So What is Your Emergency Plan?

So you had to realize this topic was coming. It probably has already been talked about on imtbtrails but maybe it’s time for a refresh.

I’m writing this more as a blog or article. I totally understand if you don’t take the time to read it... but yah ought to...

On a Wednesday, I took my bike to work with me planning not to ride in the Antelope Valley because it was just too dang hot! So as to not waste time going home and changing my clothes loading my bike I went straight to McGill trail to do a solo ride out and back.

Cathy knew where I was riding, I texted the buds I usually ride with from work I was not riding local and where I was riding, announced it in the “Who’s Riding Where” Forum on imtbtrails.

...So what?

That’s not a plan...
And... I have even changed my mind on the way to the Trailhead and rode somewhere else without really telling anyone.

So I get to the Trailhead and take off about 6:10 pm. Plenty of daylight to sneak in a late afternoon spin, and a spin was all it was supposed to be.

I’m climbing and feeling good, been riding often and finally getting some fitness back. Get to the top, two circles around the parking lot and I switch my shock lever, drop my post, and I’m off. Learning how to jump so I have really been working on it. Cleared the two downed trees on the upper and I’m feeling invincible. Not at top speed but certainly at a pace. Hit section 2 just after McGill Campground and just starting into the gravity descent when someone picks my bike up and tosses me head on into a tree at about 15 mph. Wham! I did not realize it until after I hit the tree. When I hit the tree I thought I broke my back.

So now I’m laying on the ground, one foot stuck in a pedal with a fractured pelvis. Now what, Mr. Solo rider? Now what?

Cathy and I made a deal that when I’m done riding, I’m to text her to let her know. But what if I don’t text her?

She is in church on Wednesday’s until 8:30 pm, no cell service at church and I don’t have the church phone number in my cell phone. So am I going to just lay there until 8:30 waiting for her to get out of church, drive down the hill towards our house and try to catch her on the phone before she get’s there?

And what about my phone? McGill Trail is not known for cell reception, it’s hit and miss. Forget about my cell phone and reception, what if I’m knocked unconscious, or bleeding out, going into shock?

And what’s Cathy going to do once she figures out something may be wrong? Drive to the trailhead and verify my car is there? Then what? She can’t drive up the singletrack so all she can do is drive to the 2 points it crosses pavement and say.... “Hello.... Mikie?”

So she calls 911 which they respond a missing person requires 24 hours. Then she calls some of my MTB buddies in a panic asking for help. Which buddies? She only has Voodoo Tom’s number. This is HOURS that has gone by. I could have been dead by then.

All I have done is expose how truly ignorant my emergency plan was. I would be glad to make a mockery and fool of myself in effort to get a lot of you to realize whether you have a solid plan, or not.

Do you have a solid plan?

• Do you have a clear ride plan, like a clear flight plan if you were in a plane?
• Does your spouse or significant other have a phone list of your ride buddies and knows who to call in an emergency?
• Does your ride buddies know your routes? And did you let some key guys know where you are riding?
• Do you have a fresh cell battery and will you have reception the entire ride route?
  • What if you are knocked unconscious, or can’t reach your phone?
• If no reception, what then? A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)?
• Do you carry some kind of emergency kit?
  • I had a 20 ounce water bottle, a Jersey, lycra Shorts, shoes, socks, helmet, gloves, no tools, no pump, no jacket, no light, no whistle, no horn... no brains...

Cathy asks me all the time if I have a jacket. In July? Are you serious? By the time the first responders got to me I was already shivering... bad, a jacket would have been real nice! Plus, lucky me, I was still close to the trail so I could be spotted with a light. It was pitch black when they found me.

So for you that have a plan, or think you have a plan, contact everybody in your plan and ask them if THEY know it. When I asked Cathy what she would do if I did not call or text, she paused.
She said she really had not thought about it because riding solo, I have always come home.

Have a deadline for your ride time. Be done by a certain time. If not, stop and call to check in and give an estimated completion time.

Doing solo rides may mean just riding fire roads, that way anyone can drive to you if you don’t check in (make sure the gates are open or unlocked).

Make sure you have a plan and that everyone in it, knows it. Get the emergency gear to reduce emergencies! I spent thousands of dollars on my ride equipment. It would be really stupid of me to die for less than $300 bucks!

Have a good plan...

Open for discussion or just food for thought.
Add your wisdom, products, and ideas...

 

Well sh!t, ignorance is bliss right!? I ride solo 90% of the time and have not made a clear cut plan except to tell my bestie where I’m going (she knows my routes) and text her and my hubby when I’m home. After being knocked unconscious I said no more, but here I am riding solo again
Probably time for an emergency plan and tracking or beacon device.

 

This is incredibly valuable Mikie. Soooo many things could have gone wrong-er, and I am glad they didn't. So now, let's share the lesson.

For me, I typically ride alone in places that see a lot of traffic. I tell my wife where I am riding, what trails and how long I expect to be out. I have my cell phone in my pack, and it has reception for most of the places I ride.

So let's say I get knocked unconscious on 5-Oaks. That would be bad. There is little traffic on that trail. By the time my wife figures out I'm in trouble, it would be two-three hours. Then she would call one of my riding buddies to go find me. Truth be told, if I am unconscious more than a few minutes, I am probably dead of subdural hematoma, cardiac arrest or something equally awesome. Not much one could do about that if not dealt with in the first 15 minutes.

If it's any of the other trails I ride, a hiker or rider would find me before my wife suspects I am in trouble. I may have a prayer then.

From Mikie's lesson, I will be more specific with my wife as to whom to call and when to call them. I probably don't need a locator beacon, but it wouldn't hurt. That, and make sure when I ride alone, I do so in a crowd.

 

I have a space blanket in my pack for those type of things

 

Consider it added! Thanks for the reminder.

 

I always ride solo too.

I carry a USB solar battery bank and charge cord for my phone. LED light, a sturdy knife and a UST BlastMatch.

Sure, those things are useless if you're knocked out or immobile but carrying something helps. Also, practice using the tools you carry.

Also, The SAS survival guide is a fun read and they have apps too, if that's your thing. No, I'm not inferring you pack a book on your ride...read, learn, prepare.

 

Great thread, Mikie

• 
  Do you have a clear ride plan, like a clear flight plan if you were in a plane?

I always communicate my plan to SO or friend.

• Does your spouse or significant other have a phone list of your ride buddies and knows who to call in an emergency?

A couple. Should be more.

• Does your ride buddies know your routes? And did you let some key guys know where you are riding?

Nearly always.

• Do you have a fresh cell battery and will you have reception the entire ride route?
  • What if you are knocked unconscious, or can’t reach your phone?

Never count on reception. I wound go for the PLB first in an emergency to get responders mobilized. If knocked out a PLB won’t help. A Spot or similar will by showing your track/location. Which costs more money.

• If no reception, what then? A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)?

See above : )

• Do you carry some kind of emergency kit?
  • I had a 20 ounce water bottle, a Jersey, lycra Shorts, shoes, socks, helmet, gloves, no tools, no pump, no jacket, no light, no whistle, no horn...

Almost always a first aid kit, tools, pump, co2. Extra layers very often. Contingency water often.


I’ve used this web site as a safety portal while on rides. Not that that obligates anyone to do anything, but you guys have the knowledge of trails and what riders do on them. Should there be a forum for it? Could it withstand the derailleuers?

 

Smart! I always have my knife on me and a few cliff bars, I’ll throw a Mylar blanket in there too!

 

I have been riding in groups lately, but I ride solo most of the time. My wife knows kind of knows where I will be, but not exactly. But my iPhone has that find a phone app and can get a general idea of where I am. When I ride out of town, like in SLO, she has absolutely know clue where I will be. I tell her but she won't remember where I will be. I have ridden in places solo, know one knows were I am and have no cell service (Blinn Trail @ Santa Margarita Lake), and if anything happened to me I would have been absolutely screwed.

I broke my ribs going down Toads in Bakersfield on a solo ride also, I was probably out of it for 10 minutes or so and finally got myself together to ride back to the truck, probably not the best idea but I needed to get back somehow.

I generally carry a first aid kit, knife and other safety supplies, and carry more if I am out of town riding. The safety blanket and a beacon is a good idea also.

Thanks Mikie for bringing this topic up and hopefully everyone can reevaluate their emergency plan. Especially me now that I look back on the rides I have done solo.

 

I have often thought about some kind of emergency network on imtbtrails.
Naturally that has its challenges.
A phone network would be nice but opens up your cell to a bombardment of spam.

 

Mikie glad to see that ur ok...
Hope to hear about u riding soon...
.....
Thanks for reminding us....

 

When I ride solo, I carry the following:

$25 at REI. This kit has the stuff needed to start a fire (one handed if necessary) as well as noise makers (loud flippen whistle) emergency signal mirror, and a small compass.

• Kit includes a liquid-filled compass, one Heatsheets survival blanket, a mini Rescue Flash signal mirror and a slim Rescue Howler™ whistle
• Also includes a survival fishing kit packed in a vial and Tinder-Quick™ waterproof fire starter
• A roll of 50 in. x 2 in. duct tape has many uses
• The SOL Scout survival kit weighs 5.4 oz. and measures 6 x 3.75 x 1 in.

~$8 This is an Israeli bandage. It can be installed one handed if needed.

• Non- adherent pad
• Pressure bar
• Sleeve for self-application
• Wrapping leader
• Stop & GO system, a treat that will not allow to the bandage unravel on you.
• At the end of the bandage we have a closer bar which will allow us to easily secure the material when we finish the application of the bandage.

Available in 4” and 6” widths, with or without an absorbent sliding mobile pad



$25 This is a tourniquet that can be installed one handed for the real emergent bleeding situations......think Cedric Gracia with the stick in his femoral artery a couple years ago.

• A true 1 ½” constricting band for increased constricting pressure and patient comfort.
• Featuring NAR's Red Tip Technology with a red elliptical tip to assist user in locating and threading during application.
• Reinforced windlass clip & highly visible security tab includes a writeable area to record the time of application.
• Proven to be 100% effective in occluding blood flow in both upper & lower extremities by the U.S. Army’s Institute of Surgical Research.
• NEW Single Routing Buckle for faster application, decreased blood loss, effective slack removal, fewer windlass turns, and simplified training with single protocol application standards

$15 through wal mart online.

I tell my wife where I’m going, but my watch has GPS and once started, automatically notifies a list of people, via email, that I’m riding and allows them to track me in real time.

Hope I never need it. Mikie, heal up quick.

 

I always have an emergency joint in my patch kit. You can have it if I am unable to partake.

 

I bought a Garmin Inreach a couple years ago. I don’t keep the subscription current all the time when I’m riding in OC, but for Colorado it was paid up, and in my pack. This time it let me contact my wife to come pick me up before the thunderstorms hit.

That big SOS button is there if I need to press it.

 

I am probably the poster child of how not to be prepared for emergencies.

I like exploring and backcountry riding so a lot of my rides are in areas that see little or no traffic. I am terrible at planning ahead so they are often last minute rides, solo, and not bothering to let someone know where I'm going, and ride plans often change on the fly. I am not an early riser so longer rides tend to stretch into dark.

On the plus side I do carry plenty of water, more food than I'll likely need, water filter, extra clothing, appropriate tools/parts etc. I normally carry a GPS, phone with gps / mapping apps and an Inreach GPS communicator. The Inreach has SOS capability at the push of a button and can send texts if needed. Of course you need to be conscious to do that.

It's hard to let people know what I am doing when my ride plans are so fluid. Often my route changes from what I intended based on conditions. I figure the Inreach is as good a backup plan as any, since friends would not necessarily be able to report me missing until the next day or later, especially on a long weekend trip where I may be out of cell service the whole time. That can make letting someone know where I am, and that I finished the ride unrealistic. My contact wouldn't be able to direct help to where I might have crashed anyways, in most cases - best case they could give an estimated route or general area. The Inreach can tell help exactly where I am provided I can push the button. I have only been knocked out cold once in 20+ years riding and that was a freak crash caused by an off leash dog. Most likely injuries would be collarbone, broken wrist, ankle, etc so I should be able to push the button in an emergency, if needed.

 

The smaller version that works great. Have some at the house as well as in my Camelback:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G2EQ49S/?tag=imtbtrails-20

 

I have a plan, as good as any. My answer is yes to all of the points asked in the OP by @Mikie. But it's impossible to cover every scenario, especially for an extremely critical circumstance. I jokingly tell my friends that I do not want to die old and immobilized, laying in a bed with a long white beard. I want to go doing what I love. The truth is, the risk factor is fairly high with this activity.

I carry a lighter. If I have to light the forest on fire to get some attention, I will. I carry electric tape and duct tape. Both of which would work as a bandage or sling. I carry a very sharp pocket knife. I've been meaning to purchase a whistle, I really should get on that. I can whistle out of my mouth louder than any member here but what if I am unable to take a deep enough breath to do it? I do have a handlebar bell if I am near my bike afterward. Lastly, I have a considerable life insurance policy in case I head off to that trail system up in the sky.

 

Great article Mr.
Sponge Bob Band aid and a juice box.
Again I will make a welcoming smell in the back country.

 

I'll admit it.....I don't have one.

I do ride a lot of places that see very little traffic, either due to location or due to the times I ride.

When I broke my leg in Palm Canyon, it kinda showed how unprepared we were for an injury like that. I wasn't alone, but zero phone reception and zero vehicle access meant it could have been worse. For a while after that, I did get better about being more prepared.

When I started doing big rides solo, I got away from carrying my pack....thus any emergency supplies. I would text Suz from time to time on the big all day rides. She would also know the route. Generally I wouldn't push that hard when out solo in the Santa Ana's......but as we all know, anything can happen. I don't ride out in the middle of nowhere nearly as often these days.

Otherwise my normal rides generally have a ton of traffic, so it's highly unlikely that I wouldn't be found within a very short time.

 

I have a really well stocked Camelback, full of first aid supplies, food, whistle, old CD for signalling, etc. But I never wear it. Maybe once a year in Big Bear on a long ride, maybe not even then. I might start packing it on my bike.

And my wife never knows where I'm at. She's usually either asleep or not home. Relying on cell coverage and/or the kindness of strangers.

 

Basic emergency medical knowledge is always good to have... I love riding w/ doctors....they make the best mtbkers...

 

I'm guilty... I don't carry much. A single bottle for a Maple-Motorway loop isn't uncommon in cooler weather. I do have the essentials for fixing tires, chain, etc, but nothing for fixing the body.

With that said, though, there are things that I do when I ride alone.

1. The wife always knows where I'm headed, especially if it's in the mountains. I make her repeat the route, so I'm sure she knows it. She knows how long it will take. Yesterday it was "O'Neill- Live Oak to the Luge. Probably a little over 2 hours". This route is pretty low level, and has cell service most of the time. She can see where my phone is... There is almost no cell service higher in the Santa Anas. There are some spots, but they are pretty far between. I keep the volume up on my phone so I can hear it beep with emails when it gets a signal. Remember the spot...

2. When I'm alone, I tend to avoid long stretches of Main Divide. I'll do the occasional Holy Jim to Trabuco, Maple to Motorway, or Black Star to Motorway, but I take it really easy... I won't be in the little cog alone. You guys must have different fire roads up there. Main Divide is more likely to hurt you than the bigger trails around here and there are sections I wouldn't drive- And I own two 4x4s! They are also not easily accessible, even for a 4x4. Only one access point on the entire OC side of the mountain. You're not going to drive your Honda Civic up there looking for someone...

3. If the weather is cold (like most of the 2016/2017 winter), I carry the backpack with enough extra clothing for just about anything. In the warmer weather, I'm definitely guilty of going underprepared.

Thankfully I'm not always solo nowadays... Isn't that the best and simplest plan? Don't ride alone... And if you do, back off the gas and avoid the remote tech stuff.

 

I could see that, but I’d rather ride with people skilled enough to keep rubber down or recognize a dismount. Prevention over cure...

I’m just riffing. Sometimes sht just happens.

 

I bought the InReach Garmin when I was entertaining the idea of riding the Art Smith trail before summer. It is still in the box. This will change. I rode Devil's Canyon yesterday at the end of Topanga Blvd and the 118 freeway solo. No cell service for the most part. I carry enough tools to do basic repairs. I did not see not one person on the entire ride. Since I find myself willing to try new riding trails, I'm also thinking of getting some type of full face helmet.
Something else to consider- suppose you have to press that Emergency button and get life flighted out. Does your health insurance cover the flight? A friend on Facebook talks about Helo insurance for such events. I will report what I find.

 

I try to carry the least amount of gear I'll need to get home from any ride.

In local parks that might be a water bottle, ID, a little cash and a bank card (for the unplanned store or hospital visit) and a couple allen wrenches, tire levers, CO2's, tube and patch kit. Maybe a phone. On longer rides I'll add additional water, clothes, CO2.. If I'm not sure I'll make it back before dark, I usually bring a tail light and maybe a head light.

I'm used to going minimalist after a lifetime of backcountry adventures. I know I can die "out there" (just like I can die at home). I've bike toured with a space blanket and bivy sack (and left the tent and sleeping bag at home). I've backpacked with no set itinerary, on routes with no trails.. Topo maps only. Maybe a camera. Mostly solo, after the early Boy Scout years.

Often solo on ski tours as well, with minimal gear whether day trips or extended multi-day tours. Topo map and compass orientation if needed. Beacon if with others.

Bottom line: good preparation and self/situational awareness. Adjusting to current conditions and being flexible with expectations. Knowing the area and gradually increasing skills, fitness.. with others, alone, through reading and over time.

I've been extremely lucky when it comes to accidents and injuries, avalanches and rock slides, frostbite and hypothermia, staying oriented or finding a way forward if I got off-course.. I don't take any of it lightly. When I have been hurt or in danger, I've been able to carry on, or self-evacuate, or find shelter and re-group. (Two exceptions to this are a short ambulance ride from Trestles after hitting my head on my long board on a big day--friends insisted; and two climbing buddies carrying me to the van when I broke my heels launching off a boulder problem near Mammoth--they didn't like seeing me scooting on my butt.)

Anyway, most of that's behind me now, as is my prime. I'm still chugging along, riding for fun.. digging when I can.. looking for a decent pump.. hanging with my imtb brothers and sisters..

 

I believe most (all?) agencies will not charge for air evac, typically. NPS only does if negligence can be proven. I didn’t pay anything 3x, but one was an ace traffic chopper pilot who did it for fun to show the naysayers it could be done. A one-skid pickup, Jerry Foster FTW.

 

I've always used the "the trail is always busy - someone will help" excuse.

Until that crappy Good Friday when I let the guys go home early for Easter and I took advantage to sneak in a ride. I wadded up about 100 yards from Harbor Blvd and about 50 yards from a parking lot......and no one came....for a long time. If I hadn't temporarily lost my vision, I could have easily walked out. Kinda spooky waking up and not knowing where you are. Needless to say, I'm much better about letting folks know where I'm riding and usually check in about half-way on longer rides.

The best part was when I asked the guy and girl who finally cruised by and thankfully stopped - "would one of you mind calling my wife, I can't see my phone?" The girl said "I can't believe you ride a mountain bike when you're blind." The guy and I just cracked up...and then it really started to hurt.

 

I sometimes ride with an ER doctor, if anything went wrong I know I am in good hands.

 

Please please please please don't, especially when fire danger is high! Signal fires that got out of control are how the Cedar fire and several other huge fires started.

 

I know “Snakes” is just joking! Right Snakes? Snakes?? @SnakeCharmer !?!?!