ctdonath
Member
Seems I've got more survival gear in my small computer bag than he bothered to take.
I don't mean to detract from the anxiety, stress, discomfort and risk he went through. Being lost - even for a few minutes - is really disconcerting, making one painfully aware of human fragility and error. I could easily do the same thing.
But like others, I can't avoid plunging in with commentary here.
Did anyone else notice the ironic name of the area? "Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness"?!? Name alone would get me to grab another pound of gear.
The "two-day solo elk hunt" sounds like he must have planned on spending the night in the truck, or in a tent stashed therein. Gun, map ... and apparently nothing else as he plunged into the woods. No intent of being farther from the truck than he was willing to drag an elk - which presumably wasn't far.
Waiting for rescuers is a correct solution to the problem. However, people tend to way underestimate how long it takes for someone to notice your absence, grow concerned enough to call authorities, pester authorities often enough to make them take notice, authorities to figure out what's wrong, formulate a plan of action, assemble & equip the search team, transport to the area, and only then actually start looking for the needle (you) in the haystack (square miles of rank wilderness) - all convoluted by the fact that there's a lot of where you're not supposed to be but likely are. That's a long time between "I'm lost" and "we found you", magnified by you painfully aware of every second passing.
Mistakes:
- Inadquate map. Don't just take a map of where you're going, take maps of where you might end up. Battery powered ones don't cut it.
- No compass. Doesn't actually say he didn't have one, but if you've gone off the map you likely have a decent idea of which side you fell off, and thus which direction to go to get back on it.
- No shelter. There's enough stuff on the forest floor to at least pile up for insulation and crawl under. There's usually enough light (even without fire or flashlight) at night to do at least that.
- No light. Even a cheesy little LED keyfob would be better than nothing.
- No fire. No matches, lighter, flint. No skill in fire by friction. The best thing about a fire for keeping you warm is not the heat from the fire, but the heat from keeping active getting fuel for the fire. Other than cooking, fire may not actually be that actually helpful for survival, but psychologically it works wonders and can be critical for signalling.
Understandable:
- First night particularly sucked. Most people would likely act on an expectation of getting found and getting out before dusk ... so it's only at dusk that one realizes it's time to hunker down for the night, with little time to do so comfortably.
- Didn't eat squirrels. "Tiny pine squirrels" frankly sound like a lot of work for not much food. Don't waste the ammo on "fun sized" appetizers.
- Ate snow. A debatable action for sure, but no apparent harm done. Psychologically helps to put something in your mouth periodically. Sucking on a small rock is probably better, sorta like gum.
- Wolves. Nothin' you can do about 'em. Short of actually being attacked by one, you probably won't see them, much less shoot one.
Done right:
- Stayed in place. Hard to find a moving target. Settled in long enough for rescuers, if any, to do their thing.
- Rescued self. After allowing a sufficient search-and-rescue period, got self out before sitting 'round got debilitating.
My own frequent "I know better" mistakes:
- No map. On a trail, how could I get lost? Oh, like that.
- Lousy footwear. Recently moved, can't find my boots, hike in leather sandals. Get boots, ctd!
- Not informing others. Recently moved, don't know anyone to tell, usually hike with wife. Email friends/family - somebody should know.
While not in optimal shape, hiking that far in a few days is entirely doable.
Scary that asking the question is viable today. People used to do half that for a casual Sunday afternoon on a regular basis.
OT:
I don't mean to detract from the anxiety, stress, discomfort and risk he went through. Being lost - even for a few minutes - is really disconcerting, making one painfully aware of human fragility and error. I could easily do the same thing.
But like others, I can't avoid plunging in with commentary here.
Did anyone else notice the ironic name of the area? "Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness"?!? Name alone would get me to grab another pound of gear.
The "two-day solo elk hunt" sounds like he must have planned on spending the night in the truck, or in a tent stashed therein. Gun, map ... and apparently nothing else as he plunged into the woods. No intent of being farther from the truck than he was willing to drag an elk - which presumably wasn't far.
Waiting for rescuers is a correct solution to the problem. However, people tend to way underestimate how long it takes for someone to notice your absence, grow concerned enough to call authorities, pester authorities often enough to make them take notice, authorities to figure out what's wrong, formulate a plan of action, assemble & equip the search team, transport to the area, and only then actually start looking for the needle (you) in the haystack (square miles of rank wilderness) - all convoluted by the fact that there's a lot of where you're not supposed to be but likely are. That's a long time between "I'm lost" and "we found you", magnified by you painfully aware of every second passing.
Mistakes:
- Inadquate map. Don't just take a map of where you're going, take maps of where you might end up. Battery powered ones don't cut it.
- No compass. Doesn't actually say he didn't have one, but if you've gone off the map you likely have a decent idea of which side you fell off, and thus which direction to go to get back on it.
- No shelter. There's enough stuff on the forest floor to at least pile up for insulation and crawl under. There's usually enough light (even without fire or flashlight) at night to do at least that.
- No light. Even a cheesy little LED keyfob would be better than nothing.
- No fire. No matches, lighter, flint. No skill in fire by friction. The best thing about a fire for keeping you warm is not the heat from the fire, but the heat from keeping active getting fuel for the fire. Other than cooking, fire may not actually be that actually helpful for survival, but psychologically it works wonders and can be critical for signalling.
Understandable:
- First night particularly sucked. Most people would likely act on an expectation of getting found and getting out before dusk ... so it's only at dusk that one realizes it's time to hunker down for the night, with little time to do so comfortably.
- Didn't eat squirrels. "Tiny pine squirrels" frankly sound like a lot of work for not much food. Don't waste the ammo on "fun sized" appetizers.
- Ate snow. A debatable action for sure, but no apparent harm done. Psychologically helps to put something in your mouth periodically. Sucking on a small rock is probably better, sorta like gum.
- Wolves. Nothin' you can do about 'em. Short of actually being attacked by one, you probably won't see them, much less shoot one.
Done right:
- Stayed in place. Hard to find a moving target. Settled in long enough for rescuers, if any, to do their thing.
- Rescued self. After allowing a sufficient search-and-rescue period, got self out before sitting 'round got debilitating.
My own frequent "I know better" mistakes:
- No map. On a trail, how could I get lost? Oh, like that.
- Lousy footwear. Recently moved, can't find my boots, hike in leather sandals. Get boots, ctd!
- Not informing others. Recently moved, don't know anyone to tell, usually hike with wife. Email friends/family - somebody should know.
He covered 24 miles total. In, meandering, and out adds up. Over five days that ain't much. If he was planning on dragging an elk out, he's in good enough shape to march himself around for a while.Are you in shape to walk 24 miles out?
While not in optimal shape, hiking that far in a few days is entirely doable.
Scary that asking the question is viable today. People used to do half that for a casual Sunday afternoon on a regular basis.
Then you darn well better be prepared for the worst. I was about to say "you darn well better know what the weather will be" but I've too often found prediction != reality.Somtimes you go no matter what the weather is.
Couldn't have said it better.Dry Warm Hydrate
OT:
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is regarded as insane and ostracized accordingly.In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king