I have been hiking and camping since I was able to walk and I have enjoyed the biggest part of it.  I have made many mistakes along the way and I'm sure I will continue to make more and hope to learn from them and not just repeat the same old ones over and over.

Some people learn from the mistakes of others.
Some have to make the mistakes themselves.
Some never learn.

My main goal is to avoid falling into that 3rd category and to avoid becoming a Darwin Award Winner. 

Another thing I'd like to be able to say I've done is made an effort to share the knowledge with others to help them avoid some of the pitfalls.

I got more serious about hiking back nine years ago.
I kicked it up another notch about a year after that.
Another year passed and I stepped it up yet again.

The progression went from day hiker, to bushwhacker, to backpacker.

      Some of the mistakes I've made were awful and could have gotten me killed.
They have all been Lessons in the School of Hard Knocks.  Most can be avoided with a little planning and others can be avoided with some critical thinking skills.  SmokyScout of the Go Smokies page has pointed out that learning from mistakes is good for us. I agree though it sure doesn't feel good at the time one is enduring it. 

Here are some suggestions for the novice hiker preparing to hike.
Where
1. Let someone know where you're going even if you don't go alone. It matters more if you do go  solo.  Leave a copy of your route plan behind and an emergency contact number such as the Back Country office number for the Smokies if that is where you're going.

When
2.Give  an estimated time you'll return by or call to check in. 

Who
3. Let your family or someone know who you're going with. Have a name and contact number written down for who you're going with and an ideally an emergency number for reaching their family as well. 
Where Again?
4. Know your route. Take along a map, compass, and trail guide.
Be aware of the difference between National Park trails, National Forest Trails, and Wilderness Trails.  It is much easier to navigate on the trail system in the Smokies since all trails are clearly marked.   Wilderness Trails are by nature more difficult to navigate and this increases the likelihood of making a wrong turn and getting lost.  Try to research the area ahead of time and know some basis such as how the area is designated? If it's wilderness, do you have enough confidence and skills to realistically navigate the area and make your goal?

What
4. Be clear on what you set out to do.  Set a route and stick by it especially if you are solo.
I've had times when I was tempted to change up, but was alone so I disciplined myself into sticking with Plan A in case someone had to come look for me.

How
5. Be realistic with yourself  about your physical abilities.  How far and fast can you hike?
How does a given hike compare to others you've done? Ask around and try to ascertain before you start out.

What If?
6.. Go prepared for contingencies.  You may be planning a day hike. What would you do if you were injured or delayed and had to spend a night in the woods? 

Wait
7. When hiking with a group wait for all members of the group to catch up and be accounted for at trail junctions ALWAYS.   This will avoid getting hopelessly separated and wondering if everyone made it off the trail OK and possibly causing someone to have to go back looking for the rest of the hiking party. 

Also WAIT and check the time if you become separated from your group for whatever reason.  Time will take on new dimensions for you in an anxious situation. A watch to look at the actual time will help you know accurately how much time has truly passed since you became split off from the rest of your group.  Stay put where you are for 20 minutes or so. Give them a chance to come back looking for you before you take off.

Awake, Alert, Aware
8. Pay attention to your surroundings when you hike even if the trail is well marked and you are not the leader.  Would you be able to get yourself out of the area you've hiked into if your hike leader suddenly keeled over? 



Take along a few basics such as :

• water filter system or treatment  tabs
• a light source
  
• pain medicine
• emergency food rations
• hypothermia blanket
• rain poncho
• whistle
• matches or a lighter some means of lighting a fire
• Watch or some time piece
• Extra car keys and some means of securing them 
• Map and compass and basic knowledge of how to use them
  

Anticipate and Prepare for Special Health Needs
Anticipating and preparing for special health needs and existing conditions.

Bee Sting Allergies-Take along an Epi Pen and Benadryl

Asthma -- Bring Albuterol  Metered Dose Inhalers

Diabetes--anticipate low  blood sugar and bring sugary snacks and glucose tablets.
               It is more important for the diabetic to stay well hydrated so bring extra water
               or a means to replenish your supply.  Bring two kinds of foods. One that will    
               provide a means of getting your blood sugar back up quickly and something with   
               some protein that will provide a slower release of calories and energy for later.
Insulin dependent or very brittle diabetics are at more risk for a sugar drop than the person whose blood sugar is controlled by diet, exercise, and oral medications.

Make sure to tell your hiking partners what your health situation is if you have one of these and be certain they know where your medical supplies are and how to use them to help you.




Now I'm going to tell you a few situations I've gotten myself into that ended OK but could have been much worse.

Hazel Creek Cascades and the A.T. in the Dark--Joy Turned to Sorrow

    I had been trying to hike to all the guidebook waterfalls of the Smokies.
I had conditioned for a year to make it to Hazel Creek Cascades as a dayhike.
I was ready. I had begged my husband and others to go with me to no avail.
I decided to just go solo. I got a real early start and knew from my hiking speed that I could make it on the amount of daylight I had.   Last minute Kenny gets worried I'm going to be eaten by a bear and decides to go with me.  I had bad feeling about it, but ignored it and was just glad for his company. It was 7.5 miles out the A.T and downhill on Welch Ridge.
And 7.5 miles back UPhill to Clingman's Dome. My celebration at completing my last waterfall hike was short lived.   Kenny got into trouble about the time we arrived at the cascades. His knees were bothering him.  We started back up and before we arrived at Double Springs Gap I knew we were in some serious trouble.  He was in agony from his knees and having to lie down every few steps.  Being green as I was I did not have a light with me at all. I realized that I could make it out of there by dark, but I could not leave him behind. NIght overtook us and I felt like one of the Egyptians in the Bible during the Plague of Darkness.  I was overwhelmed emotionally.  I felt like I was smothering from the dark.
I began to shake and cry. My husband was moaning and groaning. I was crying. It was a hellish situation. We hugged each other. We both calmed down.  It was turning cold. The wind was howling. Those skeletal trees up on the A.T. were waving in the wind like matchsticks.
We  had to finally get down and crawl that last rocky stretch of the Appalachian Trail from Double Springs Gap to Clingman's Dome.  I felt a tree across the path and realized with horror that it had fallen within the last few minutes.  We were in very real danger of being smashed in the dark by those dead trees coming down.  We just kept pressing on. I knew that even though we couldn't see that the path we needed .. the Forney Ridge Bypass Trail turned to crushed run and logs and boards.. a very different texture under foot.  I also knew there'd be a trail sign on the right and possibly lights from cars at Clingman's Dome.  We were mighty glad to feel the gravel underfoot and start up to the parking lot.  We made it and I put Kenny in the back of the jeep and drove us home.  If ever there was a Please Jesus, Get me Out of This? Moment for us.. that was it. 

What could have been done differently?

1. Don't ignore the facts. I knew Kenny was not prepared for the hike.
Yet we both chose to ignore the knowledge and continue.
My options were a. Bag the trip altogether  or b. Go as planned without him.
He had already cost me my early start due to a complicated set of circumstances I won't get into here. The best option would have been to cancel the trip.

2.  Prescription pain medicine .. like a leftover percocet or Vicodin can mean the difference between being able to bear walking out of a situation like that. We carried Excedrin, tylenol and motrin. None of it was strong enough to ease the pain for Kenny.    We carry it with us know and it will likely be thrown away, but we keep some around for emergencies.

3. A light source for each of us would have made it alot less miserable and terrifying experience. 

4. We should also have had along matches or a lighter to just dig in and stay until it got light outside. 

5. Don't turn what should be a backpack trip into a day hike.  It is completely possible to do 15 miles in a day if you're in shape and if there is enough daylight.  The trip to Hazel Creek should have been a backpack trip since it would have avoided the mess we got into, but also it would have permitted the trip to be savoured instead of rushed.  It is a safety thing, but also a smart move for the general enjoyment of reaching a given place.
Little Lost Cove vs. Gragg Prong Falls--No Way Down

   On a trip to the mountains of North Carolina we bought a map and tried hiking in Wilson Creek Wilderness.  We talked to the folks at the visitor center.  We decided we wanted to see the waterfall on Little Lost Cove Creek.  We followed the map and directions we'd been given by a fellow hiker.  We found a beautiful waterfall right where it should be.  We did not see a ready made, easy way to the base, but we are bushwhackers and used to this sort of thing... aren't we?  We saw a faint path going into the brush that looked like it might be it.
It came out below the falls, but Hoo Boy.. long way down.  We looked further and finding nothing better.. returned and began trying to get down to the base.  We used a downed pine tree and hung onto roots and rocks and made it down.  In retrospect I cannot believe we did it.
One slip. One false move and we'd have been dashed to pieces on the jagged rocks below.
I took pictures of the waterfall. Kenny ate a snack and enjoyed the view.  I started shaking. I started bawling. I felt like I was going to throw up.  He consoled me and asked me what was wrong? I said " I can't enjoy this. All I can think about is that we have to somehow get back up from here!"  Below this point was a deep river and above us a raging waterfall hemming us in.
Kenny told me to Cowgirl up that we'd make it.  I climbed up first with his help.. back up the pine tree. I had to lay down on the ground and latch my feet and legs around a tree and use a sapling to pull all of his weight back UP the steep bank.  Once he was up there I turned around and took off up the mountain to the trail like a scalded dog.  Then I stopped and realized he wasn't with me. I started bellering for him.  He screamed at me to shut up and wanted to know if I was so infernally worried about him why had I run off and left him down there? I was embarrassed and dirty and shaken. Monday or Tuesday we finally learned that the waterfall we visited was Gragg Prong. Not Little Lost Cove.  The guidebook we had not taken with us clearly stated there is NO ROUTE TO THE BASE.  We had taken a wrong turn onto the incorrect forest service road and followed the map directions from there.

What could have been done differently?
1. Don't leave your guidebook behind. 
2. If Kevin Adams says there is no route to the base.. there isn't.
He is very adventurous and if he won't do it.. it probably shouldn't be done.
3.  The same climb done with some rope and gloves would have been far less risky
4. Do not normalize the abnormal by ignoring or turning off your instincts and intuitions!
I continued to progress down the steep slope little by little even though I could plainly see it was potential suicide.  Why? I let myself go numb by saying "I'm ok right now".  Ok I made it that far.. I'm ok right now too.  Until we were down.  Then realized what a damned fool thing it was.  What scared me most was the fact I let myself do it. I have never been more scared.


Green Camp Gap Turn Around
Jared and I went hiking with a group of people I hiked with regularly.  Today there were two new additions to our group. My 12 year old son and another lady who this couple had known for years. They had not seen her in a long time and were doing lots of chattering. We had planned to do a shorter manway hike that I'd done part of in the Summer.   Today we were going to continue up Sams Creek to Green Camp Gap to finish it.  I had to stop to pee. I told them and Jared to wait for me. They did, but they went on up the trail away from me.
I quickly tried to catch up with them. I had not been this far on the manway before and it came to a rocky area by a creek. It looked like it crossed here, but I could not be certain.   Standing looking around the path took off in three possible directions besides the way we'd just come.
I tried to figure out which was correct and catch up to them.  They had gone on ahead and the stream was roaring. I could not hear a thing and I could not see hide nor hair of them. 
I was not lost, but I was separated from my group.  I did not possess the knowledge to continue the rest of the manway. I worried that since they were obviously not paying attention to me being gone that they would also not pay attention to my 12 year old son who had NO knowledge of the area.  I sat down and waited for what seemed like 15-20 minutes and then did the only thing I could do.  When they failed to return I turned around and headed back the way we'd come praying all the while.  A lady and man were in the parking area at Tremont when I came out of the woods.  It was obvious to them I was distraught.  The lady hugged me and we all prayed.
A ranger showed up right then on a utility cart.  I told him what had happened.  The couple stayed with me.  He called another ranger who knew the manway and had him come over to help find my child.   Shortly after he arrived here came my group of so called friends showed up with my son.  They were upset with me as if it were my fault.  They were getting the hairy eyeball from the rangers and the nice couple who were with me so I guess they felt it was better to shift the blame onto me somehow.  It turned out ok, but it was one of the worst moments of my life.   I hiked with them a time or so afterwards, but they made fun of me and were hateful about it and spread nasty lies about me.

What Could Have Been Done Differently?

1. Again.. do not ignore your instincts or turn off your intuition. I had a feeling early into the hike that this was a bad idea. They didn't know Jared or I was in the world.  The best thing to have done was to have excused ourselves and gone to do some hiking on a maintained trail with my son or something else fun he wanted to do.  Instead I worried about offending them and put myself and my child in a bad spot. We got a sermon from the rangers besides about the dangers of going off trail.

2. If I'd had worn a watch.... on me that day it might have made it a little easier to keep track of real time and stay calmer.  Trying to guess how long you waited it seems like an eternity.
I now wear a watch on every hike. I use it to tell time, wake me up in the mornings on bp trips, and tell me what my hike speed is.

3. The group should have waited for me at the trail intersection on the same side of the creek as me.  Never get out of earshot of one another off trail is the cardinal rule.

4. I should have carried a whistle.  It probably would not have been audible above the roar of the creek that day, but it might have helped. Certainly never hurts to have along.

That was the day I began to realize I did not trust these people well enough to go anywhere with them again especially with my kids.  I determined to learn to look out for myself.


White Oak Sinks Hypothermia
The hike to White Oak Sinks is pretty innocuous and I have never really worried about it.
I hiked there one Winter day with a couple ladies and my husband.  I am bad about ignoring cold or thirst or whatever if I am having a good time.  We  hiked on a cold, damp Winter day in temperatures of about 30 degrees. I had a good time and we were laughing and cutting up.
It was an easy hike. We got back to our cars at Schoolhouse Gap and headed to Smokin' Joe's to eat lunch. Once in the car I realized something wasn't right with me.
I started to feel very drowsy and started shaking with chills.  I was now inside in the warm eating a hot meal, drinking coffee with my friends and husband, but I felt terrible. 
We decided since it had been such a short hike we'd ride around Cades Cove.
I got into the car and the drowsiness intensified as did the chills.  It took several hours before I felt normal again.  So what was wrong? I later talked to an E.R. doctor I was friends with and we described the scenario to him. He taught me I'd gotten a mild case of hypothermia known as "After Drop".  While hiking I was not too bad off. When I stopped moving the cold blood in my limbs mixed with the blood in my core and cooled it enough that I was mildly hypothermic. It isn't any fun.    

What went wrong?

1. I hiked wearing cotton.  It absorbs moisture and is not as warm as synthetics.
2. I did not eat enough to have the calories to generate heat.
3. I did not drink enough to stay hydrated and warm.
4.  I again ignored my feelings of discomfort in favor of having a good time.

What could have been done differently?

I now wear synthetics, dress in layers, eat before hungry. Drink before thirsty. Pay more attention when I am cold. I am seldom cold nowdays at age 40 something I am always burning up.   It would have also been a good idea to have along a hypothermia blanket to wrap up in to warm me.

What happened to me was not a huge deal and I learned from it, but it could have gone wrong.
Hypothermic people often feel very warm and don't make good judgement calls due to slowing of brain function and confusion.  That may have been a small part of why I acted the way I did.
Further into hypothermia the victim will shuck off their clothing and feel they are burning up.
It pays to be aware and know the signs. It is even better if others in your group know the signs in case someone is acting funny and can realize they need to help the person who is too cold.


Now for a few incidents where something went wrong, but was handled right.

St. Mary's Wilderness Convict Grab

Kenny and I took Jared and his best buddy hiking in Saint Mary's Wilderness the Winter before we moved to Tennessee. It was February and the river was frozen and the wilderness was beautiful. We were taking a 5 mile hike to see St. Mary's Falls.   We had never been before.  It is a rugged wilderness and we were having a blast.  I sat down on the trail to check the map and the boys had run way up ahead of us.  Kenny was  ahead of me, but the trail dropped off steeply here by about 3 1/2 feet. He was on down lower than me. Directly ahead of me was the river and some bushes.  I'm there looking at the map. He says to me "Dana! Bad Guy at 3 o'clock!" just as this horrible looking man took a swipe at me. He had slinked along the edge of the frozen river, climbed the bank and tried to grab me!  I was screaming my head off.  We gathered up the boys and decided there was nothing back there worth seeing today.
We headed back to the trailhead as fast as we could go.  We encountered a family of two parents, three kids and their dog.  We stopped to warn them what just happened and asked them if they'd seen a man? They said they'd seen two men, but neither fit the description of this guy at all. Whoever we saw was scroungey, dirty, bearded, and looked like a wild man living out there in the woods.  This family saw a pair of college kids hiking.. two guys. We hadn't gone far from the spot where he tried to grab me and there were no side trails for him to take off in another direction.  Where he came from and where he went remain a mystery.
My father later told me that the area is known to be a hang out for folks on the run from the law.   That would have been good information to have. The other family and ours left at once.

What could have been done differently?
Not much. We didn't know the area was a bad place. Other people have hiked there without any problems of that nature. We left as soon as we did and took time to warn the other family group hiking so they'd be safe too.  I personally believe that man did not realize I was hiking with a group. He must not have seen Kenny and the boys since I was bringing up the rear.  He possibly thought I was a solo woman hiker, but that is only a theory. The only thing different would be to pay more attention to my surroundings, but I never heard or saw anything that made me worry or suspect a thing.

Honey Creek Or Bust--Knowing When to Quit
I had one of those spells in my life where everything I planned went to heck.
In frustration I told Kenny that on Saturday we were driving to up to Big South Fork and hiking the Honey Creek Loop Trail or else!  The forecast predicted rain, but I did not care. We went anyhow.  Kenny had tried to talk sense into me, but I would not hear of it.
We arrived at the trailhead and the drizzle turned to an all out downpour.
We ate lunch in the jeep and waited. It did not stop or give any sign of stopping.
I was scared to death to try to hike this loop today on ladders and slick rocks and climbing around on cliffs.  Yet I had been so insistent on going that I was embarrassed.  Kenny looked at me and asked me what was wrong? I burst into tears and admitted that I was scared silly at the foolish idea of doing this hike on a day like today.  He hugged me and consoled me and said "That's all I needed to hear you hard headed woman." He kissed me and suggested we go do something safer.  We drove to Rugby and toured around the town. A lady in the mercantile told me that to have tried that on a rainy day like we picked would have probably gotten us killed. 

What went right? 
We did not try it.  We lived to try it another day. That is the main goal.
Live to tell.   I have learned since to not be so impatient and stubborn.

Know When to Quit!
Are you seeing a pattern here?
Most of the mistakes I've made have involved at least in part.. ignoring instincts and facts and turning off intuition.  This is never a good idea.   Do not let yourself normalize the abnormal.
Pay attention to your vibes!

Don't be afraid to bag a trip.
Don't be afraid to argue with a hike leader if you doubt the direction your going or the decisions being made.
Don't worry about refusing to cross a stream if you feel it is unwise.
Listen to your better sense and it may save you.


Be Aware of Natural Hazards like cliffs, yellow jackets nests in the ground, hornests nests overhead, bears, snakes and wild hogs. Use your senses to keep you safe by being observant of your surroundings.



Fight Club in the Woods--Knowing When to Let the Law Sort It Out
I'm going to share another situation that didn't happen to me, but happened to a friend and his wife not long ago.  A couple stayed in the woods in a primitive campsite.. not a back country site, but along a forest service road.   They were wakened first by the sound of their billybob neighbors drinking and partying. It was a mix of men and women.  They tried to ignore it and go back to sleep.  They were wakened by the even scarer sound of an escalating argument where they could hear revelations of marital infidelity leading to threats by a drunken man of "I'm gonna go git me a gun and come back!" Drunk as he was they figured he'd go somewhere and pass out. The man left and they went to sleep. He DID return and the argument continued. They could not see if he'd brought a gun or not, but he could just as easily have done it. Think about this.. Even if he did not come back with a gun as promised.. he was leaving there raging drunk and behind the wheel of an automobile.  I'm not for ratting people out, but in this case I'd have no problem with giving the law a heads up if for no other reason than his drunk driving.  He deserved to be jailed for it and that would have solved several problems at once.

In a Case like that get out your cell phone and from the privacy of your own tent.. call 9-1-1 if you can get a signal. Don't stick around to see what will happen either.
Leave!  Especially if you are not in the back country and can simply get in your car and drive off.  Don't fool around.   I feel they were fortunate not to either witness a murder or get killed themselves.

Trail Confusion

Did you ever hike somewhere and have that nebulous feeling you were entering an Interdimensional Vortex?  Trail gets away from you or you just go stupid on a marked trail?
It's happened to me and mine before. One reason is simply not paying attention. Another reason is not paying attention to the right thing!  It can happen quickly especially in a wilderness or off trail in the Smokies.  I was hiking in White Oak Sinks one day with another lady and we'd been successful at finding The Bluebell Hole for the first time.  We had no problems getting there. On the way back we got to chatting and were not watching closely enough. We'd been gone just long enough back there eating lunch and looking at flowers we weren't 100% sure which way we'd come.  We had a general idea, but standing there could not retrace our steps exactly. It was a weird feeling to lose the track so fast.  We kept together and pressed forward knowing we were heading in the right general direction, but we were very relieved when the surroundings turned familiar again and we regained something of a path!  Be very careful in areas that are wilderness or off trail.   Trail confusion can happen faster than you'd think.  A couple areas that come to mind areRoyal Blue WMA,  Panthertown Valley, Citico Creek, and Buck Horn Gap Trail in Western NC near Twin Falls. A friend of mine, Kimberli and her hubby got lost there and had a horrible ordeal. Another young woman hiking solo got lost in the same place and had to spend the night in a shelter when all she'd planned was a simple day hike.  If you know in advance an area is tricky.. take a map and compass or GPS and best of all.. get someone who has been before to guide you!

Extra Car Keys and a Means of Securing Them

A lady froze to death a couple Winters back after doing a relatively short dayhike of Whiteside Mountain Trail in western NC near Highlands.  She got cold and hypothermic on the trail. She struggled back to her vehicle to find she had locked her keys inside.  She was too weak to break the window and get in her car.  She died that night of exposure.  It didn't have to happen.  Make sure you get your keys out of your car and secure them in your pack or your pocket.  If I put mine in my pocket I put them in a compartment of my pants where I can feel them and there is a zipper to keep them from falling out.  I usually zip mine up in my pack where they will not fall out.   It is not a bad idea to place a magnetic key keeper with a spare key for both ignition and door somewhere on your cars frame.  It has bailed me out a time or two.  

***Credit is due to Dan Heimsoth  for bringing to my awareness the story of the lady who died of exposure after locking herself out of her car. Thanks Dan.***




Go prepared. Be Safe and Have fun!