Backcountry Safety, Wildlife, Wildfire, Rescue, and Evacuation Preparedness

The September 28 nighttime Navy helicopter rescue of three lost Big Sur hikers, four recent Washington hiking deaths, a PCT storm rescue using a Garmin inReach SOS, and The Enchantments’ serious snow, terrain, and fatality warnings reinforce conservative route choices, navigation discipline, insulation, weather and water-level judgment, and official-closure checks. New cold-weather advice offers only a basic clean-and-dry sleep-layer reminder; no independently verified rescue development changes the need to stress realistic self-rescue and turnaround thresholds.