When you head out for a climb, it’s good practice to let a responsible someone know the details of your trip. In the last minute rush to leave, all that might get said is, “I’m heading to Rainier, back on Tuesday!”  A more detailed written notice you leave with a person not going on your trip might include:

• Destination - peak to be climbed, trail to be hiked

• General route you plan to take

• Campsites - if overnight, list campsite location(s) for each night

• Names of climbing partners, and names and phone numbers for their emergency contacts

• Times: Hike / climb will leave the trailhead/base camp at ________ a.m. / p.m. on _______________ (date), Planned return to trailhead/base camp ______ a.m. / p.m. on _______________ (date)

• Make and license of car(s) your team will drive

• Trailhead where car(s) will be parked

• Bivy gear (stove, tent/bivy bag, sleeping bag, food for # days) the team will carry

• List of communications gear (cell phone, satellite com device, GPS) the team will carry

• Emergency phone numbers for the climb area (usually Nat Forest District Office, County Sheriff or Nat Park Service)

• Important: Estimated time off the peak. Consider a “yellow-red” system of times: “We plan to call to check in with you by 4:00 pm. If you don’t hear from us by 9:00 pm, call the sheriff”.

Also, here's a tip on what NOT to do. With the growing popularity of satellite communication devices such as the Garmin Inreach, many people like to check in with concerned people at home and let them know everything is OK.

Doing this is fine, but do not let a lack of check in become the basis for a rescue. If your sat-com device breaks, gets lost, or runs out of batteries, and you are fine, the last thing you want is to trigger an unnecessary “rescue” because you did not do your evening check in with your spouse or partner. You should make it clear before you leave home that lack of communication does not indicate a problem.