What should you do if someone really gets hurt? The answer depends, in part, on the number of people in the group. A solo hiker can only attempt to perform basic first aid on himself, then shout and hope – or, better, blow an emergency whistle. A pair of hikers faces a difficult decision. After stabilizing the victim, should the uninjured member go for help, leaving behind a companion who may be unable to take care of himself? In both situations, you'd have done yourself a favor if you'd let someone responsible know where you were going and when you planned to be back. Most wilderness areas in the United States fall within the purview of some kind of organized search-and-rescue outfit. If you don't return on schedule, your friend can alert the authorities to come look for you. In some cases, the uninjured member of a team of two may be better off to sit tight, care for the injured member and wait for rescuers than to try to make some heroic dash for help. Mountaineers on difficult climbs frequently fall into this category. A group of three makes the problem easier; one person stays with the victim, while the other goes out. Four is even better, because two people can head out together to get help, reducing the chance of another accident, while the third person stays with the victim.

The advent of inexpensive cellular telephones and the increasingly widespread coverage offered by cell phone companies has made it easier, in some cases, to get help if you need it. Be forewarned, however: carrying a cell phone is no substitute for common sense, good judgment and experience. In my experience, cell phone coverage cannot be relied upon. If you manage to time your accidents so they all occur high on a ridge within sight of a town in the valley below, yes, your cell phone will probably work. If you’re down in a wilderness valley when the accident occurs, you may be completely on your own. I have begun carrying a cell phone on solo trips because it does offer some additional safety, but I continue to tread as cautiously as always. Hand-held, portable satellite telephones are also available now that claim worldwide coverage. However, at present the cost both for the phone and the airtime is prohibitive for most recreational users.

Novices also fret over this question: what if I get lost? If you take the time to keep track of your position throughout the hike, you're very unlikely to get seriously off track. If the trail seems to peter out and vanish abruptly, stop and think. The usual cause of such an event is that you missed a turn in the trail a few hundred yards back. Retrace your steps and look for where you might have gone wrong. (You were looking over your shoulder periodically so you could easily retrace your steps, right?) You may need to hike all the way back to the last point you can positively identify on the map and start over again from there. If nothing seems familiar as you try to retrace your steps, get out the map and compass, orient the map, and try to identify some landmarks. From these, you should be able to determine your location. If you have a GPS receiver, and you can get a position fix (not always possible in dense woods or deep canyons), then getting lost is practically impossible.
If all else fails, sit down. Think about what could have gone wrong. Have a bite to eat. Food can have a very calming effect. Make noise. Perhaps someone will hear you. The odds are good that two parties didn't manage to get lost simultaneously in exactly the same spot. The other group can probably tell you where you are. Above all else, don't panic, pick a direction at random and blunder ahead hoping to stumble across something familiar. You're all too likely to leave the area that searchers will concentrate on, making their task much more difficult. Instead, wait for rescuers to find you. If you can, make yourself visible to searchers on the ground and in the air. Spread out a brightly colored garment, sleeping bag or tent in the middle of a meadow. Keep your group together to combine your strengths and to boost morale. {Put Emergency Checklist sidebar here.)

For most backpackers, the question of what to do in a real emergency remains hypothetical throughout their career. In more than 25 years of wilderness travel, I've never even come close to feeling hopelessly lost. If you follow the precautions outlined in this book, you'll almost certainly build the same track record. I've also been fortunate to be a witness to only a few accidents, all of which involved rock-climbing and mountaineering, not backpacking. Treat the wilderness with the respect it deserves, and you'll be able to travel safely in it for a lifetime.

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