Dr. Jason Hiser of Richmond, and his friend Dr. Neal Peckens, of Northern Virginia both survived three days lost in mountainous terrain with snow up to 18 inches and low visibility.
Hiking expert Matthew Rosefsky visits CBS 6 to talk about best practices to stay safe on hikes.
He said that the Peckens and Hiser did the right thing by registering with the rangers which help identify what approximate location they were at in the backcountry.
Also, each hiker had informed people when they were expected home. That way the people who were expecting them knew to call for help when they didn’t arrive home.
Rosefsky emphasized that another good practice is texting or calling someone immediately when getting off trail. That way precious hours could be put towards a search.
He said to always have a way to signal for help; such as carrying bright items, using smoke and fire, a mirror or a personal locator beacon. Rosefsky also emphasized to be prepared for whatever weather might arise. This would include multiple layers and extra rations.
One of the most important things that someone can carry along Rosefsky said, is a way to have unlimited purified water.
He also discusses the logistics of a safe day hike in detail, just click the video below to hear more.
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