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Deleted member 56522
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After the interest from the "unusual" scenario I posted (Naked and Lost), I thought I should create a more realistic one. Still an overnight stay, but this time not naked. I've again set it in Scotland (simply because there are spaces big enough for this).
Scenario: Overnight Scottish winter walk gone wrong
Having left details, you set out alone at dawn on an overnight walk in Scotland on what seemed like a couple of good, sunny winter days. Starting at west coast tidal loch, you climb rapidly up and find the snowline at 500m. It's crisp soft snow and the views are fantastic, so you decide to deviate substantially from your planned route, walking over the tops planning to camp at high altitude to get some high altitude photos at dawn.
But later in the day, walking over a ridge, you encounter a slope where the sun has turned it into wet & slippery ice. You slip and start hurtling down the hillside. On the way down, you takes several knocks, losing your rucksack containing tent, food, map, spare clothing, etc. and your compass flies off never to be seen again. After hundreds of meters you finally come to a stop near the bottom.
You sit up and stake stock. You're battered and bruised, but OK except there's an odd drop of blood where you hit your head on the way down, and you've twisted your ankle. When laced up tight your ankle is painful but can still just about take your weight on firm ground. You pull out your phone ... it's smashed up and not working. You try to find your rucksack, it is no where to be seen and worse you find your ankle means that you have to crawl over anything but firm even ground like ice/snow or even sloping/soft ground. But you do recover your hat, gloves and find a single bladed penknife.
Now you need to do something as the sun is below the hill, the sky is clouding over, the wind is picking up and your torn waterproof outer layer whilst potentially warm, is letting in the wind and making you cold. It certainly is no longer water proof.
You do not have your watch, but you guess it is three hours till dark. You have not seen anyone else all day.
You are just above a featureless rough grass & stony valley with occasional deer/sheep tracks and a small pebbly river. On the other side of the valley there is deep snow with big drifts down to the valley floor. Not too far down the valley are patches of trees (pine & further on birch). But in your condition it might take about an hour to walk to them. Otherwise all you have in your pockets is some bus money and car keys.
You did not look properly at this part of the map, but you know the overall geography which means if you follow this valley (south-ish) it will either turn West or East. If West in your present condition it will take 2 maybe 3 days to walk out and get you to the end of the sea loch where you started, if East it'll join a river which crosses a quiet inland road which you estimate with luck in your present condition will take 3 maybe 4 days.
What would you do and why?
Scenario: Overnight Scottish winter walk gone wrong
Having left details, you set out alone at dawn on an overnight walk in Scotland on what seemed like a couple of good, sunny winter days. Starting at west coast tidal loch, you climb rapidly up and find the snowline at 500m. It's crisp soft snow and the views are fantastic, so you decide to deviate substantially from your planned route, walking over the tops planning to camp at high altitude to get some high altitude photos at dawn.
But later in the day, walking over a ridge, you encounter a slope where the sun has turned it into wet & slippery ice. You slip and start hurtling down the hillside. On the way down, you takes several knocks, losing your rucksack containing tent, food, map, spare clothing, etc. and your compass flies off never to be seen again. After hundreds of meters you finally come to a stop near the bottom.
You sit up and stake stock. You're battered and bruised, but OK except there's an odd drop of blood where you hit your head on the way down, and you've twisted your ankle. When laced up tight your ankle is painful but can still just about take your weight on firm ground. You pull out your phone ... it's smashed up and not working. You try to find your rucksack, it is no where to be seen and worse you find your ankle means that you have to crawl over anything but firm even ground like ice/snow or even sloping/soft ground. But you do recover your hat, gloves and find a single bladed penknife.
Now you need to do something as the sun is below the hill, the sky is clouding over, the wind is picking up and your torn waterproof outer layer whilst potentially warm, is letting in the wind and making you cold. It certainly is no longer water proof.
You do not have your watch, but you guess it is three hours till dark. You have not seen anyone else all day.
You are just above a featureless rough grass & stony valley with occasional deer/sheep tracks and a small pebbly river. On the other side of the valley there is deep snow with big drifts down to the valley floor. Not too far down the valley are patches of trees (pine & further on birch). But in your condition it might take about an hour to walk to them. Otherwise all you have in your pockets is some bus money and car keys.
You did not look properly at this part of the map, but you know the overall geography which means if you follow this valley (south-ish) it will either turn West or East. If West in your present condition it will take 2 maybe 3 days to walk out and get you to the end of the sea loch where you started, if East it'll join a river which crosses a quiet inland road which you estimate with luck in your present condition will take 3 maybe 4 days.
What would you do and why?
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