turned on), and wearing bright, visible colors.
The images demonstrate the importance of the last step, wearing bright, visible colors. This concept technically contradicts the “Leave No Trace” principle, but it can be incredibly important for rescuers to find you. Have a look at the two images below. Both show two hikers who called for rescue in the Blue Sky Wilderness. A small circle surrounds the hikers in the second image. Can you spot them?
Still can’t see them? Take a look at the following four images. The first image is just a zoomed in photo of the same hikers. The second, once again, features a circle around the individuals. In the third photo bright hats have been added to the image and bright clothing has been added to the fourth, illustrating the difference between being searchable and blending in with the environment.
If that’s still not enough, have a look at this final closeup image of the two hikers on scree, still with the bright hats. They seem to be fairly visible when it’s this close, but rescuers need to be able to spot you from a distance.
The hikers in this image series were rescued and were okay, calling for help when they realized they had lost the trail and were running out of daylight. Make sure you’re wearing bright, searchable clothing when you’re heading out into nature. And that means wear, not bring, in case you take a fall and can’t access your pack or gear.
