Lost Hiker

[sharp88]

Perhaps a satellite phone might be a good item to invest in for a bloke like that?

 

[Bisamratte]

Well, there is news

Subject located today - 12 miles from any trail, in the center of a large black spruce swamp.

He hasn't eaten for six days, and has been drinking unfiltered water from a beaver pond. It has been determined that he was lost within two miles of starting out from the trailhead and has been lost almost since he set foot in the woods.

He'd picked out the spot where he wanted to die. For once, we didn't hear, "I wasn't lost."

Im glad you have found him

I dont think he will be doing that again but at least hes honest- it takes a brave man to give up so much and choose a place to die. Poor guy, i feel for him but it just goes to show that if your truly lost, sit down and have a nice cup of tea and stay there! there is much more chance of being found. But truly its an experience that should never be experienced.

 

[ScottC]

Well done to Pierre and the rescue team - the unsung heroes of outdoor travel!

 

[pierre girard]

Well done to Pierre and the rescue team - the unsung heroes of outdoor travel!

Rescue squad did the work. Bunch of young bucks who like twigs in their hair. I'm just relaying information.

 

[Snufkin]

Perhaps a satellite phone might be a good item to invest in for a bloke like that?

Or map reading lessons and a bushcraft course?
Well done to the rescue team.

 

[Bigman]

Glad he was found, can't be nice to be lost in such a vast wilderness.

Hopefully he will learn from his mistakes and get the essential training before he ventures out again.

Well done to the Rescue Team.

 

[pierre girard]

Hate to say it - another one reported lost last night. Older gent, haven't got much on particulars yet. Kind of an ongoing thing.

 

[philaw]

Pierre, is this your work, or are you part of a volunteer mountain rescue organisation? Whoever it is you work with, they keep you busy!

 

[Martyn]

Perhaps a satellite phone might be a good item to invest in for a bloke like that?

...or a GPS. Modern units are so cheap and reliable, I'm staggered why someone would contemplate going somewhere like that without one.

 

[Ogri the trog]

...or a GPS. Modern units are so cheap and reliable, I'm staggered why someone would contemplate going somewhere like that without one.

Martyn,
At the risk of upsetting a lot of people who have posted above - the reliance of technology to "get you out of trouble" mearly serves to encourage those who own such gadgets to take greater risks.
There are no batteries to go flat in a map or a compass and if you "forget" how to use it (map & compass) then you haven't learnt correctly in the first place. It is a skill that I believe should be tought thoroughly when young and practiced regularly; start small and build the experience before venturing to the wilder, more rugged spaces of the world.
Without doubt, things will on occasion, go wrong. That is the reason we feel humbled by the efforts of the volunteers of Mountain Rescue, SAR etc; but folk who call on such organisations for the flimsiest of reasons should be obliged to repay their debt for going unprepared.

Sorry, turned into a bit of a rant there.

Ogri the trog

 

[spamel]

I totally agree Ogri, map work is first before GPS, which is an aid to navigation. They are good, don't get me wrong, but batteries can go flat, it can be dropped and broken, sat on, kit dumped on it or just plain lost. You could lose your compass but still use a map, and if you know the general direction you entered the wilderness by, you could backtrack wih your compass if you lost your map.

I have a small piece of rigid plastic attatched to my compass which I write down bearings for each leg of a trip before I go off. I use it mainly whilst doing the military stuff, when I bushcraft I just like to wander!! It is a good idea though as you can check where you are going and where you have been. The plastic is opaque so that it can be held up to the moon at night and the light helps to read what you wrote on to it. Probably not needed in the bushcraft world, but it's a thought!!

 

[mark a.]

Yes, but here we're talking about a choice between someone who doesn't know what he's doing vs someone who doesn't know what he's doing but has a GPS. I'd go with the latter any time.

Yes, we'd all love it for everyone to be experts with compasses. But they're not. Yes, they shouldn't really be going into the wilds without decent enough knowledge, but since they're doing it anyway, let them have a GPS with "home" waymarked to if it all goes to pot, then hopefully they'll be able to use the GPS to get out.

 

[Martyn]

Yes, but here we're talking about a choice between someone who doesn't know what he's doing vs someone who doesn't know what he's doing but has a GPS. I'd go with the latter any time..

Absolutely. The simple truth of that is very, very hard to ignore.

I'm not suggesting replacing map & compass with a GPS, or relying on a GPS as a sole source of navigational equipment, but the fact is, if the chap mentioned in this thread had taken one with him, he almost certainly would not of got lost.

I agree, nothing replaces good mapreading skills, but misplaced confidence in ones own navigational abilities is far worse than taking a GPS along as a backup. If it gets lost or broken, fair enough. If the batteries bleed flat, fair enough. But if an experienced hiker gets lost and they dont have a GPS with them at all and their excuse is that they dont need one because they are a good map reader, ...I'd say "so how come you got lost?" ...and "..by the way, here's the bill for the S&R".

Pride comes before a fall ...or a ride in a helicopter.

Without doubt, things will on occasion, go wrong. That is the reason we feel humbled by the efforts of the volunteers of Mountain Rescue, SAR etc; but folk who call on such organisations for the flimsiest of reasons should be obliged to repay their debt for going unprepared.

My point exactly.

GPS are relatively cheap now, small, light and very reliable. Yes they can break or get lost, but so can compasses. Granted they run on batteries, but so do torches. I bet most people would throw a torch in their pack without a seconds hesitation.

If it makes people feel better, they could seal it up in a bag and mark it "open only when hopelessly lost", but going someplace with the potential to get hoplessley lost without one, is staggeringly negligent IMO.

 

[pierre girard]

I totally agree Ogri, map work is first before GPS, which is an aid to navigation. They are good, don't get me wrong, but batteries can go flat, it can be dropped and broken, sat on, kit dumped on it or just plain lost. You could lose your compass but still use a map, and if you know the general direction you entered the wilderness by, you could backtrack wih your compass if you lost your map.

I have a small piece of rigid plastic attatched to my compass which I write down bearings for each leg of a trip before I go off. I use it mainly whilst doing the military stuff, when I bushcraft I just like to wander!! It is a good idea though as you can check where you are going and where you have been. The plastic is opaque so that it can be held up to the moon at night and the light helps to read what you wrote on to it. Probably not needed in the bushcraft world, but it's a thought!!

I agree as well. You don't even need a compass in this area (though I'd advise it). Simply being able to read a map would suffice. It has been my experieince that most people are woefully ignorant of map reading skills and the ability to position themselves, or orient themselves relative to their position on a map.

Heck, the trail that Mr Eyeball Butt was on - you could navigate with directions written on a napkin, "Take the first left fork, the second left fork, then keep right on the next three forks, etc, etc." How he ever ended up so far off a fairly well used trail - I don't know, but people do it all the time.