Thanks, all!
I so wish these shows were an hour...or even 2! The hardest thing in planning TBD episodes is what to leave "on the floor." Lemme throw in another plug for my book TRAIL SAFE, which is now officially in production...hopefully, we'll have copies at the NRA Show in Phoenix...and YES, we will have special pricing for DRTV Forum members!
The communication issue in the backcountry is huge and complex...for example, in the encounter with the poacher I've mentioned on the forums, my Sweetie and I were hours and hours into a "speed hike" deep in the wild mountains on the Colorado/New Mexico border. I contacted the ranger when we got out of the mountains, but it was a long lag time.
I usually carry a cell phone — an iPhone with GPS and trail mapping apps — but here in the mountains it often gets no service or can't "see" the GPS sats. I would say that generally if you have an encounter that did not end in gunfire or a physical attack on what we might think of as an urban trail or within an hour of the trailhead where you parked — the most likely cases — break off the hike, return to your car and notify the authorities (and any other hikers you encounter on the way back to the trailhead).
If a shot has been fired or you are involved in a physical altercation, you MUST immediately get to a place where you can notify rangers AND law enforcement. You have a responsibility to other people on the trail as well as your own legal liability. As my old friend Mas Ayoob has said repeatedly, often the first person to contact the authorities is seen as the "good guy."
If you have been involved in an encounter of any kind, especially a "Code Black" situation and you are retreating to the trailhead to call the authorities or to find help, remember that you are involved in an "armed retreat"...that is, you are AT RISK the whole length of the retreat. That means your awareness must be peaked, your primary weapon needs to be either immediately accessible or in your hand (depending on the trail...on a scrambling trail you might need both your hands to work your way down), and you need to briefly stop, calm and center yourself and access your surroundings, especially your "6." Are you being followed? Are there parallel trails or cross trails where you could be ambushed? Does you cell phone work? Do you need to leave any heavy gear behind so you can move faster/more sure-footedly (remember,you can always get new stuff; it's harder to get a new life)? Do you need to recheck how gear is hanging, an issue if you left the scene of the altercation quickly and under pressure)...even to the point of checking your show laces! A rugged trail has more risks for the unwary than just bad people.
Remember, at this point, you are in "Indian Country," and you need to rely on your every skill to get you home.
And remember to build those skills. I live up here. I like the bear who lives in the backyard and I've come to grips with the cats. I have very good backcountry skills and have spent time, sometimes all alone, in some very rugged, inhospitable places. I've schlepped on foot and bicycle through Alaska in the winter and Death Valley in the summer, and I'm still here, which is sort of the ultimate proof of process.
Every spring I see people pour onto the Front Range trails near the Secret Hidden Bunker totally unequipped to deal with what the mountains can roll out...rookie mistakes like the wrong clothing (in the high country, especially above the tree line, you can get all four seasons in a couple of hours); the wrong shoes; a casual attitude toward the mountain trails ("Hey, it's an easy walk-up!"), no basic survival gear (at the very least, a knife, a lighter/waterproof matches/firestarter paste, a "space" blanket and a whistle...a gun works for that loud noise thing, too) and a willingness to leave their basic awareness skills they use every day in the city behind. Every year, some of those rookies get to stay up here forever, and not in a good way.
THANKS FOR WATCHING! Next season, we'll go into more details for you!
Michael B