Cache / BBQ
We were sitting around last year talking about having a BBQ pre-placed in a central location of our favorite backcountry area. Later on in the spring when we were sitting on the border of the Wilderness boundary frequented by skiers, we saw them stop and untie a pack and eat lunch. We asked them what it was they told us that it was a cache with firewood and extra equipment like a base camp. They were removing it for the spring, hmm?! They take extra, heavy, gear they don’t want to pack in every trip earlier in the year.
We are thinking about getting a small BBQ/stove and filling it with: More sophisticated first aid kit, come-along, 2 x100' rope, 2 micro sleeping bags, maybe tent, hatchet, small stove and fuel, extra batteries, dried food, fire starter, ect... Also going up during hunting season before the snow and stashing some firewood.
This does not replace the basic supplies on our sleds and in our backpacks. It just is a way to have some convenience, in an area difficult to get in or out, for the good times and a little insurance for the unexpected. Also let the other riding buddies, wives, and friends know about it for a central search area, give GPS location.
Getting lost sucks:
My wife and I got only slightly misdirected one hunting season in the snow on “a lets just go a short distance more, we don’t need any extra cause we’ll be back soon” and me saying “that looks like a good place for a deer, just a little further”. I was 90% sure of where I was but as it got dark, I was having a hard time finding any recognizable landmarks, the snow covered our tracks, and a previous injury was slowing her down, I was near panic and almost started to tear-up, in joy, when I hit the road about ¼ mile to our car!
Another time I was at high hunt relying only on an old GPS while hunting finger ridges when the GPS crapped out. After hiking in the direction I thought I needed to go; for what felt like forever, I panicked, everything looked the same, I was sure I was about 4 miles to the north, about dark, started looking for shelter, under logs, to stay the night when my buddy said “what you doing, looking for a places to sh**?” I turned and about 50’ below me he was standing on the main logging road, 100 yards from our camp!
My riding buddy and I do a lot of exploring; I research aerial photos (Google earth, your county or fish and wildlife web pages might have interactive mapping with aerial photo layers and topomaps), topomaps, take maps, a GPS (batteries) as well as a good compass (just in case), and check our location at stops. Knowing where you are and orienting your next riding area from a known point are important to avoid that panic that makes you do stupid things. And if you get lost, even a little bit, admit it figure a way to calm down and make a plan for reorienting yourself and not getting more lost. (like driving back and forth and around your old tracks.
Two personal investments this year for me (before the sled) better boots (dry) and a SPOT.
