Before you leave for your trip, make sure to tell a relative, friend, or neighbor, exactly where you plan to be and the length of your anticipated stay. Carry a well-charged cell phone with you, and a GPS location device if you have it. It’s also a good idea to carry a whistle. You may have the need to alert someone in the area if you run into trouble, human or otherwise.  Make sure you have emergency water and a food supply (power or protein bars are compact and easy to store), and that you carry them with you if you leave your base camp area.