Staying 'found' requires some basic skills

A rash of rescues of lost hikers points out something many folks who venture into the Sisters Country tend to forget. Our backcountry playground is a wildnerness and should be taken seriously and treated with respect.

A casual outing can turn into a crisis very quickly. Hikers get lost; they get hurt. And then search and rescue teams must turn out, risking their own lives and limbs to save them.

For Central Oregon mountaineering afficianado Robert Speik, staying found in the wilderness is as easy as counting to four. The 82-year-old expert mountaineer, clinician and writer is on a lifelong crusade to educate the public and keep them safe. His Four Basic Responsibilities of backcountry travel are well worth committing to memory for those venturing out into the woods in any season. Speik's mission is to illuminate hidden dangers and risks and mitigate them through education.

1. Tell a reliable person where you're going, what you're going to do and when you will return. Search and rescue personnel will need to know where you parked your vehicle, its description and license number, your cell number, provider and experience level of your companions.

The person must be responsible to call sheriff's search and rescue through 911 if you don't check in by an agreed-upon time.

2. Each backcountry traveler or climber must be prepared with a lightweight daypack and enough extra clothing, water, food and selected gear to survive an emergency stop of several hours or overnight.

These essentials are seasonal and should focus on keeping you warm and dry, hydrated, eating simple carbohydrates and the ability to stay in one place. If you become lost, don't try to find your way until you become exhausted, cold or dangerously wet. Wait at your marked location safely for rescuers.

3. Have a topo map of the area, a baseplate compass and inexpensive GPS that provides your coordinates. A simple Garmin GPS receiver costs only about $100, a base plate compass $35 and a 1:24,000 USGS Quad topo map, $7; total $137.

4. Carry your basic digital cell phone and periodically learn where you can contact cell towers.

The common misconception is to assume that because your cell phone does not have GPS, it's of no use. Since 2004, all cell phones sold are required to contain an E-911 indicator which triangulates your position through a network of cell towers.

Better still, Speik believes, is to purchase a SPOT device for $149 which is a true satellite GPS messenger tool operating on the Department of Defense's Global Positioning System to notify friends and/or 911. There are few areas in the Oregon Cascades where a cell phone is out of contact. Almost the entire Sisters Wilderness area is covered by Verizon towers. Call rescuers with your cell and give them your exact coordinates from your map and GPS, current condition and your plans.

For further information visit Speik's Web site at http://www.traditional mountaineering.org.

Another perspective comes from Gabe Chladek, a former climbing ranger, backcountry ski guide and current director of Three Sisters Backcountry Inc. Chladek advocates less reliance on electronic gadgets in the outdoors and instead, wants people to assemble a complete toolbox of skills.

"Having devices like a SPOT unit or a GPS doesn't instantly make you an expert mountaineer," warns Chladek. "They're just tools that help, and take practice to properly use and master. You rely on your own wilderness skills to keep yourself out of trouble. A call to search and rescue should only be a final option in extreme circumstances. Don't be irresponsible and abuse the system. You need to have map-and-compass skills, first aid training and know how to anticipate and interpret weather."

It takes time to build knowledge through guidebooks, basic courses, and field experience accumulated over time. Chladek suggests making decisions conservatively, and based on the skills you have.

"There's never any reason to push it in the wilds," he says. "You can always back off and come back another day."

For questions on guided ski tours or avalanche courses, visit http://www.threesisters backcountry.com.