In the thick of it

• Be patient, because your top speed will rarely exceed one-quarter to one-half of your normal uphill pace. You'll only waste energy or get hurt trying to go faster.
• Look for game trails, which often offer easier walking and sometimes take you to a critical junction, like a pass, a route through cliffs, or a stream crossing.
• If you're in bear country, make lots of noise, stop often to look and listen, and change course if you spot fresh bruin sign.
• Look for a creekbed: It might be the clearest path (see "Up The Creek" in sidebar at right).
• Beware of terrain traps. Don't let easier going (to escape the brush) lead you into ravines or down the wrong sides of hills. Stick to ridgelines when possible.
• Be flexible about how you attack obstacles. Sometimes contouring around a ravine is better than sliding downhill and scrambling back up the other side. It all depends on the density of the brush, steepness, the firmness of the terrain, and your scrambling abilities.
• If you're hiking with a group, spread out so you'll have a better chance of stumbling across a game trail, but keep each other within sight or sound.
• If you have to punch through an occasional wall of brush, back through pack-first to save your face.