Backcountry hygiene and sanitation: staying healthy in the field
The thing most likely to cut a trip short isn’t a bear; it’s dirty hands or bad water. How to stay healthy in the field: hands, water, food, waste, feet, and rest.
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How to protect your food and camp from animals
Most dangerous wildlife encounters are invited by the smell of food in camp. How to store food and manage odors with canisters, bear hangs, and clean-camp habits so nothing has a reason to visit.
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How to hike safely in the heat
Heat changes the math of a hike. How to travel safely in hot country through timing, water discipline, clothing, and pacing, and how to spot trouble before it becomes an emergency.
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Lightning safety in the backcountry
Lightning is one of the most avoidable backcountry killers. How to plan storms out of your day, use the 30/30 rule, choose terrain when you are caught out, and why the crouch you were taught is no longer recommended.
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Low-visibility navigation: fog, whiteout, and darkness
When you can’t see, you navigate by instrument, not by eye. How to travel safely in fog, whiteout, and darkness using compass bearings, pace counting, and terrain handrails.
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Wound care in the backcountry: cleaning, closing, and stopping infection
In the backcountry the danger isn’t usually the wound; it’s the infection that follows. How to clean, close, and dress a wound in the field, spot infection early, and know when it’s time to head out.
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How to escape quicksand, bogs, and mud
Bogs, mud, and quicksand trap the people who panic and fight them upright. How to recognize soft, sucking ground, cross it if you must, and get yourself out if you’re already stuck.
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Heat illness: preventing and treating heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Heat illness is a ladder you can step off early. Recognizing and treating heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, plus hyponatremia, which looks identical and needs the opposite treatment.
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Lost in the wild: stay calm, stay put, stay alive
The most important survival skill isn’t fire or shelter; it’s the ability to stop, calm down, and think. What to do the moment you realize you’re lost, using the STOP method and the will to survive.
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How to signal for rescue in the backcountry
Staying alive is only half the job in a backcountry emergency; the other half is being found. How to signal for rescue with everything from a satellite beacon to a polished belt buckle, in wind, fog, forest, and dark.
