The internationally-recognised distress signal is SOS, which is associated with the phrase “Save Our Souls”, where “soul” refers to a human life rather than a spiritual condition. To this day, a ship or aircraft crew and passenger manifest refers to “souls (lives) on board”. SOS is expressed in the Morse code equivalent of its three letters, which are •••———•••  (i.e. three dots / three dashes / three dots) and pronounced “dit-dit-dit-dah-dah-dah-dit-dit-dit”. There are no spaces or pauses in this sequence.

SOS can be used with any signalling method: a Morse code key; a signalling mirror; a light source; whistle blasts; tapping objects together; etc. The letters SOS can also be written on the ground using any available material such as rocks, logs, contrasting vegetation and even clothing or equipment. As a word, SOS is an ambigram, meaning that it can be read from any direction.

Most modern backpacks are sold with a survival whistle fitted to them, so it is worth noting some additional whistle signals. A survival whistle is supposed to be capable of producing a sound of at least 100 decibels in loudness. Even so, at a distance in the Natal Drakensberg, this is easily overwhelmed by the background sounds of flowing water, rain, wind and bird song. Do not expect the sound to travel much more than 200 metres except in the stillest of conditions, like on a ridge on a calm night. It can also be very difficult to determine the direction from which a whistle blast is coming, and signals may be thwarted by echoes, especially in narrow valleys.

You can still use the SOS signal with a whistle, but three successive blasts, each lasting about 3 seconds, can be used instead and indicates an emergency as in “I need help!” (3 words). A single 3 second blast can be used to draw attention as in “Stop!” or “Listen!”(one word). Two successive 3-second blasts indicate that “I’m fine” (2 words).

For example, if you are looking for someone, you would use a single 3-second blast, and they would either reply with two successive 3-second blasts if they are OK, or three successive 3-second blasts if they need help. It is important to allow sufficient time between each set of blasts (15 to 30 seconds) to carefully listen for a response.

South Africa does not have the sophisticated emergency response capability of most First World countries, so Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and Satellite Messengers are of little use in the Natal Drakensberg unless they are used in commercial guiding operations which are capable of supporting these themselves.

Small pencil flare kits can be carried by hikers, but they are quite pricey and most carry an expiry date of three years from the date of manufacture. Handheld flares (also expiry-dated) may consist of a tube whose one end fires a red emergency flare, while the other end functions as a stationary smoke generator. The smoke is particularly useful to rescue pilots who can use it to gauge wind speed and direction. These options are all quite heavy and bulky and not really suited to backpacking. Flares may also start a runaway veld fire. However, if you are a boater and have some on hand, you may want to take them with you on your hikes.

A signal mirror is a compact, multi-use tool worth including in your kit, but you need to know how to use one and – of course – they only work in direct sunlight.