Missing British backpacker found alive after 12 days in Australian bush...

[passengerplanetearth]

...with just a weeny knapsack!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1199768/Missing-British-backpacker-alive.html

"...park rangers admitted they were astonished that he had been found alive after such a long time in freezing rain, thick fog and temperatures that had dropped to below freezing at night."

A bit foolish of him to go on a four-hour jungle hike in wintertime with so little gear and without his phone and without telling anyone where he was going.

That said, hat's off to him and he'll have a helluva story to tell for the rest of his life. I look forward to reading about it myself. They repeatedly describe him as 'found' in the article, but it seems he found the way out unaided.

His dad must be over the moon!

 

[johnboy]

A happy ending...

However a not so happy ending here in NZ...

http:www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10584609

 

[Chris G]

NZ link doesn't seem to work...?

 

[johnboy]

NZ link doesn't seem to work...?

Sorry one HTTP too many I've fixed it and it seems to be fine.....

Cheers

John

 

[Melonfish]

blimey, i'd like to hear how the lad survived! sounds like a small tv special in the making that.
unless he ate snow and lived of choccy bars

 

[Bushwhacker]

I've been to the place and thought that the trails were adequately marked out.
It's not a difficult exercise to pick up a brochure/map at tourist information before setting out either.

 

[basha]

That's good news. He'll cetainly have an interesting story to tell.

This comment from his father made me laugh;

'When I've seen the mistake after mistake he's made - I can't say I'd kill him because it would just spoil the point of him being back,' Mr Cass said.

 

[BorderReiver]

His dad was great on the radio this morning. I'm surprised that the lad got lost, having such a sensible dad; he must take after his mum.

One thing that his dad did say, which seems to be the current way of thinking, that he wouldn't have got into bother if he had had his mobile 'phone with him. Hmmm.

 

[korvin karbon]

His dad was great on the radio this morning. I'm surprised that the lad got lost, having such a sensible dad; he must take after his mum.

One thing that his dad did say, which seems to be the current way of thinking, that he wouldn't have got into bother if he had had his mobile 'phone with him. Hmmm.

to a degree he is correct, why leave a communication device at home??? I take my mobile everywhere. If i want peace i divert calls and put it on silent.

Lucky to be alive and should be very ashamed of himself and forever grateful to the rescue teams

 

[BorderReiver]

His dad even mentioned the searchers, how they were exhausted and some of them injured. Like I said, a sensible bloke.

I agree about the mobile 'phone but not the general reliance on it.

 

[Steven J]

Living in Australia, I though that I should comment on this one. It sounds like this guy was pretty fortunate. His inexperience could have easily been his downfall.

I have walked this area many times in the past as a uni student escaping the pressure of work about 15 years ago.

The trails were very well sign posted up until the area known as Ruined Castle, but beyond that there are no sign posts. The tourist information maps are also adequate to get up to Ruined Castle, but beyond that I would be taking a topographic map.

It is unlikely that snow would have been falling, however below zero temperatures at night would have been almost certain. There is plenty of fresh water and creeks full of yabbies (a small crayfish). Without a fire his stay would have been terrible. With a fire, he would have been on a holiday.

Most of the people here could have been quite comfortable with a knife and a method of lighting fires.

Steve

 

[Arth]

looks like he prepare as much as if he was taking the dog for a walk around the park.

 

[Pict]

Kudos to him for making it through for so long under such conditions.

This story is a case in point for a small wilderness survival "10 essentials" type kit. If you insert a fire kit, space blanket, knife, compass, billy, cordage, two 55 gal drum liners, etc into his situation it would have been a bad night or two out sitting in a shelter next to a hot smoky fire. He had more than enough backpack for a modest kit.

I hope that more detail of his story comes out. Mac

ETA - I always find it interesting that every time I read one of these stories that FOOD is mentioned as if it was one of the main dangers the survivor faced. This story is no exception "He stayed alive by eating..." The few things he ate no doubt helped his mental state and that might be the survival angle here but the common man's conception of survival always seems to go straight to hunger when dehydration or hypothermia are the real killers. I think that's because in normal life we rarely experience threatening cold or thirst but get ravenously hungry on a weekly basis. Our need for shelter or water goes unnoticed in normal life.

 

[wilekayote]

I agree that food and shelter are priorities and that in theory you can go several weeks without food. But when you read about actual events or even watch shows like Survivorman where he actually tries these things out, given water and shelter, the lack of food has a big effect on your physical and mental abilities after just a couple of days. In the area he was in at this time of year water would not have been a problem.

 

[Rob]

I dont know if anyone else saw the BBC coverage. The last line of the report:

"nobody thought that anyone could survive for that long outdoors"

What's all that about then?

 

[Melonfish]

apparently humans don't do well without a roof, central heating and emmerdale.
who knew?

 

[mace242]

apparently humans don't do well without a roof, central heating and emmerdale.
who knew?

Too true. But you forgot sofas.

 

[swagman]

There was a report on the radio this evening that the lad was accused of
staging the whole thing but the rescue service say they believe he was really lost.

Swagman

 

[walkaboutman]

got to agree that the fact he walked out without a problem leaves him open to the claim that it was set up while the rescue people came out injured...ever the open minded bloke..hope it turns out not to be a fake news story...

 

[BOD]

Great. Now people will not dare to come out lest they be accused of faking it for commercial gain.