Do you file a "trip plan"?

[Old Hickory]

I do. Every trip.

My wife is not a hiker (unless you count trips to Macy's) , so I'm largely a solo hiker. Before I leave I fill out a standardized Word document that I have and leave with her, as she would have no clue what to do if I went overdue from a trip.

My doc has 3 sections:

• Directions to the trailhead where I will park, along with a description of my car and tag number
• My hiking plan, and any bailout options
• A list of emergency numbers for the area (Forest Service, ranger, county sheriff, etc)

Since I usually hike the Sipsey or Pinhoti, what I do is have directions to the various trail heads as well as the emergency numbers for the different counties saved on my computer (Solo's Pinhoti Guide is great for this!). When it's time to fill out the doc, I just cut and paste the appropriate trail head directions and contact numbers, then write a brief description of my hike.

I can usually produce a fairly detailed and organized one sheet trip plan in about 15 minutes. I then save a copy, so the next time I head up to Thompson Creek to hike to the Big Tree, I just print out the sheet from the last time I went and I'm done.

Hopefully it will never get used, but if I should get into trouble, it would save the authorities from having to listen to my wife tell them - "He's out in the woods somewhere. Where? How should I know?" 

[WolfVanZandt]

Aye. I let the office know where I'm going to be and give them a phone number for the campground I stay at (I don't do cell phones).

[Joshua Szulecki]

I generally do leave directions to the trailhead and a general idea of where I'm going, along with emergency numbers, with a family member before I leave on any backcountry stuff. If I'm just going somewhere short I just say where I'm going and tell them to write it down. Since I'm rarely in the same state as my family, I also leave a note on my desk, incase they have to fly/drive down to talk to authorities and forget the note.

[montysano]

I locate my destination on Google Maps, using the Terrain feature.  Then print the screen to PDF and make notations as to where I'm parking and where I'm hiking.

[auwesman]

Good points here.  I'm gonna steal some of them.  I usually write down word for word what she would need to tell the authorities. "He is in the Cheha wilderness.  He started at Turnipseed and headed west to the shelter ...." so on and so forth.  To her it is complete gibberish, but I let her know if she reads it word for word they will know where to look.  She is also a "Macy's" hiker.  I'm pretty sure when I tell her I'm going up the pinhoti, she thinks I'm in TN 
Some great ideas on these posts to expand from.

[Lostsheep]

You betcha. Too many chances of something going amiss - even for an experienced hiker.

- I leave a map of my general route that is planned, with bailout locations noted.
- I leave gps coordinates of highlights that I plan on seeing along the way (if I have them).
- I leave the address/phone number of the closest ranger station, closest hospital, and sherrif/police station.
- I leave a copy of my trip plan in the glove box of my truck.
- I leave an address/gps of the parking lot w/ vehicle description

I also tell my wife a time table of when I should be heading out of the woods. We have a 2 hour window on that time table. If she hasn't heard from me, she is to call my cell and check in. An hour after that, she's supposed to call the local authorities.

I also email a copy of the trip plan to someone other than my wife just so more people have it. Safety in numbers.

[Joshua Szulecki]

I do something similar to Lostsheep's time window, but I do it differently. Rather than having a window, I tell my emergency contact a time which I know is an hour later than I'd ever be later than, even if I got lost for a while, even if I limped back, even if I went somewhere extra, etc... Usually I'd set this at 9-10PM for Sipsey, based on previous hikes and the 1.25h drive back to B'ham, but for most trips I set it based on travel time and what I'm doing. If I don't call by that time, my contact should check my cell and home numbers, and then is supposed to report me missing with the local authorities immediately, no hesitation.

[Lesley]

Wow, I'd better never get lost. I leave very little info. I tell my house sitter and a family member: where I'm going (Bankhead), for how long (a few nights), and what day is acceptable to call the police if I haven't made contact (because sometimes you just want to stay a day or two longer). Then I call as soon as I get service back in the real world and grill out for the house sitter.

[McDowra]

My bride and I always let someone know where we are going,  if it is just us going. Although most times we have another couple that goes with us, and then we are less likely to make it a point to tell someone.