The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog: Safety in the Backcountry

Each year Rangers are involved in hundreds of search and rescue operations in the Smokies and other National Parks. Almost all of these incidents result from accidents and circumstances that are avoidable, and most involve accidents and situations that are repeated over and over.

Next week the Smoky Mountain Field School will be offering a combination of lecture and hands-on exercises where you'll have the opportunity to learn the common denominator factors in most backcountry incidents, and how to prevent accidents and protect yourself while in the backcountry. You'll also learn how to be properly prepared with equipment, clothing, food, water, what to be aware of, what to avoid, safety around wildlife, and backcountry hazards. The course will also discuss and demonstrate wilderness survival techniques to use in an emergency, and provide an introduction to legally and safely foraging for wild natural food in the National Park in order to survive a backcountry emergency.

The course will be from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM next Saturday, August 13, 2011. For more information, please click here.