So we probably all remember Aron Ralston, who was hiking in Utah when he had an accident and spent 5 days with his arm pinned by a boulder; near death, he ultimately saved his own life by cutting off his arm and hiking out to find rescuers. There are innumerable stories of lost and injured hikers where one major commonality is that they failed to tell anyone where they were going, or when they should be expected back, etc...and their stories often don't end well.
Many people think this will never happen to them because they know better, or they have a lot of experience, or they have a lot of good "stuff"...or they've just always been lucky.
I hope that I know better, and I keep learning from experience (my own and that of others), I do have "stuff", and I've always been luckier than I deserve, but it's really easy to become complacent or lazy, or life marches on and we don't keep up with some changes like we should...changes to our bodies, or our habits, or even changes in our family & friend networks.
So I'm interested to know: When you go out hiking, be it for a dayhike or longer, what is your safety practice? I know that many people carry PLB's or satellite messenger devices, and of course 99% of us bring our smartphones with us and we depend on these devices -- but devices can & do fail in various ways, so do you have a safety plan in place other than an electronic device?
I've always had someone at home who knew where I was going, when I'd be back, etc...but my life has changed and I now live alone. I live in a different city than my daughter, and a different state than the rest of my family. I have friends & neighbors who live near by. So now when I go out -- even for just a day -- I will give a short FYI-type text to my daughter & friends ("Hey I've gone for a little hike out at....") and let them know when I plan to be back (and I notify them when I am back.) When I park at the trailhead, I leave a short note on the front seat that says which trail I took. If I'm going to be gone for more than a day, I'll leave a note on my kitchen table with information about where I've gone, and who can & should be contacted.
Curious to know what others do, and if there are suggestions for improvement.