Trail Safe: How to Avoid Danger in the Backcountry

by Michael Bane

In this landmark book, the first of its kind in outdoor literature, author Michael Bane examines personal safety in the outdoors. He describes a relationship between awareness, intuition, and fear that, when fully understood, can both enhance our relationship with the wild and help keep us secure. TRAIL SAFE grew out of Bane's unique background, which in addition to extensive time in the backcountry, includes the martial arts, firearms competition and training, a stint as a guest terrorist at Ft. Benning running simulations against police SWAT teams and ten years in the high-risk sports arena. Bane has climbed 20,000 foot mountains, explored flooded caves as one of the small number of certified cave divers in the world, climbed frozen waterfalls, raced mountain bikes downhill at speeds of more than 60 miles per hour, skydived, para-sailed, scuba dived to the dark world at depths of 300 or more feet, bicycled across Death Valley in July and the Iditarod Trail in Alaska in February, pitched kayaks off 3-story waterfalls and other breath-taking adventures. Those adventures were chronicled in yet another landmark book, OVER THE EDGE, which caused the Wall Street Journal to exclaim, How did Michael Bane become the George Plimpton from Hell? Bane has been featured in media around the world telling his story. My checkered career has allowed me to bring some original thinking to the whole issue of personal defense, says Bane, who is the Producer and Host of the hit OUTDOOR CHANNEL series THE BEST DEFENSE and SHOOTING GALLERY. Mindset is our most important tool in personal defense, and TRAIL SAFE is aimed at helping you understand and use that tool. An important aspect of TRAIL SAFE is that its information is accessible. A lot of times the information you need to remain safe in the back country or even in your homes is hidden in jargon, nonsense buzz words or obscure journals, says Bane. My goal was to take real-life lessons and present them in an easy-to-understand, logical format. Perhaps the most important lesson of TRAIL SAFE is a better awareness of the world around you not only makes you safer, but enhances your enjoyment of that world. I live in the Rocky Mountains, says Bane, and every day I'm amazed at the richness it has to offer a person. TRAIL SAFE helps you embrace that richness while understanding the risks. To me, that's the opposite of fear.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ben Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short yet incredibly valuable book that should be required reading for anyone that ever spends any time in the backcountry, but also anyone that travels solo or even just walks through their city/town. Not the most fun read but it starts to open your eyes to how you interact with people and the environment around you so that you can be more conscious, deliberate, and of course safe, in your actions.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, quick read with some helpful reminders and some new information. I liked the color-coded awareness system to reprogram my brain to pay attention to fear in an effective way. Useful in wilderness, but also anywhere else!

[Victoria C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trail wisdom

Great advice not just for trail safety but also for staying street smart in today’s world. Updated from the original. Timeless advice! Highly recommended for ALL!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you spend any significant time in the outdoors, whether that means short walks through the park or weeks in the wilderness, this is a must read. You owe it to yourself to reassess the way you approach your personal safety in potentially threatening situations and environments.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty easy read. I think it helped me realize that I already have some pretty good intuition, and I need to listen to it. There are some good tips about how to stay safe on the trail, or anywhere else.