There are a few things Search and Rescue teams sound like a broken record repeating; bring the essentials, plan your trip, research your route.
But perhaps one of the most important lessons of all is:
People over Peaks. Never leave someone behind. Ever.
Over the years, we've seen countless search and rescue incidents because someone got "separated".
It may not sound like a big deal at the time, but separating from your hiking party is one of the biggest predictors that something has gone wrong.
Why do hiking groups separate?
Almost never because someone intends to create a dangerous situation. Usually, it seems like the logical thing to do in the moment.
Someone wants to tag the summit while the rest of the group turns around.
Someone is hiking slower and gradually gets left behind.
Someone pushes ahead thinking, "I'll meet you at camp."
Someone stops for a break or to use the bathroom and tells the group to keep going.
Someone takes a different trail or shortcut, expecting it will reconnect.
Someone is hiking with a meetup group and doesn't really know the other people.
Someone is injured, exhausted, or feeling unwell and doesn't want to hold everyone back.
In the worst cases, an injured hiker is actually left alone while others continue on.
Every one of these situations has led to Search and Rescue callouts.
Why separation becomes dangerous
Once a group separates, certainty disappears.
"I thought they were ahead."
"I thought they turned around."
"I thought they were with you."
Hours can pass before anyone realizes someone is actually missing. By then, darkness may be approaching, batteries may be running low, weather may have changed, and the search area has grown from a single trail into an entire mountain. What started as a simple "We got separated", becomes multiple escalating problems.
The mountain rule
If your group starts together, it should finish together.
No summit is worth abandoning your partner.
No campsite is worth leaving someone alone.
No finish time is worth risking someone's life.
Travel at the pace of the slowest member. Stop together. Rest together. If someone needs to turn around, make a plan that keeps them safe—ideally with another member accompanying them.
A summit will still be there tomorrow, your hiking partner might not.
Before you leave the trailhead
Take two minutes to answer these questions:
Who is leading?
Who is sweeping from the back?
What happens if someone needs to stop?
What happens if someone wants to turn around?
What happens if someone gets injured?
What is our communication plan if we become separated?
The best rescue is the one that never has to happen.
The way forward, is TOGETHER.
Heading outdoors? Start with @bcadvsmart