Wilderness Skills - Olympia Mountaineers

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Hazards There are many hazards in the mountains. Hopefully, we have taught you skills for making your travel safer and you have acquired knowledge for making your judgment sound. We cannot eliminate the hazards, except by staying home. Each of us must balance the joys of mountaineering with the risks. Ultimately, that responsibility is a personal one. A hazardous situation is one that includes a possible injury. A dangerous situation is one that includes a probable injury. Hazardous becomes dangerous through your actions, changes in the surroundings, or both. Objective Dangers • Avalanche • Rock fall • Lightning • River or creek crossing • Glissading • Equipment failure • First aid • Driving to and from (defensive driving) Subjective Dangers • Lack of knowledge and capability. • Judgment - when in doubt, be conservative. • Taking calculated risks - evaluate the consequences. Lost - What to do • Stop! Stay calm, try to attract attention. • Conserve energy -- review the situation, formulate a plan, mentally retrace the last few minutes. • Before darkness, select shelter and gather firewood. • Show National Distress Signal (three (3) of anything). • If not found after two (2) days, self-rescue. Mental Stress • Fear of things • Peer pressure • Obligations Your Obligations • To respect life - yours, others, the creatures too • To protect life - "the margin of safety “ • Be aware of the hazards are or can be. • Learn techniques • Use knowledge and attitude to reduce change of injury • Follow the Mountaineer Code! Wilderness Skills Module Page 60 of 73 Olympia Mountaineers - Hiking, Alpine Scrambling and Basic Climbing
Emergencies Accidents Accidents on Mountaineers trips should be reported to The Mountaineers. In case of an emergency: 1. Assist the victim 2. Initiate rescue through the appropriate local agency (usually the county sheriff's office). 3. Complete a First Aid/Accident Report Form. You will receive one in your MOFA course, and each trip leader carries a copy. Survival Survival is simply staying alive long enough to get out of your predicament. Any survival situation requires mental control over unnecessary physical movement. Survival in this modern age is generally a short-term situation. Usually an organized search is initiated as soon as you are reported overdue. Sheltering the body and conserving energy and body heat is your greatest concern. If you're lost: • Stop • Look around • Listen • Shout and use your whistle • Sit down • Be calm • Relax • Stay put. If lost or unsure of direction to travel, stay put - near an open area if possible, and await the searchers who will be looking for you. • Display something conspicuous so the searcher can find you. • Find shelter If the entire party is lost or in trouble, do not separate the party unless each separated team is fully selfsufficient. Can your team spend the night safely in the mountains? Help is a long way away and a long time coming. Other Factors • Shelter. Seek protection from wind, cold, rain, sun. Use any ready-made natural shelter: underneath trees, logs, rocks, cliffs - - any place with a lee (away from the wind) side to protect the body from wind and rain. • Travel. If you are sure of direction to travel, travel slowly, conserving energy. Stay near open areas. • Ice. Beware of walking on ice. Generally, in the higher elevations in winter, all lakes are frozen and snow covered. In the spring and fall, however, and at lower elevations, ice may not support your weight. As a general rule, ice should be 2 inches thick to safely support walking. Clear ice is safest; if it's foggylooking, that means it's soft. If in doubt, stay off of it. • Sleeping in cold weather. If your clothes are dry and you have conserved your energy, you may sleep safely for short periods. On awakening, move vigorously to warm yourself. When circulation is restored Wilderness Skills Module Page 61 of 73 Olympia Mountaineers - Hiking, Alpine Scrambling and Basic Climbing
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Olympia Branch of The Mountaineers
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Table of Contents Introduction ....
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Club members have access to a broad
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Course Procedures in Review Travel
Page 9 and 10: How to read and use the GO Guide Th
Page 11 and 12: Wilderness Skills Course Content Co
Page 13 and 14: Student Manual and Course Text The
Page 15 and 16: A USGS or comparably detailed topog
Page 17 and 18: Food and Water - Nutritious, lots o
Page 19 and 20: Backpacker Magazine published as ar
Page 21 and 22: Understanding and applying a few el
Page 23 and 24: Better clothing takes advantage of
Page 25 and 26: processed again and woven into yarn
Page 27 and 28: Home water and weatherproofing trea
Page 29 and 30: Optional Equipment Camera, binocula
Page 31 and 32: Equipment Checklist: Best Quality a
Page 33 and 34: The downside? Organizing and locati
Page 35 and 36: • Waistbelt pockets: Handy for ke
Page 37 and 38: Equipment - Where To Get It? New Eq
Page 39 and 40: Minimum Impact Skills - Leave No Tr
Page 41 and 42: Minimum Impact Minimum Impact (Leav
Page 43 and 44: Mountain Health & Safety - hypother
Page 45 and 46: B Silverstein: Physical Conditionin
Page 47 and 48: Wilderness Skills Module Page 47 of
Page 49 and 50: Wilderness Skills Module Page 49 of
Page 51 and 52: Barbara Silverstein: Physical Condi
Page 53 and 54: Eat to Win Know why, when, and how
Page 55 and 56: Legal Aid ( as opposed to illegal s
Page 57 and 58: TRAINING: Warm your beverage and us
Page 59: 5.Check for Other Injuries Once the
Page 63 and 64: • White-out. Do not travel. Wait
Page 65 and 66: visibility greatly reduced Most of
Page 67 and 68: Navigation Fundamentals Navigation
Page 69 and 70: Interpretation of topographic maps
Page 71 and 72: The principle / cardinal directions
Page 73: APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION Olympia
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