The weather's warming up, the backcountry is calling, and there are some simple things you can do to prevent your next adventure from becoming a search-and-rescue mission.

Why it matters: More and more people get lost, injured or stranded in the backcountry every year because they failed to plan or didn't bring the right equipment.

The big picture: Backcountry rescue calls have increased sharply as more people seek remote outdoor experiences they see on social media, Christopher Van Tilburg, the Crag Rats Mountain Rescue medical director, told Axios.

• Up until about 2013, the organization responded to fewer than a dozen calls per year. Now they average around 50 rescue missions annually, primarily on Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge, as people chase that perfect selfie.

What they're saying: "They see it on social media, and they think, 'Oh, that's a cool trail,' and they go hike it, and they just didn't really research it very well," Van Tilburg said.

Zoom in: The most important thing you can bring with you on any outdoor adventure is knowledge.

🗺️ Know your route: Download a map to your phone and bring a paper map just in case. Check out recent reviews of the route on sites like AllTrails. Tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.

🩹 Know what you need: Bring the right amount of food and water (plus some extra, just in case) as well as a first aid kit. Having a way to communicate in places with no service is a big plus too.

🫣 Perhaps most importantly, know your limits: Outdoor adventures often involve testing personal boundaries, but understanding your capabilities is essential to staying safe.

The bottom line: Van Tilburg stressed that the Crag Rats are "happy to go help people" but you'll be happier if they don't have to.

💭 Your thought bubble: Have you gotten yourself into a sticky backcountry situation? Perhaps a sketchy encounter with an animal or a freak storm?

• Hit reply on this email or click here and tell us the story. We might use it in a future newsletter.

More backcountry safety tips

Portland had a strong showing at the James Beard Awards in Chicago last night, bringing home two of the culinary world's most prestigious honors.

Why it matters: Our city has been on a hot streak over the last few years, picking up big wins in heavy-hitter categories and cementing us as an innovative food city.

Driving the news: Scotch Lodge, the Central Eastside whisky-focused cocktail bar, won Outstanding Bar.

Tommy Klus opened Scotch Lodge in 2019 because he wanted top-shelf spirits to sit on the table beside high-quality Pacific Northwest food, blending the lines between fine dining and high-end cocktails..

• "We didn't feel like we wanted, or needed, to be either-or but to celebrate both," Klus told Axios last year.

What they're saying: "Portland deserves the recognition that it's been getting lately," bartender Nathan Beals told Axios after the win.

• "This is an amazing city with amazing food and amazing bars."

Ryan Roadhouse, chef-owner of Japanese fine dining restaurant Nodoguro, also took home the award for Best Chef — Northwest and Pacific.

• Roadhouse had been nominated nine times in the category in the past, and secured the award one year after relocating his reservation-only restaurant downtown.

Catch up quick: Roadhouse told Axios last year that he views his 20-plus course tasting menu as theatrical acts — introducing diners to a concept, like landscapes, and then advancing the story through shifting textures, flavors, temperatures and settings as they move through the space.

What he's saying: "I don't think we could have done this sort of restaurant, created this thing, anywhere else but Portland," Roadhouse told Axios after his win.

Tell a foodie

✌🏼 We don't know who the Blazers' head coach will be next season, but we know it won't be last season's interim leader, Tiago Splitter, who accepted a job coaching the Chicago Bulls. (The Oregonian)

🏊🏼 Oregon health officials reversed a controversial public pool supervision rule, clearing the way for thousands of Portland kids to swim this summer without an adult chaperone. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

🔥 Wildfire smoke from fires burning near Pendleton drifted into the Portland metro area yesterday, causing air quality to dip. (KGW)

🚨 District attorneys from the tri-county area sounded the alarm yesterday over the state's strained mental health system, warning new federal limits on Oregon State Hospital admissions could lead to more dismissed criminal cases. (KATU)

⚽️ While the Sports Bra seeks investors to fund a planned national franchise expansion, securities filings show declining revenue, million-dollar operating losses and warnings about its ability to continue without additional capital. (The Oregonian)

Picture this: You find the perfect house with a great yard and a welcoming front porch in an ideal neighborhood. But it's not for sale.

The website Unlisted gives you a shot nonetheless.

• Unlisted allows homeowners to gauge interest in their home even before they're ready to sell, and buyers can potentially get ahead of their competition by making their interest known.

How it works: The site features every property listed in the public record. Visitors can search for a house by address and place their name on a waitlist to be considered when the home hits the market.

• It's the modern version of leaving a note on the front porch.

Between the lines: A homeowner can search for their property, update the home's information and photos, and provide a potential timeline for when they may consider moving.

• They can also remove their home from the website completely.

Keep reading

I took a glass blowing class a couple weeks ago and have a whole new appreciation for artists like Rachel Escoe (who also happened to be our instructor).

• Over the course of a few very warm hours, we took lumps of clear glass, added color, then molded the molten medium into a couple very wonky cups and and some slightly less wonky ornaments.

I don't think I'll be taking it up as a full-time hobby anytime soon, but the class was great and would make a great gift for a crafty person in your life.