How and when did your interest in backpacking start to arise? How did you gain the knowledge and skills needed before you attempted your first hike?
I have always been an outdoorsy person. Growing up on a farm I spent most of my time outside. In the summers, my family always took a trip to the Algonquin Park area, a beautiful part of Ontario. I have hiked, kayaked, rock climbed and many other outdoor activities. I was a gymnast as a child as well. As an adult I also continued being active in the gym lifting weights and tumbling. I started hiking seriously again when my children were old enough for me to leave them alone for extended periods. I renewed my skills joining a few webinars about hiking knowledge and safety. Skills came while hiking with others and learning from them.
I have hiked all over British Columbia (BC) and Alberta in the Rocky Mountains, and in the Yukon. I live in BC and love the mountains here. Although the world has endless places to hike, so does home, Canada. I hike alone on day hikes and love the serenity; it can feel like a meditation. For overnights, I hike with a partner although many hikers do hike alone, I prefer to hike with others: safety in numbers.
In 2023 you began planning to backpack for 2 weeks in the Yukon. How far ahead of time did you start working towards this goal and what training and planning was essential to make sure you were ready for anything that arose?
Different people prefer different styles of camping, backcountry, front country, glamping. I love both front country or staying in a campsite with your car and all the amenities you need, and backcountry or hiking with everything you need in your backpack and leaving your car behind. I love backcountry trips as you can go for a long time without seeing anyone else and when you get to a beautiful spot, you are often the only person there. We have been the only campers at some campsites, which is an amazing feeling.
I hiked every weekend along with my regular activities until the trip was a few months away and then I tried to hike twice a week when I could. I found local hikes that mimicked the distance and elevation of the Yukon hikes that we had planned. The terrain underfoot would be different but at least I knew I could handle the elevation and distance of all the hikes I planned. I also carried more and more weight on those local hikes. I recommend this as hiking is one thing, hiking with 40lbs on your back is another.
As for planning, my hiking partner created the itinerary as it was his idea, and he knew what hikes he wanted to do. I had to buy a new bear canister as in the Yukon they have strict equipment guidelines. I didn’t need to buy much else as I already had my supplies, but I did need to organize them and figure out how to fit them all into my backpack, especially with the bear container which was bigger and heavier than I was used to. All my previous hikes I used bear bags and hung them at camp.
For a trip like this where you are far from home and probably won't have easy access to civilization, you must have to carry a lot of supplies. What all did you include in your backpack and how much did it end up weighing.
Even on day hikes, I carry the essentials. I don’t know how many times I have dug into my first aid kit to help someone else out or help a lost hiker with my navigational aids. I have also been hiking in the sunshine only to cross a ridge and find myself in a hailstorm. So always take the essentials! We had a satellite phone as well. Finally, I had my phone, and battery pack. Although there is no signal in backcountry, I ensure I can always charge my phone. I think my backpack was about 40 lbs.
10 Essentials: https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm
What are essential things to know about as you chose equipment? How do you find the right equipment for your build and skills - from shoes to backpacks?
No matter where you live in North America, you can find a camping supply store. We have a store called Mountain Equipment Coop and they know their products. Plus, the salespeople also hike and love the outdoors. They give the best advice. If you are new, find a resource you can trust and ask for help. That might be your more knowledgeable hiking buddy, or a store you trust, or a blogger who does the types of hikes you’d like to do.
The most essential thing to know as you choose your equipment is that anything can go wrong. You can go out on a sunny day and land up in a snowstorm in the Rocky Mountains. You can take a route that is no longer viable and get lost and have to contact rescue and wait for someone to find you, and that can take time. The weather can change in an instant, you can get lost, you can run into trouble with an animal, you can lose your equipment, your camp stove might not work. I once frightened a deer. Luckily it wasn’t a moose or bear, as the outcome might have been different. Or like me, you can fall and not be able to get up.
10 Essentials: https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm
What are essential things to know about as you chose equipment? How do you find the right equipment for your build and skills - from shoes to backpacks?
No matter where you live in North America, you can find a camping supply store. We have a store called Mountain Equipment Coop and they know their products. Plus, the salespeople also hike and love the outdoors. They give the best advice. If you are new, find a resource you can trust and ask for help. That might be your more knowledgeable hiking buddy, or a store you trust, or a blogger who does the types of hikes you’d like to do.
The most essential thing to know as you choose your equipment is that anything can go wrong. You can go out on a sunny day and land up in a snowstorm in the Rocky Mountains. You can take a route that is no longer viable and get lost and have to contact rescue and wait for someone to find you, and that can take time. The weather can change in an instant, you can get lost, you can run into trouble with an animal, you can lose your equipment, your camp stove might not work. I once frightened a deer. Luckily it wasn’t a moose or bear, as the outcome might have been different. Or like me, you can fall and not be able to get up.
Can you share about the emergency that arose just a few days into your hike. What plans were in place the helped bring in the help you needed as quickly as possible?
While hiking in Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon, I was crossing a boulder field and fell into the boulder field. My foot slipped, just like that. To this day I am still not sure if the rock tipped slightly or not; it happened so fast. I could hear my leg bone break. I put my good leg solidly on the ground and extracted my broken leg from the hole it was stuck in. Then I pulled myself onto the boulder I had just slipped off. I asked my hiking partner to take off my backpack and it was feeling leaden at that moment, and I couldn’t balance myself on the rock properly. Once I was free of the backpack, I settled on my side with my broken let resting on my good leg.
Then I said, call for help. By some fortunate coincidence, another hiker was passing by. He happened to be the father of a Yukon Park’s employee and could contact her directly through his satellite phone. This was the luckiest thing that could have happened; let me explain. When you carry a satellite phone you also pay for a service you can contact if you are in trouble.
Then I said, call for help. By some fortunate coincidence, another hiker was passing by. He happened to be the father of a Yukon Park’s employee and could contact her directly through his satellite phone. This was the luckiest thing that could have happened; let me explain. When you carry a satellite phone you also pay for a service you can contact if you are in trouble.
This is how that works:
You might be imagining that I was rescued quickly, and I was. It only took five hours for the helicopter to arrive. That is a short amount of time, believe it or not! You see, the rescue coordinator had to put a team together. She had to find a helicopter, with rescue abilities, and a pilot willing and able to fly right then. She had to find an off-duty ER doctor willing to join the team. She had to contact the Paramedic on duty and send them to the air pad with the ambulance. Then, she got back to us, and I had to agree that I would pay all rescue expenses out of pocket. Rescue isn’t free. Well, I could walk out on my own, so I had to agree!
What happened once you were airlifted back to civilization? How long did your recovery take?
They flew me back to the landing pad, put me in the ambulance and took me to a small facility with 2 emergency beds. I remember the ER doctor asking me if I had insurance while we were in the ambulance. Yes, I said. She and the paramedic let out a huge sigh of relief. Rescue is expensive and they were concerned about how I was going to pay for all this. Were they concerned about getting paid or about my finances, I don’t know. Maybe both?
At the small facility, they took an x-ray and saw that my leg was more than just broken. I had a spiral fracture that had broken my bone completely at the ankle and had broken the bone upwards as well, almost to my knee. I needed major surgery, and this small facility couldn’t do it. They arranged to transport me to a larger hospital by small plan the next morning. In the meantime, I was spending the night there. Whitehorse General is the largest hospital in the Yukon. The building is new, and the facilities and the team were outstanding. I spent a week there. Once I was stabilized, they allowed me to get on a commercial flight home.
I broke my leg in August. My goal was to walk again by the end of the year. I hit that goal, depending on your definition of walk again. My physiotherapy continued into the new year. I worked hard to get back on my feet and become independent again.
Will you return to backpacking in the future? What is the best advice you can offer to anyone interested in attempting to head into the back woods?
I have more backpacking in my future. The doctor suggests that I go slowly, do less in one day, carry less, and wear and ankle brace, when I am ready to hike. I did hike a bit the summer after I broke my leg, but I couldn’t go on a big trip. Maybe next summer. My big goal right now is to finish that trip in Tombstone Territorial Park, when I am ready.
- Contact your service.
- They figure out where you are.
- They figure out whose jurisdiction you are in.
- They figure out how to contact that jurisdiction’s rescue.
- They call and report that you need rescuing.
You might be imagining that I was rescued quickly, and I was. It only took five hours for the helicopter to arrive. That is a short amount of time, believe it or not! You see, the rescue coordinator had to put a team together. She had to find a helicopter, with rescue abilities, and a pilot willing and able to fly right then. She had to find an off-duty ER doctor willing to join the team. She had to contact the Paramedic on duty and send them to the air pad with the ambulance. Then, she got back to us, and I had to agree that I would pay all rescue expenses out of pocket. Rescue isn’t free. Well, I could walk out on my own, so I had to agree!
Once all that was in place, the team had to get to the air pad, do all the safety checks, log their flight plan and all the other details that are involved in lifting that giant machine off the ground.
While the rescue was being put together, my hiking partner and the kind gentleman wedged some warm clothing under me, wrapped me up in my emergency blanket, and gave me some Tylenol and Advil. While we waited, we chatted about our childhoods: Christmas’, and birthdays past. That might sound odd but keeping engaged distracted me from my predicament. I had no control over what was happening to me so best to do what I could to remain calm and keep my breathing regular. I know that panic and emergencies don’t go well together and can make things worse. So, I remained calm.
Finally, the helicopter came over a ridge. Then flew right passed us. And then disappeared. Then, they passed us again and disappeared. They could not see us! We were all in browns and greens, I realized. I suggested my partner use his emergency blanket to get their attention. The helicopter flew over the ridge toward us again. My partner waved the silver reflective emergency blanket. The helicopter immediately turned and came straight for us. Rescue was here!
But the sun was setting so they had to move fast. The ER doctor gave me more pain medication. They set up the stretcher. The pilot then picked me up and carried me to the stretcher. They secured my leg, put me in the helicopter and we took off immediately. You see, the pilot had to be out before sunset. If we had used our satellite phone, rescue would have taken a lot longer than five hours. I would have spent the night out there. My partner and I talked through what we would have done if that had been the case. I was glad it didn’t come to that.
Finally, the helicopter came over a ridge. Then flew right passed us. And then disappeared. Then, they passed us again and disappeared. They could not see us! We were all in browns and greens, I realized. I suggested my partner use his emergency blanket to get their attention. The helicopter flew over the ridge toward us again. My partner waved the silver reflective emergency blanket. The helicopter immediately turned and came straight for us. Rescue was here!
But the sun was setting so they had to move fast. The ER doctor gave me more pain medication. They set up the stretcher. The pilot then picked me up and carried me to the stretcher. They secured my leg, put me in the helicopter and we took off immediately. You see, the pilot had to be out before sunset. If we had used our satellite phone, rescue would have taken a lot longer than five hours. I would have spent the night out there. My partner and I talked through what we would have done if that had been the case. I was glad it didn’t come to that.
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| Photo taken by Melody while lying injured to distract herself |
What happened once you were airlifted back to civilization? How long did your recovery take?
They flew me back to the landing pad, put me in the ambulance and took me to a small facility with 2 emergency beds. I remember the ER doctor asking me if I had insurance while we were in the ambulance. Yes, I said. She and the paramedic let out a huge sigh of relief. Rescue is expensive and they were concerned about how I was going to pay for all this. Were they concerned about getting paid or about my finances, I don’t know. Maybe both?
I broke my leg in August. My goal was to walk again by the end of the year. I hit that goal, depending on your definition of walk again. My physiotherapy continued into the new year. I worked hard to get back on my feet and become independent again.
Will you return to backpacking in the future? What is the best advice you can offer to anyone interested in attempting to head into the back woods?
I have more backpacking in my future. The doctor suggests that I go slowly, do less in one day, carry less, and wear and ankle brace, when I am ready to hike. I did hike a bit the summer after I broke my leg, but I couldn’t go on a big trip. Maybe next summer. My big goal right now is to finish that trip in Tombstone Territorial Park, when I am ready.
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| Taken on a previous trip |
If you are thinking of heading into backcountry, take the time to learn the skills you need to survive. Take courses, ask questions, hike with more experienced hikers, and do your research. And take your essentials, even on a day hike. And if you are taking a trip, get insurance. Rescue can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and you don’t want to pay for that out of pocket.
Links -
Links -
- 10 Essentials - https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm
- Author Nation - https://authornationtube.com/
- Nutritious Truth - https://nutritioustruth.com/
- Personal Interview with Melody - www.oliobymarilyn.com/2021/01/interview-with-melody-owen-storyteller.html
- COVID & Entrepreneurship Interview with Melody -www.oliobymarilyn.com/2020/04/entrepreneurs-and-covid-19-interview_17.html
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