How to get in trouble

[dave54]

I always hate it when someone says "Have fun and be safe".

Which do you want?

[scottmiller]

I like the idea of putting the iffy stuff first.

[giantbrookie]

There are a lot of basic "how to get in trouble" that apply to all backcountry trips whether off trail or on trail, but when it comes to off trail routes, which are the subject of this thread, I second old ranger's assessment that it is the micro route selection aspect that is clearly different. In fact it is the micro route finding aspect that makes off trail hiking so appealing to me.

No matter how detailed one's topographic coverage is, and how comfortable one is with reading topo maps there are many aspects that don't show up on the topo, such as nasty brush versus a relatively open slope, or big loose talus versus solid slabs, or those little cliffs that are far too small to be resolved on topo. Sure, there are seasonal aspects, too, such as snowfields, and stream crossings, but these are an issue with on-trail trips, too. Even if we take the next step in planning, which is to evaluate our planned route with the topo map AND Google Earth (with seasonal snow check from Sentinel Hub, if applicable) there are a lot of smaller details that we can't quite resolve. I see "green" on Google Earth and there are times I can connect it to a sort of brushfield that I want to avoid, but there are other times I can't distinguish nearly impenetrable brush from easily traversed "Follow the Green". In addition if there is tree cover, we can't resolve whether there are a ton of deadfall obstacles beneath the trees, or even bad patches of brush.

Accordingly, the most diligent try to pre-assess their route in as much detail as feasible, but the execution comes down to micro route finding on the fly while hiking, which makes it fun for those of us who revel in this sort of thing, but also introduces the possibility of messing up and getting into trouble. The optimal path through a small thicket may take 5 minutes, but messing it up may lead to a half hour ordeal. With larger expanses of brush, the differences can be large enough to cause much more significant delays (such as on the miserable off trail bushwhack I did with Dawn to Branigan lake). Of course micro-route finding can be the difference, as noted by others, of ending up on a class 3+ pitch, or coasting along at class 1 or 2.

In the majority of cases with experienced off trail hikers/mountaineers, choosing sub-optimal micro routes simply leads to delays, whereas a major error could get someone in genuine trouble. The more common delay factor is illustrated by my field season in Newfoundland in 2022. I was not at my best in terms of physical conditioning, but I gave the illusion of being strong and fast , keeping up with the lead group because I chose slightly better routes through the brush and over talus, or at least most of the time. The "get into trouble" aspect was illustrated by my 2023 season there where micro route finding choices led to some very sketchy moves on crummy rock over potentially damaging or fatal air. One move in particular stands out as an example. I'm looking at this corner move over a big dropoff above a waterfall. There appears to be this shelf that doesn't seem so exposed so I follow it only to realize that there is a committing move (over fatal air) on the very corner where the holds are utterly unreliable. Upon reaching it, I realized that wasn't a safe move, so I retreated and found that what seemed at first like a counterintuitive route a bit lower on the corner offered solid holds and quickly got me to mellow ground.

An example of a poor micro choice that may have led to delays and certainly elevated the risk of mild/moderate injury comes from my "birthday trip" solo dayhike on Aug. 1 in Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. In fact one could say I made a poor macro decision. In examining the topo it looked to me the easiest way to my destination was to follow a trail until fairly close then split off. I didn't know that there was in fact an official spur trail there, too (doesn't show on any of my maps). When looking at Google Earth, I thought I saw signs of thick brush. At the bottom of a valley, where stuff can be wet, one can run into the most intractable brush. What I didn't realize was that off trail travel through the green was clean sailing beneath dense conifer cover. I figured I'd try a direct but long off trail traverse from the trailed saddle far above. This looked topographically fine, but inspection of Google Earth showed some fields of big boulders. I figured, however, that with the relatively gentle topography below cliffs above (break in topography was a key route finding element) I'd find low gradient snow slopes (also checked Sentinel but the image is too low res to micro analyze) that would allow passage. My only question was some "green swaths" at the end, which I read as "soft green" (ie soft vegetation that doesn't physically impede you). In addition, I've always been comfortable hopping on big talus and in fact I'm the only one among my family and friends that actually enjoys doing that.

On the ground the first problem was the snow cover was not as extensive as I anticipated. The next issue was that the big talus was the most unstable and angular that I've ever hopped over, partly because these are Miocene volcanic rocks instead of the more common granitic talus blocks that tend to fit together better and also offer more flattish surfaces to step on (generally joint surfaces that governed their liberation from the cliff above). So the boulder hopping was tedious as well as a bit dicey in terms of causing a fall or having a block roll onto a part of my body. I was glad I was carrying a locator device. The biggest snowslope I encountered wasn't all that convenient either because it had at least one very steep spot with a questionable run-out that I had to be cautious and kick steps. Overall it would have been a much better call to stay on the trail and then negotiate a very much shorter reach of potential brush to the destination. I took the more sensible route on the exit.

My training in off trail route finding came as an old school peak climber, long before I started doing off trail backpacking trips (or off trail dayhikes to fishing lakes); this is probably apparent from the Newfoundland description. Climbing is inherently an off trail endeavor. In the old days, peak climbing routes were very vague. A typical route description would be "A class 2 route can be found on the west slope". Step 1 was to look at the topo, but the detailed route had to be done on the fly on inspection (no Google Earth back in the day) so one learned visual patterns that led one to choose the better routes. For the most part, this worked out really well for me and led to picking out class 2 route on otherwise class 3 parts of mountains; my 1975 class 2 route on Mt Maclure being an example (picked the route out on inspection from Mt Lyell) but it all started with a big routefinding blunder on the first trip my dad had me lead in 1973. Actually that trip started out well because I threaded a very nice class 2 route up Banner via Lake Catherine (totally avoiding snow and ice too), but the next day turned the west face Ritter route from class 2 to class 4. Fortunately, my dad always brought rope, in case we messed up, or in case I got overly sketched out by exposure. Note that the guidebook route description was pretty much "west slope, class 2". While stuck on the class 4 stuff I figured out how I'd get us down class 2 after summiting, so our descent went fine.

Anyway the micro routefinding on the fly is something that is acquired by experience (acquired and accumulated pattern recognition). I think it is best to gain such experience dayhiking without much of a load, be it peak bagging or otherwise, before carrying a full pack over a potentially rough route.

[SSSdave]

Topic title should have more narrowly been "How to get in Trouble Route Finding", lest others will broaden the topic.

Well experienced Sierra Nevada backpackers on this site could each easily write a book on all the ways they themselves or others encountered, have seen others get in trouble on off trail routes. The complexities and varieties of landscapes puzzles to figure out is vast. It is a challenging game for highly intelligent individuals.

In all ways in life, I hate to use the term "expert" but as a senior now that has been rambling about in the range over 5 decades, route finding is one of my strongest skills. And that is in not just about finding ways up higher class routes but more importantly efficient routes that require less effort. Unlike decades ago when much had to be done with a USGS 15' topo or years later with a 7.5' topo plus visual sightings, today one can also use satellite maps with overlays and especially Google Earth 3D (GE) and increasingly GPS electronic tools. Such is not just about evaluating topographic elevation lines but also involves the vegetation, geology, and weather.

Decades ago, I honed most of my route finding skills by ALWAYS actively hand carrying and continually looking at 7.5' topos. Not just when I needed to, but incrementally. Within a few years had developed a keen understanding of subtleties for interpreting such maps. In this era, I don't need to do so as much actively on routes, but instead tend to plan routes before trips.

A most common way others get into trouble is by evaluating routes solo by what they see in front of them. Doing so is especially problematic in U-shaped glacial canyons where a person drops down into a visual route from the top and due to the concave nature finds slopes below they couldn't see from above, increasingly steep to cliff-like. That is where using Google Earth 3D can be greatly valuable by finding joint crack systems, ledge diagonals, and areas with trees one might grab onto, especially since such may not be on the most direct route one will only see. Knowing before a trip, one needs to explore 200 yards to the side to find a ledge diagonal, can be significant. Also in some zones, especially mid forest areas, brush, especially chinquapin, various ceanothus, and manzanita can make seemingly easy to negotiate elevation lines, a nightmare. Using GE or satellite images is the trick. Much more.

[thegib]

I don't carry any electronic guidance and use only paper maps. I make constant mistakes (I've only been doing it four decades) and (on good days) have constant tiny victories. The joy of being off-trail for me is tied to the micro choices involved/demanded by the landscape. The joy of getting the route right, of finding the best line through, even of perfect foot placement, doesn't make sense to me w/o the constant experience of not finding the best line through. Yes, I have a patient partner (who doesn't know any better!). Sometimes the micro mistakes add up to a dangerous position on Kaweah Pass, usually just more frustration than necessary.

[giantbrookie]

I don't carry any electronic guidance and use only paper maps. I make constant mistakes (I've only been doing it four decades) and (on good days) have constant tiny victories. The joy of being off-trail for me is tied to the micro choices involved/demanded by the landscape. The joy of getting the route right, of finding the best line through, even of perfect foot placement, doesn't make sense to me w/o the constant experience of not finding the best line through. Yes, I have a patient partner (who doesn't know any better!). Sometimes the micro mistakes add up to a dangerous position on Kaweah Pass, usually just more frustration than necessary.

Yes this is a very good point that one can't enjoy nailing it as much without having missed a few times; I think this is common with most things we enjoy in life. As for Kaweah Pass, I'm not sure there is a safe route anywhere on the north side of the pass. In my many years of off trail backpacking that is the sketchiest place I've ever been with a full pack. On the way up I did in fact get off the ideal route, if in fact the ideal route is considered to be all class 2. In avoiding some crummy talus I got my group onto some loose class 3 at which point one of my partners said "this is getting sketchy". I apologized and soon the 3rd class was over and we were on the advertised class 2 talus. It was the class 2 talus that is the sketchiest stuff I've ever hiked on with a full pack. I have never seen such a large volume of stuff move at once on a talus slope. Parts of the pile were shifting 100' above us. It was absolutely terrifying but there weren't any alternatives I could see (ie the class 3 rib I was on was below us at that point). Many folks think you have to be on class 3 or higher terrain before you are exposed to high risk of injury or fatality (excluding stream crossings and various snow issues), but the talus on the N side of Kaweah Pass is potentially lethal class 2 if I've ever seen it. I was a first hand witness to the potential lethality of class 2 talus and scree when I tried to traverse the toe of a rock glacier at Upper Horton Lake (in 1991, 12 years before the Kaweah Pass experience) and my movement destabilized an enormous boulder embedded in the slope above me which lurched out over me. I was pretty sure I would in fact die, but my reflexive sideways leap barely saved me from being crushed. So I guess what I'm saying is I'm not sure you made a mistake at Kaweah Pass.

[thegib]

@giantbrookie the thing is we waltzed down K pass years earlier and had no issues - must've just got lucky - or possibly conditions change, but going up, older and wiser, things got close to ugly. I'm not sure I know why I resist learning every last detail now available about routes. But Steve Roper's vague descriptions are deliberate, not lazy, he doesn't want to interfere with the discovery part of the trip, and that ethos makes sense to me.

[dbargaehr1]

The new one for me this year was the avalanche areas on NF San Joaquin and Blue Creek. I don't do early-season trips, but this year July WAS early-season!

We were on the west side of the SJ above Hemlock Crossing, and there were a couple spots where avalanches had buried the river - rocks and trees sticking out of it. It was crazy to see 10-20 feet of snow over the SJ in late July! But it was clear the snow was thinning in the middle with occasional fall-throughs. We had to cross this snow, there was no way around it, staying on the west side of the SJ (not crossing it). There were a few areas where the slope was steep enough that without an early self-arrest you'd end up on top of the SJ, and possibly falling through thin snow or one of the existing holes. The SJ was absolutely torrential below the snow bridge, so going in the drink was a pretty certain death.

We did not have ice axes, but we did each have trekking poles and microspikes. For the truly exposed spots with a steep enough slope that would take us right onto the river if we fell, we took it very slow, kicking footholds in the snow.

Same thing along Blue Creek (south side on the way up into Bench Canyon), but the avalanche zone had the added bonus of being on top of a boulder field on our side. So there were boulders ON TOP, boulders sticking out, and a few places that looked like ugly/leg-breaking posthole potential where it was thinning around large rocks. once again, we took it slow, kicked footholds, and were aware of true moments of exposure when we needed to stay smart.

[dbargaehr1]

Here's a photo looking back at one of the zones we crossed over the SJ. I didn't take any photos or video ON the slope, for the obvious reason of wanting to concentrate on what I was doing.

You can see how thin the snow bridge is getting along the river. On top of that snow bridge there were already some spots that had caved into the river.
and through the trees to right you can see the slope we had to traverse. The area behind the tree was probably the steepest and most exposed spot.

2023-07-26 19.01.28.jpg

[Gogd]

Ah yes, the unstable hillside...
My scary hillside was experienced when descending off Graveyard Peak. My companion got ahead of me. The correct route circles around the upper basin to the largest of the upper lakes, then drops down from there. Instead he chose a more direct line and descends via below the closer, second largest lake. By the time I catch up to him we are on a huge moraine formation below the lake. The moraine had a slope of 45+ degrees, the surface consisting of rock in the 300 - 3000 pound class, and it seemed every rock was a tetter totter, giving the impression the whole hill could collapse. But we were already in the middle of it, and continuing down seemed as wise and re-climbing the same distance.

Ed

(Edited for grammar)