Hikers, prepare before you hit the trail

Each year, as the weather warms up, I often hear several search and rescue calls requested for hikers while listening to our police scanners at work.

Sometimes the calls are serious, with lifethreatening injuries or even death. But in other instances, hikers are OK but either lost, out of drinking water or — depending on the season — too cold or hot to continue.

“We’ve actually pulled people out of conditions where it was snowing, or there was snow on the ground, and they were wearing shorts and T-shirts,” said Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Dave Callen, who works as a rescue pilot.

Metro’s search and rescue unit responds to the trickiest of calls, often in locations that local fire crews and Bureau of Land Management rangers can’t reach. Their busiest seasons are spring and fall, when the weather is typically the best, Lt. Ken Delzer said.

During a tour of the unit’s helicopter hangar this week, Delzer stressed that hikers should do their best to be prepared, even if the weather is nice. As the valley saw Thursday, conditions can change quickly, and sometimes it can take hours for rescue crews to get to you.

“When you have a medical condition or something happens out there, we’re coming. We’re going to do all we can to get to you. But that could take a lot of time, depending on the position you’re in, the weather conditions,” Delzer said.

In some situations, injured hikers have been left in remote canyons overnight, until it’s safe for crews to rescue them. PLAN FOR CONDITIONS

Before you head out on a hike, you should know what conditions to expect. As Callen suggested, you should also wear weatherappropriate clothing.

No matter the time of day, bring flashlights — just in case.

Know where you’re going. Even if you’ve been on a trail before, verify that you know the way. You can get maps at visitor centers, or you can research trails online ahead of time.

A first-aid kit may VICE,