Surviving the Night When You’re Stuck on the Trail | Get Out: A Guide to Adventure

Hi, my name is Timmy O'Neal, and I'm a climber and a kayaker, and we're gonna be talking about how to pull an all-nighter.

People wind up being stranded in the backcountry overnight when they get lost or they underestimate the amount of time that it's going to take them to accomplish their objective, and they wind up sleeping outside. If you find yourself in an all-nighter situation, immediately understanding where you are geologically and topographically will be important for your comfort and safety.

In reference to features that you want to be looking for, finding an area that is going to be protected from the wind is crucial. Finding water could be something that is quite important, depending upon when you ran out. One of the things is retaining your body heat. You want to have a barrier between your body and the ground.

One of the techniques that we use in climbing is to take the rope and coil it onto the ground, creating a mat. You shiver through the night, moving uncomfortably back and forth, foot to foot. Maybe you fall asleep for just a moment, and then you wake back up and you realize it's still dark, and it's gonna be a while longer.

Then you look over at your partner, and you realize that they're made of body heat right now. This represents an opportunity for the Alpine spoon. This is snuggling without any romantic inclination; this is simply taking one's body and applying it to another body.

The longer that you remain still, the colder your body will become. The alternatives would be to stand up and run in place, do jumping jacks, or practice isometric exercises where you fire your muscles. Essentially, what you'll be doing is rocking back and forth, desperately hoping for the Sun to rise.

So you've made it through the night. Now what you want to do is compose yourself, make sure that you gather all your belongings, and slowly make your way down to the trailhead.