Today's post is a short one about a simple thing you can do to help enhance your safety while out hiking on the trail. That simple thing is to carry a survival whistle with you.
Why Carry a Whistle?
Well, plain and simply put if, God forbid, you get into difficulty on the trail and you need to attract attention to make people aware of your location, blowing on a whistle will really help.
For example, say you had a bad fall and fell off the trail on some rocks. You could quite easily finish up in a stony ditch, rocky hole or on any number of other nasty types of terrain which will not only injure you but quite possibly block you from view.
Then, if a search and rescue team is out looking for you and you are lying some place far off the trail in a deep and dark hole with a broken leg, they simply may not be able to see you.
On top of that, you might have fallen a significant distance and so are also out of immediate earshot. Remember, with wind, rain and lot's of turbulent weather on the hills, you screaming at the top of your lungs may not be enough to be heard.
What Kind of Whistle Should I Get?
I recommend getting an emergency whistle for exactly this type of issue. The Fox 40 Sonik Blast CMG Whistle with Lanyard is pictured above and it is a popular whistle option which is very powerful and can be heard up to a mile away.
It comes with a necklace cord which can be tightened. The facility to pull it tight is a good thing to look for as ideally you want to be able to attach it to your pack or, even better, to yourself. If you do happen to fall and roll down over rocks and rough terrain, the odds are more likely that it will stay within your reach if it's attached. The Fox 40 is just one example though so don't be afraid to shop around.
A Word of Caution
Be careful with emergency whistles, they are designed to be very loud so I don't recommend blowing one beside someones head. If you don't pierce their ear drum, at the very least they will be very annoyed at you 😉
If you do get one, I suggest you take it outside to give it a real test blast, even better, take it into the hills and hear it in action among the noise of the wind and the wilds!
Conclusion
Carrying a whistle with you is a really simple thing to do and, in all seriousness, could save your life if you get into difficulty on the trail, especially if you like to hike alone. I recommend you learn the mountain emergency distress signal and if the need ever arises utilize the signal with the whistle. Even if you don't use the signal, blowing on the whistle will make the chances of your being found, should the need arise, much higher
Do you carry an emergency whistle in your day pack? What one do you recommend? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
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