Before You Head Out - Making an Emergency Information Card

However well your plan is, you can never stop the inevitable. So planning for an emergency is important whether you head out for a few hours or several days. Most people might laugh at the prospect of making an ID card and wearing it in the wild. But if you think of it, even a small sprain is enough to get you stranded or even lost.

In every emergency situation there are two factors at work, the rescuer at one end and the victim at the other. The Emergency Information Card contains important details such as name, blood group, trekking route etc. With the help of the Emergency Information Card, the rescuer will be able to track us and be more prepared to face the situation.

The card is actually a sheet of paper, folded and secured in a waterproof cover or zip-lock. It should be worn on your person at all times. Here is a sample copy of how it looks.

Name:- Harnord Cain	Date of Birth:- 07-11-1986	Height:- 178 cm Weight:- 78kg
Voter’s card /Passport no. XXXXXXXXXX	Driver’s license no. XXXXXXXXXXX		Medication:- Paracetamol tab
Distinguishing marks:- Black mole on right knee Linear scar on left forearm	Languages spoken:- Malayalam-native English-fluent Tamil-basic		Allergies:- Dust/Amoxicillin
Experience:- Swimmer Undertaken Level 6 rafting training	Next to kin:- Father: Address: Telephone: Mail id:		Next to kin:- Brother: Address: Telephone: Mail id:
My mobile:- XXXXXXXXXX My email:- Travel agent’s no:- Contact’s no:-

Overleaf

Trip details:- Day 1:- Madikeri – Vanachalur – Kalur(stay) Day 2:- Kalur – Mukkudlu(stay) Day 3:- Mukkudlu – Kottabetta – Madikeri Chances of phone reception very weak en route. Will call home at night on Day 2 when I reach Mukkudlu.

Date: 4-7-10

Keep few copies of the same. Give one to family members or near ones and another to the forest officials or any other authority. This is especially important in solo expeditions.

Live life as adventure

Before You Head Out - Physical Fitness and Mental Preperation

In the main chapter, Before You Head Out, I will be posting various articles which deal with all the preparations you will need before you start your adventure...

Protection, Location, Water & Food. These are the four basic necessities every adventurer should always keep in mind. Some people might object but as far as survival is concerned; protection, location and water are the short term necessities, food is only a long term necessity. Always apply the principle of least amount of energy for the maximum gain. There is always a whale of difference between “knowing the skills” and “applying your skills”. The more you practice a particular survival skill, the more you'll understand how and why it works, and the more you'll understand your own strengths and weaknesses.

Even if you are physically tough, in real life situations your will power is usually all that matters. Will power is something you can quantify only by putting it to test. In 2008, I and my friends tried climbing Tadiandamol peak in Madikeri, Karnataka. We started at 8 in the night and it was raining torrentially. We got stranded in the middle of nowhere with minimal protection battling the heavy rain and the cold wind. All of us were exhausted but had no option to pass out. We survived that night only because of our will power and few improvisations that we had learnt from experience. It was a big misadventure but that day I realized the importance of learning the basic survival skills. Enough said, in this chapter, I’ll be discussing the physical and mental preparedness that you need and the potholes you have to look out for before going on an adventure.

Physical Exercises help you increase your strength, agility, mental alertness and stamina.

Always assess your fitness level, understand your limits and set realistic goals.

Assessing your cardiac fitness – I’m assuming that most of you know how to check your pulse. The “base rate” is your normal pulse rate and it is best checked in the morning before any activity. The faster your pulse rate reaches to the base rate after exercise, the fitter you will be.

Age	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+
Rating	Base Rate
Men
Good	<69	<71	<73	<75
Average	70-85	72-87	74-89	76-91
Poor	>85	>87	>89	>91
Women
Good	<77	<79	<81	<83
Average	78-94	80-96	82-98	84-100
Poor	>94	>96	>98	>100

Exercise regularly! Keep apart at least 45 minutes per week for exercises and make sure to do exercises that raise your heart beat above 120 beats per minute.

Tailor your own fitness regime

· Visit your doctor- Tell your doctor about any major ailments in the previous year and get a general check-up to assess your fitness. Enquire the relevant inoculations and medications you have to take before setting out.

· Start exercising slowly and build up your routine.

· If you are planning to work out in a gym, seek expert guidance.

· Understand the nature of your adventure and train accordingly. Eg: - you need more of stamina than strength when you are planning on going on a cycling trip.

· Try simulating real life situations while exercising. Eg: - if you are planning on climbing a mountain, start training on a small hill. Thus, you will be able to understand better your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you improve upon your weak points.

Some common exercises –

· Upper body and back- Stretching your arms, neck, chest and shoulders will give you a strong core. This helps in rigorous activities like rock climbing. Usually you will end up carrying a backpack. Regularly stretching your back muscles will make them more flexible and less susceptible to injury.

· Stretching your legs- Stretch your legs properly to improve flexibility and circulation. Concentrate on your calves, quads and hamstrings. This is very important because leg cramps are a common problem.

· Cardio exercises- Exercises like cycling, jogging, swimming etc increases your heart’s capacity to pump more blood and your lungs to supply more oxygen. This will help you manage your weight and increase your level of stamina. This is probably the most important of all exercises.

· Weight training- Increased muscle strength helps you walk, lift or carry weights. It also helps improving posture and sense of balance. Regular weight training increases the metabolic rate up to 15% and helps shed extra weight easier.

· Warm up and cool down after every session. Start and end your session with a five minutes jog.

Mental Preparation- People react differently to a survival situation. An adventure always has a quotient of risk and many a time, we will be faced with psychological and emotional stress called “psychogenic shock”. Coping with the situation is the most important skill every adventurer should have. Losing the will to survive or psychological disorders that prevent you from coping with physical situations are the two major problems.

The normal psychological reaction to a disaster occurs in four stages.

Pre-impact period (2 stages)	Danger exists and obvious to those who recognize it. Those who don’t respond with denial and under-activity.
	Danger is apparent to all. Response is over-activity.
Impact period (3 stages)	10-20% people are calm and retain full awareness.
	75% people are stunned, bewildered and unable to react rationally.
	10-25% people show extreme behavior like screaming.
Recoil period	Usually lasts from 3hrs to 3 days. Occurs after the danger is past. People slowly return back to their normal reasoning abilities, awareness and emotional expression.
Post- trauma period	If the recoil period wasn’t successful, people will get psychiatric disorders classified under post traumatic stress disorders. This includes guilt, depression, panic, hyperactivity and anger.

Aggravating Factors- In the aftermath of a disaster various aggravating factors will deteriorate the psychological mindset of the individual and aggravate minor ailments. The major aggravating factors are hunger, thirst, fatigue and hypothermia. If the individual doesn’t cope with these factors it will lead him/her to lose hope and start behaving irrationally.

Coping Strategies- Learn beforehand what to do in case disaster strikes. In this way it will help you cope with any kind of psychological stress. For convenience I’ll divide coping strategies into six categories.

Training	People who are properly trained to know their environment and use their equipment have an understanding of what to expect in a survival situation. Adequate training and practice using your equipment will help you to function effectively.
Motivation	Known as "the will to survive," motivation involves a refusal to accept death, and to hang on to the belief that you were not meant to die under these conditions. It involves overcoming the emotional and physical discomforts of extreme conditions. Linked to motivation is the ability to establish goals, work out the steps to those goals, and to follow those steps through.
Attachment	One of the strongest motivating forces for survival is reuniting with the principal figures in your life. They are:- · Spouse · Parents · Children · Close friends
Hope	Never give up hope! Even if the situation is bad, always think positively that things will become better. It will help you ward off psychological trauma and get back to normalcy at a faster rate.
Acceptance	Accept whatever has happened and don’t let your feelings change to anger or frustration. Still never give up hope!
Helping others	Once you have returned to normalcy, help others cope with the stress by comforting them or providing first aid if necessary. Never panic! It is highly contagious!

Once you have trained yourself physically and mentally, you are good to go. Never think that the amount of prior preparation is always proportional to the length of the trip or the dangers present. Always expect surprises. Accidents can happen anywhere, be it an adventure or a family holiday. Carrying a cellphone with you helps a lot. And inform your close friends or family before you head out. Most of the accidents happen because of stubbornness. If things aren’t going according to plan, have the humility to accept defeat and try another day. But that should never stop you from taking small risks that add to the adrenaline rush, because as Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”

Live life as an adventure.