Survival

Long-lasting Covid symptoms can affect your hiking performance at high elevations. Here's how to prepare.

The "Ten Essentials"—ten items supposedly necessary for a safe hike—are a widely-accepted dogma in backpacking. But new research adds to the narrative.

When campfires are allowed, it's important to know how to light them—and how to put them out.

Amber Kohnhorst was hundreds of miles from her nearest friend when she fell down a cliff and broke her back.

Floods, falls, ornery wildlife: Find out if you have what it takes to survive a desert dayhike gone wrong.

Humans have been starting fires without matches longer than with them. Can our modern man measure up?

Stay safe and move efficiently on loose, steep terrain with these tips.

'Marking your territory' to keep bears away from your tent may seem like a smart idea. The reality: It does more harm than good.

A heart-stopping bolt hits one hiker and levels a group of his friends who then fight to resuscitate him.

From a leaky tent to a bout of hypothermia, these misadventures left us wiser in the end.

Did ranger Randy Morgenson succumb to disaster or despair?

A survey of more than 700 John Muir Trail thru-hikers gave researchers insight into what makes a hiker more likely to get injured or ill while backpacking.

If you get lost while hiking, you need to how to find your footing and reconnect with your group up the trail.

Running into danger to save others is a noble urge. But curb it: A hurt rescuer is worse than no rescuer at all.

They survived and celebrate their "second birthday" every year.

A post making its way through several social media channels has misleading advice, according to SAR officials.

And what to do when you see an injured hiker on the trail.

When his brother turned back a few miles into their overnight hike, Jacob Velarde decided to continue solo. It was a mistake.

When his brother turned back a few miles into their overnight hike, Jacob Velarde decided to continue solo. Then, he fell.

Warm summers mean more snakes, and more people outside mean more encounters. Here's what to do if you get bitten.

For decades, hikers have debated the benefits of filters. Here's where we land.

Where there’s a blade, there’s a way. Use these techniques to carve, chop, scrape, and signal your way out of trouble.

These new map overlays will help you safely plan your hikes around fire season.

The solo hiker used the deterrent and escaped with relatively minor injuries.

Summer is hot. The desert is hotter. Hiking unprepared could cost you your life.

Tempted to go full Bear Grylls? We set the record straight on the pros and cons (mostly cons) of drinking your own urine.

In June of 2020, Jeremy Humphrey used his intimate knowledge of his local mountain range to rescue a missing hiker.

Grizzly and black bears have killed five people in North America over the last five months. Is this cause for concern?

You think climbing Rainier is tough? Try it carrying wounds from a war, then see who you pity.

Running in the heat is tough—but sometimes, it's flat-out dangerous. Here's what the science says about keeping yourself safe while you train.

In a wilderness emergency, the tiniest details can be a matter of life and death. After a pair of accidents leave one one young adventurer injured and another deceased, Hayden Seder ponders the difference a stroke of luck can make.

Courtney Henderson, 19, and Gavin Caruso, 23, fell 50 feet during a storm in June of 2020. Only one survived.

Despite warnings, rules, and common sense, tourists in Yellowstone keep approaching bears and bison.

What went wrong, and what we can all learn from the tragedy at the Yellow River Stone Forest 100K.

After Jacob Velarde fell 50 feet while on a solo hike, he could hardly move, let alone hike out.

These silent stalkers are the stuff of solo hikers' nightmares—but you need not worry.

When a flash flood raged through Havasupai in 2008, it would change the canyon forever—and their lives.

You might not know this about lightning—don't put yourself at risk.

In June of 2020, Courtney Henderson and Gavin Caruso fell more than 50 feet down a mountainside. They were trapped, bleeding, and a storm was raging overhead. But help was on the way.

Bear spray is a weapon, created to fend off one of the planet’s biggest predators. So you’d be surprised how many people think that they're supposed to spray it on themselves.

Matt Dyer thought he would be lucky to see a polar bear on his trip to Canada's Torngat Mountains National Park. As it turned out, he did see one—from closer than he ever expected.

Bag, can, or locker? Here's what you'll need to use to keep your food safe from bears.

Strange noises outside your tent keeping you up at night? Learn to cope with your fear of bears.

Bear attacks on humans are exceedingly rare—but they do happen.

Can you eat a bear? Well, there's "can," and there's "should."

Sometimes, there's a lesson in tragedy. There certainly is here.

Ultrarunner Jeremy Humphrey could move effortlessly through the mountains. But when a hiker went missing in his home range, he decided to put his skills to a higher use.

In the wake of a devastating accident, a thru-hiker reflects on perseverance, community, and not letting go of his PCT dreams.

Check out Louisa Albanese's author page.

Bear Safety Gear for Every Scenario

Sudden diet changes can leave backpackers in an uncomfortable situation.

Check out Louisa Albanese and Zoe Gates's author page.

That shiny sheet of plastic you have wadded up at the bottom of your daypack can help you stay alive. Will it help you stay comfortable? That’s a different story.

They’re slithery, occasionally venomous, and many hikers’ worst nightmare. Learning to coexist with these reptiles just takes a little knowledge.

Humans are notoriously bad at judging risk—and in the backcountry, that can screw up your priorities in a big way. Get them straight with this advice from our trail-tested team.

Taylor Gibler, 26, barreled towards frozen peril after stumbling on Mt. Baker in June of 2020.

Think before you throw.

Pam Bales’ solo hike in October 2010 turned into a daring rescue of a fellow hiker. But she was left with more questions than answers.

Minko Nikolov, 32, suffered a near-fatal lightning strike while scouting a bouldering objective in Rocky Mountain National Park in August 2019.

From bear encounters to first aid, these safety tips will help you manage the unexpected in the backcountry.

When Shaina Maytum was 21, a slip in the desert left her broken, alone, and unable to move.

Are bears dangerous? Not if you plan ahead. Learn to stay safe in bear country with these tips from researcher Tom Smith.

The thru-hiking community knew that "Sovereign" was bad news. Why wasn't anyone able to stop him?

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

It’s the job of some captive bruins in Montana to destroy coolers and garbage cans—all in the name of keeping people safe in bear country.

Of all the risks of hiking a long trail, running into a dangerous person is one of the least likely. But as our next story shows, you never know exactly what–or who–is coming down the trail.

An unexpected rescue leads to many unanswered questions in the latest episode of Out Alive.

Four professional avalanche forecasters share their tips and gear picks for staying safe on a backcountry ski tour.

Falling rock leaves a hiker injured and trapped miles from help in the latest episode of Out Alive.

Four climbers struggle to survive as they face life-threatening conditions in the alpine.

Mountaineers Yevgeniy Krasnitskiy (39), Vasily Aushev (35), Constantin Toporov (37), and Rus Khasbulatov (33) survived a days-long storm on Mt. Rainier in June 2019.

After a fall while climbing a remote Alaskan peak, Malcolm Daly found himself gravely injured and miles from help.

A misstep in Zion traps a hiker in the mud in the season 2 premiere of Out Alive.

The solitude of a winter night beckons. But will our writer’s attempts to stay warm be a roaring success or a sputtering failure?

Ryan Osmun, 35, took a wrong step while hiking in Zion National Park in February and spent 10 hours stuck in the mud.