Four W’s that could save your life
When you go out into the wild it’s always smart to be prepared, whether it’s just a stroll in the countryside or a hike up a mountain, being prepared is the key to being safe. Often things don’t always go as planned and even the best-prepared adventurer can find themselves in a life-threatening situation. When it comes to staying alive this would depend greatly on the skill of the person in trouble, and also the information they gave to their emergency contact.
Far too many survival stories happen because the person in trouble didn’t tell anyone where they were going. Take Aron Ralston for example who is probably the most famous name of recent survival stories. He went hiking in a hot and rocky canyon range and took nothing more than a 330ml bottle of water and 2 burritos, after getting stuck he had to cut off his own arm and walk to safety, an act that could have been avoided by telling someone what he was doing.
The next time you venture into the great outdoors make sure you tell someone about the trip and include the four W’s.
Who
Where
When
What
Who
Exactly who is going on this trip and how to contact that persons family or partner.
Where
This is the most important one by far because a rescue party can’t effectively look for you if they have no idea where you’ve gone. Telling someone your start and finish locations will give rescuers an idea of two points you’ll be in between.
When
Let someone know when you’ll be at your finish line and any possible overlap time you may need in case the journey takes longer than usual. It’s also a good idea to arrange check in points and contact someone at each one to let them know you’re ok.
What
What should your contact do if you miss a check in or don’t return at the arranged time. There should be a clear action plan which includes exactly who they should contact and how long they should wait after your expected return time before they make the call.
It may seem excessive to go through all this information with someone before you head out into the wild, but the amount of people who would be alive today or who could have avoided life threatening survival situations is enormous. Another good example of the importance of letting someone know what you’re doing would be a woman named Victoria Grover. She went hiking in an unfamiliar spot on her own and ended up falling down a ledge and having to sit next to a stream with a broken leg for several days. It turns out that she didn’t tell anyone what she was doing and blames the lodge she stayed at because she asked the guy on reception to save her some lunch because she’d be back later than it was usually served.
Asking the guy on reception to save you some food is NOT the same as telling someone a specific place you’re going to and a time you’ll get back. Her attempt to blame the lodge staff was later shattered in an embarrassing interview were she admitted she didn’t tell anyone what she was doing, not even her husband.
Here’s a few other examples of people who almost died because they thought they be fine and didn’t bother letting anyone know their plans.
Ed Rosenthal
Thought that going into an unfamiliar desert canyon was a good idea because it looked nice and he thought he’d be ok. After 6 days he almost died of de-hydration.
Willian LaFever
Decided to walk the 90 mile trip from his home in Utah to Arizona to meet his family. Got stranded and ran out of supplies on the remote journey.
