Question 1: Name four (4) things you should have done prior to your accident. There will be more than 4 answers but name the 4 most important items you can think of.
1. Should have taken more water in the first place. Last time I hiked twelve miles I drank well over 2 liters and still got dehydrated. Might not have been distracted by the need for water and gotten injured.
2. Like most people have said, should have let someone know the exact route your are taking, and established a firm time of return. "Back before dark" is a pretty vague timeline.
3. Should have worn some better boots with a very high ankle laced up good and tight. Ankle injuries are common enough in rough terrain (or any terrain, really) that this should be a basic preparation. Carrying athletic tape with you would be a VERY good idea to treat or prevent such an injury.
4. Should have taken some kind of signaling device - a whistle, flare, mirror, blaze orange clothes, something.
Question 2: Explain how you will treat your ankle injury. Describe what materials, if any, you will use.
That ankle will have to be immobilized somehow. My first thought was to wrap it up tight with a strip torn from your clothing, but fresh ankle injuries can't be wrapped too tight. You will have to wrap it loosely with something. You could contrive a splint with stout green sticks (1 1/2" diameter) and the paracord. You will have to have a good walking stick. If you could find a conveniently forked branch, you could pad it with an article of clothing and use it as a crutch.
Question 3: Describe your next course of action.
First thing I would do is work my way down to the river and get some water, treating it with the purification tabs. Don't bother trying to climb up that hill to the planned water source. Treated river water will have to be good enough. Then I would follow the river as far as I could before dark. The injury will make this slow going, but the more level land near the river would be better than trying to traverse the hillside. If I couldn't get out by close to dark, I would settle in and build a fire, and wait for morning. Be sure to elevate that ankle during the night.
Question 4: Explain how you will enhance your chances of a rescue.
Frankly, a quick rescue seems unlikely in this situation. You are probably going to have to rely on yourself to get you out. After all, you are injured, but not lost. You know where you are and you know the way out. I would only sit and wait for rescue in this situation if the ankle was so bad that I could not travel at all. If that was the case, you might build some signal fires.
The guy in question shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place. He took time to pack what I would call "fancy" supplies, but didn't bother to make some of the most basic preparations to ensure his safety.
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Originally Posted by Rick
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