Before you leave · 2 min read
Tell someone the gate and the hour
Tell someone the gate and the hour. It belongs in the morning routine, next to a return call to a person who is not in the field. Decide it before you leave the truck.
At the truck
The order is plain. Name the gate, the truck, and the time you will call. Do not invent a second plan after you have walked in.
The slip
The usual slip is a plan that lives only on your phone's lock screen. That is a reason to pause, not a story to finish later.
The day is ready when someone else knows the gate and the hour. If permission, season, or safety is unclear, the walk does not start.
"Before you leave" is a checklist, not a trophy list. A return call to a person who is not in the field either passes the check or stays in the truck.
A field note, not legal advice. Check the season, the species rules, and whether you have permission to be on the land.