Now the end of winter is finally in sight, many of us will be making plans to enjoy the great outdoors in the warmer months.
However, much of our terrain can be less than forgiving and it's easy to get lost or fall victim to the elements.
Nathan Watson is the operations manager at NZ Mountain Safety Council. He tells Jesse Mulligan there are a number of things you can do during your planning and preparing that will have a direct impact on your safety out in the bush
“It’s the least sexy of the topics in some way, but absolutely the most important.”
Nathan Watson has been tramping since he was a small child Photo: Supplied
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Plan before you go
“What I would encourage people to do is just sit down with a pen and paper and start making some lists and think about your clothing and equipment, think about your footwear.”
Think about things like who are you going to leave your intentions with, what emergency equipment might you need to take and start just mapping it out, Watson says.
You can use an app like Plan my Walk to help with the process.
With about 1500 walks in the database currently, the app (also a website) has weather alerts and forecasts, avalanche advisories, Department of Conservation alerts, and an interactive gear list – all that can be shared easily with friends.
“We know that one of the big causes of people getting into trouble is choosing a walk that isn’t suited to their skills or experience or the weather conditions.”
Preparing your gear
Watson recommends practicing walking with your pack ahead of tramps. “It’s quite different once you’ve got some weight.”
“Before you go, if you’re heading away on your first great walk this summer or trip with the family or something like that, I really recommend people practice packing their bag before they go, make sure you’ve got all your stuff, make sure it fits, where you’re going to put it. Then put that bag on and go for a Saturday afternoon stroll in the local bush reserve or something like that and just get comfortable with that feeling.
“After walking with a pack you’re going to find that your hips and your shoulders, it’s a new feeling for them, you’re going to be sore, they’re going to be rubbing up against the pack.”
The same goes for boots – if you’ve got new boots, break them in before you go, he says.
When you’re out in the bush and you feel like you’re getting a blister, “stop, take the boot off, patch that up”.
Watson says you don’t want your blister to become so bad you can’t walk.
Mountain radios can be hired – but personal locator beacons might be a bit more practical.
“They’re definitely not as popular as they used to be, these days the preferred communication device would be a personal locator beacon – absolutely recommend taking one of those if you’re heading out into back country.”
As long as you’re thinking about if something goes wrong, how are you going to communicate, then Watson says you’re on the right path.
Carry a whistle.
“If you do get into a situation and you are genuinely lost, then one of the things you can do to help rescuers is make some noise. You don’t use much energy and that sound is very different to what's around you.”
Maps
Watson recommends beginners focus on learning basic navigation skills with a paper map and take it with them - “something on your phone can get wet, the battery can die”.
“So often we just see basic navigation errors catch people out and that could lead to them being really late or worst case scenario, lost or missing overnight.”
When you're out, keep the map out of your pack and on you, Watson says, and “stay present with it”.
Fold up your map so it’s nice and small and easy to use but it would be a mistake to keep it in your pack, he says.
“Start off by identifying where you are, when you begin walking and then don’t lose sight of that location of the map as you keep going. By thumbing the map, you kind of move your thumb along the map as you’re moving.
“You can use things like track junctions to identify your location or maybe a ridge line coming down that intersects with the track or maybe you cross a river or stream – and just use those navigation clues.”
It’s something you need to do constantly, to prevent yourself going down the wrong track or getting lost, he says.
“It kind of sounds scary, but it’s not.”
Head out in a group
Three or more in a group is ideal.
“There’s definitely unique challenges if you’re travelling solo, or even in a pair.”
If something goes wrong or someone gets hurt, Watson says, when there’s three of four people you have more options.
“If you are going to split up then I think it’s a really good idea to have predetermined points where you’re going to meet then set some ground rules like at every track junction or every bridge, even if it’s a river crossing, stop and regroup.”
The incident data has lots of examples where one person in the group has got lost after splitting from the group, he says.
If you get lost
Stay calm.
“The last thing you want to do is start to panic, it’s probably going to be stressful enough so you really want to have a clear mind and be able to think your way out of the situation, or at least help yourself as much as you can.”
Stay put.
“Definitely don’t become a moving target. If you are wandering around the bush aimlessly it makes it much harder for rescuers to find you, so stay put.”
Shelter, stay warm and hydrated.
“Put on all the clothing you’ve got, your jacket, keep yourself warm.”
“Think about how you might shelter yourself from the wind or the rain if it comes. If you’re using a pack liner in your tramping pack, then that’s the great thing that you can pull out to use to help shelter yourself.”
Make some noise and use the communications device you have packed.