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| 'Faster' group waiting for the others to arrive |
On 21 June, MNSSB Pathfinders brought hikers to Setia Alam as part of the SACF workout exercise. One key purpose was to retrace the "batman" route — an earlier recce and route setup done by Jimmy — that resulted in the creation of a GPS tracklog that visually resembles a bat. It is a loop format covering about 5 km over approximately 3 hours, with a modest elevation gain of less than 250 metres.
More importantly, the hike was an opportunity for Pathfinders to coach everyone on the continuous buddy system — an extension of the common buddy system, and the heart of this write-up. The conventional buddy system pairs hikers to walk alongside each other, with pairings of more than two also being common. The continuous buddy system takes this further by equipping the team with the know-how to manage group movement throughout a trek — whether short or long — to help prevent anyone from getting lost. (Refer to the full September 2020 Pencinta Alam newsletter write-up at the bottom of this page.)
How the Continuous Buddy System Works
For short hikes, the goal is to keep everyone grouped together as a "group buddy" moving as one unit. Here is how it works:
- Everyone moves together, generally in a single file. It is natural for some hikers to move faster or slower, and breaks in the line will happen.
- When the line breaks, the front and back teams need to rejoin promptly.
- Every hiker must stay aware of who is directly in front and directly behind them.
- The moment the back team notices a break, the lead person must signal the front — either by shouting "stop" or "wait", or by blowing a whistle twice. (A whistle is preferred as sound travels further and cuts through river and waterfall noise better.)
- The rear person of the front breakaway team then signals the leader to halt and guides the back team forward; if necessary, they backtrack to locate the separated group.
- Once reunited, the team is whole again — no one is left behind.
During the hike, there were a couple of instances where the slower team detached from the chain, and the system was called into action. It worked. We encourage all hikers — not just within MNS — to adopt this continuous buddy system.
Applying It on Multi-Day or High-Mountain Treks
One may ask: what about multi-day hikes on high mountains deep in the forest, with long trails and many forked routes? The same principle applies, but with a more nuanced approach. For larger groups on demanding terrain, it is common practice to have 'fast' and 'slow' subgroups, each with their own guide. Within each subgroup, the continuous buddy system is applied independently. The broader buddy system protocols — as detailed in the full write-up below — complement the rest.
A Call to All Hikers
We have seen too many incidents of hikers getting lost. This system has been proven to work. If you found this useful, please share it widely — with beginner and seasoned hikers alike.
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Reference #1: 2020 September Pencinta Alam newsletter (screenshot)
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Reference #2: 2020 September Pencinta Alam newsletter (text)
In my last article Getting Lost in the Forest - Can It Be Avoided? in Pencinta Alam newsletter, I had mentioned ‘buddy system’ as one of the practical pointers for not getting lost.
We hear the term often during hikes - day or overnight trips. It is easy to understand, and it means during the hike, to walk alongside with a buddy. However, we still hear cases of people and friends who got lost during hikes irrespective of distance, in a community park or large, raw forest and even during broad daylight. In a recent incident, two hikers got separated during their hike at a mountain above 7,000 feet high. The buddy system was not followed and little attempts were made to rejoin.
So what is the real deal with buddy system? Who is a buddy?
A buddy does not necessarily mean it has to be a friend. It may be an acquaintance, another hiker from the group not yet introduced, or even a complete stranger. In fact, anyone can be a hiking buddy. A family member is usually a buddy, but we can be a buddy with somebody else - it does not matter as long as the person is NOT alone. A buddy system is made up of two persons or more and it can be even made up of a team of five persons, for example.
A buddy does not mean the person must be physically right next to you; it can some five metres away as long as the person is visible and is aware that you are in front or at the back. A person who is entirely on his own is deemed not to be in a buddy system.
Why do we need a buddy system?
There are many hikers who are capable to do solo hikes. There are even more hikers who think they can do solo hikes but in reality they are not yet up to par in terms of experience.
We need buddies to look out for each other as accidents and injuries may happen (trips, falling branches), wildlife attacks (snakes, bees), and health issues (heart attack, heatstroke). And, not forgetting one more big reason - getting LOST! This means, by trekking solo and not informing anyone, no one will know your whereabouts, and you may also not know of the whereabouts of the others.
In most cases, trekking solo without a buddy does not present an immediate dangerous scenario. There are many local, solo hikers who trek at their regular hills in their vicinity and on their usual routes.
Types of buddy system
From my years of trekking experience, I observed a couple of styles. One assigned, and one natural.
Assigned means a buddy is automatically assigned or paired i.e. they are teamed up as a sub group, and this is very useful in long hikes e.g. multi-day camping trips. Family members are automatically buddied up; members from the same personal transport too, so that when they exit together, no one needs to wait to access the vehicle for change of clothes and so on. They can also be paired based on food sharing and rations - there are various styles. Assigned does not mean it has to be in written form. Mutual understanding is sufficient.
Natural selection is the other. Friendship sometimes is formed naturally through hiking with people. During trekking, in their communication, they may find a common interest and before you know it, you have hiked the entire journey with a buddy! At a long trail, many subgroups are common. It is a valid buddy system.
Why is buddy system sometimes difficult to follow? What complicates it?
Hiking ego is always present - overestimation of self capability that he or she is self sufficient and is able to trek alone independently irrespective of trekking skill levels. The thinking must be set right before the hike. The right thinking must stem from the fact that hiking is never a competition and there is no reason not to stick along with buddies - there is no prize for reaching the finishing line first.
Another reason is level of fitness. For example, when pace is significantly different. It is difficult for someone who is always trekking fast to slow down and vice-versa it is difficult for the slow hikers to cope with the quick ones. A breakaway may be necessary; and ideally the person reattaches to another buddy whose pace is rather similar. This too is a common behaviour. In some cases, many would think being very fit, they can be anywhere. But this is a misconception. Fitness is only a fraction of survival experience, which encompasses skills like building shelter, looking for water and food, creating heat, overnight in the raw, and navigational skills, and most of all, teamwork and cohesiveness.
Miscommunication and wrong assumption about the location. A couple of things can go wrong here, from giving wrong turning directions or bearing, to assuming the buddy is on the right route. This usually happens during a breakaway transition (moving out of the existing pair to join another pair) and during intermittent breaks and rests. When the person is tired, the checks are often missed out. Calling out is the simplest way to gather up as a matter of ensuring the team sticks together. A whistle is a great tool for team movement, and for survival and emergency [this will be covered in the next write-up].
Physical terrain: Many times hikers are misled (while they are indeed in a buddy system) and they think that they are on the right trail. A person is ‘lost’ as soon as he or she misses the sight of the person in front or at the back and took a wrong direction, for example, supposedly to take a right turn but instead hiked straight ahead, and no call to broadcast position has been made. A safe distance in a buddy system is one where visibility is maintained. If this visibility is broken, the buddy system is impaired and wrong trekking decisions may be made.
In many professionally organised events, the organiser requires everybody to start together although they may not end together. The hike is preceded by a safety briefing. Some simple rules require no one to overtake the guide or leader, the assigned or volunteer sweeper ensures he or she is the last person or team, and facilitators/crew members are in between, depending on overall team size. When one batch has rested enough and the next batch arrives to rest, the earlier batch can start off, with buddy system intact in this team movement technique.
How to improve on the buddy system? Is it awkward to request a buddy? What can you do?
Buddy system is more of common sense and not a cast-in-stone instruction. There are no rules and it is always in a flux. It is for us to adapt to it. It is more psychology than mechanical. There are several ways we can do to encourage and improve upon the buddy system.
- If you are alone and are not feeling safe, simply request to tag along. Usually, fellow hikers do not reject. I had been asked few times if they could follow me (peaks and waterfalls) - they were first timers to the area.
- If you are ahead and needed to hike alongside someone, you can wait for those behind to arrive and then join them.
- If you want to break away from the current team and join another, be sure to make it visibly known so that that both parties are aware; or just announce it.
- Always be observant of who is in front of you and who is at the back. This is part of situational awareness. One critical capability is the ability to focus and not get distracted where there are other groups in the trail - if you lose that focus, you may detach from your buddy or team and instead go with others!
- When your sub group leaves, always do a quick check on the headcount and the buddies in the team before moving out to ensure no one is left behind.
- As soon as you loose visibility of your buddy either the one in front or at the back, you will need to catch up or wait, or call out/whistle to broadcast your position and call for attention.
- If you are tired, you can join the sweeper as the last team.There are many instances the last team comes out late at night with their headlamps on and yet they are all in one piece.
- If you are an experienced trekker, and you have a beginner in your group, it is then time for you to educate the person on the buddy system.
So there you go. The more you practise the buddy system, overtime, it becomes second nature. I will leave with this quote—"In hiking, the journey is primary, destination is secondary."
