All great ideas, especially proper training. The one thing I will add, push the 911 button on a SPOT tracker. I'm not into the gadget thing but anyone who ventures off the beaten path needs to check one of these out. I was forced by family to start carrying one because I do a lot of solo trips deep into the Idaho, Montana etc wilderness'. Besides tracking your trail, thus providing your widow with quick closure with the insurance company, being able to send for help both 911 and non emergency, the subscription also comes with an optional emergency extraction insurance. Break a leg in a Southern Utah slot canyon and the fee to get you out could run as high as $20,000. And it happens, all too often. No...I'm not selling them but I sure do recommend them.