We never go into the woods without some of the gear listed below (the amount is based on how far into the woods we are going, and how long we plan on being gone) but our backpack generally contains the following:
- GPS Unit
- Water
- First-aid kit
- duct tape
- cell phone
- flashlight
- wallet with cash and cards and license
- lighter
- info on all caches to be visited
- spare batteries for GPS and camera
- Leatherman Multi-tool
- whistle
- compass and map(s)
- digital camera
- cache repair kit (ziplocks, paper, pencil, etc.)
- Pen, pencil, paper for logging
- goodies for trade
- tp and tiny shovel
- gloves
- baseball cap
- lightweight long underwear
- jerky and hard candy
- emergency foil bag
- 2 garbage bags, kitchen or price chopper size
Tell someone where you are going and a "panic-by" time (or date), after which they can alert somebody to come and look for you.
Most authorities will tell you that if you are lost, you should sit down, and wait for someone to come and find/rescue you. We think that is pretty good advice in many cases, but...
If you take a minute or so before you head out to look at the map you have of the area you will be exploring, you will often find a barrier in one direction (N,S,E,W...this assumes you have a GPS unit or compass) that extends for miles (making it difficult to miss. This barrier could be a road, a stream, railroad tracks, a power line, or something similar. Fix the direction of your "escape route" in your head, and also think about whether you will turn left or right once you reach the "escape route" to continue out of the woods. A couple of minutes spent doing this before you go out in the woods can save you a miserable time once you get lost.
"Wait a second...can't I find the "escape route" by using my map once I am lost?", you ask.
"Don't plan on your brain working at peak efficiency when you realize you are lost, take the time ahead of time." I answer.
Another freebie gained through forehead-slapping experience...start you GPS unit when you park your car, let it acquire satellites on the hood of your car while you get out all of your stuff, and set the parking spot as a waypoint...that way, if you get lost or just decide to quit for the day, you can easily find your way back to your ride home.
If you have some other great geocachig advice, feel free to send me an E-mail; I'll add it to the website for the next person seeking the same information.
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