Family of 6 lost in the snow

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stvpourciau

Joined
Dec 20, 2012
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Pray to God that they're OK.

If there was ever a reason to keep an emergency bag on your car, this may be it.

Any communal discussion on what you would find in such a bag?
 
I've chukar hunted in that area - it's quite remote by lower 48 standards, and not very forgiving country. Let's hope they're ok.
 
My main priority with car kits is warmth, then visibility. But I've always had gear for moving out as I tended to travel alone. I think the smartest move is almost always to stay with the car, so in setting up a kit, giving yourself as many reasons to stay put as possible is an advantage. So if the choice is thick socks or snow boots, the socks are a better plan (plus several pairs for passengers take up the same space as a good set of boots for one) snacks and water, candles, and such help with morale. I've caught flak for this before, but, in situations like this, for the average person, a GPS or compass and map may be the worst thing to have, as it gives a reason to leave. Without it, a lost person is much more likely to sit and wait for help, instead of heading further into trouble. Staying comfortable is king in that kind of situation, and cars chill much faster than people think. Blankets are better than winter clothes, (and your winter play clothes tend to be wet once the fun abruptly stops.)

Looking back, I'm looking at some of the mistakes I've made, like not having enough warm things compared to seats in my car. Like I said, I mostly traveled solo, but as we all know, the bad stuff happens most often out of the normal operating range. I really hope they make it out alright with nothing more than a story.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Looking back, I'm looking at some of the mistakes I've made, like not having enough warm things compared to seats in my car. Like I said, I mostly traveled solo, but as we all know, the bad stuff happens most often out of the normal operating range. I really hope they make it out alright with nothing more than a story.
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Ditto, I hope that this is nothing more than a wake up call for some of those that hear their story to fox those mistakes in thier preparedness.

I dont live in a very ice climate but I like the idea of visibility for the vehicle, An Orange tarp is probably something I should look into.
 
Its always amazed me how easy it is to make a car disappear. For christmas this year my brother in law is getting a little LED beacon, since his truck is so small (suzuki jimny) mostly as a joke, but anything is better than nothing right? roof reflectors, beacons, even a "buggy whip" would help if you find yourself down in the weeds.
 
I hope they make it back or are found okay. If I were anywhere near there I'd help search around. I've only seen snow twice so besides TV and survival reading I wouldn't know what to do with it other than dig a hole and insulate the ground so you don't lose heat.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Its always amazed me how easy it is to make a car disappear. For christmas this year my brother in law is getting a little LED beacon, since his truck is so small (suzuki jimny) mostly as a joke, but anything is better than nothing right? roof reflectors, beacons, even a "buggy whip" would help if you find yourself down in the weeds.
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It's not uncommon to lose small planes around here. People like to say they can just walk in any direction and find civilization pretty quick. I wonder if those people live on the east coast or in europe. :rolleyes:
 
CNN said that they are back and all alive. :thumbup: My winter ''stranded'' tub is in the trunk along with a wool army blanket and the wife's one piece snow suit in a garbage bag.
 
Great move on his part to start re-thinking the resources available once the vehicle was no longer useable. Lots of people wouldn't go Les Stroud on the car and start cannibalizing it until it was too late. Granted, he only burned one tire, but I'm sure if he'd needed too, he would have kept it up.
 
I heard that he heated rocks in a fire and used those. I thought that this was pretty cool. The natives out here used to drop heated rocks into containers to cook their food back in the day.
 
Glad this one had a happy ending. A few years ago a local waitress left work on a Saturday night and never made it home. Went missing for @3 days. Finally was found off the side of a four lane highway down an embankment covered in Kudzu. She was pinned in the vehicle and was eating dry dog food. Kudzu has since been cut down, but I hear from friends that she's had some emotional issues from the ordeal.
 
Great news everyone was found ok. Need more happy endings like this one.

gadgetgeek said:
Great move on his part to start re-thinking the resources available once the vehicle was no longer useable. Lots of people wouldn't go Les Stroud on the car and start cannibalizing it until it was too late. Granted, he only burned one tire, but I'm sure if he'd needed too, he would have kept it up.
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My thoughts exactly. Too often people are found either stranded in the wilderness beside an untouched vehicle or have wandered off to find help without ripping apart everything useful from their car or truck. Good on him to recognize that leaving his family to go for help was not an option, especially with the little ones present. Staying put and "destroying" the family vehicle to survive and wait for rescue was the right course of action in this case.
 
As a father, reading this thread yesterday terrified me. I remember thinking, I don't think I could leave my family behind to search for help. If I were to die lost in the woods, or if any of my family members were to die, I'd want us to be together. And same goes for a rescue, if we get rescued we all get rescued. But dire situations make people do things they normally would not do. Reading of the happy ending I know now, for better or worse my family and I stay together no matter what the cost.
 
stvpourciau said:
Pray to God that they're OK.

If there was ever a reason to keep an emergency bag on your car, this may be it.

Any communal discussion on what you would find in such a bag?
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If I have time I'll yank some of my trunk stuff out for pics and a group assessment. I'm sure that I'm missing something.
 
Learning from others experiences is what the sharing of information is all about. After reading of a man that went off the side of the road and was trapped in car for days as people drove by- I picked up a mil contract strobe, put it in a strong nylon pouch closed by fastex buckle and strapped it to one of the poles on my drivers side head rest.

Sounds like this family did well and I am very glad to hear that they are OK.

My winter changes for my car kit are addition of: boots, M65 field jacket with liner, balaclava, wool socks, gloves, 3 extra road flares, 10' of logging chain with hooks, steel square point spade, 10X10 blue tarp, 1 gallon cat litter pellets and an axe.

Regular gear of use but not limited to: 1 gallon water, roll of duct and electrical tape, plastic sheathing, Ruger KMK512 and 50 rounds, handtools, paper towels, 3 road flares, orange vests, flashlight/headlamp, 2 quarts Gatorade, 1 box cereal bars, rope, car GPS, jumper cables.

Bill
 
They didn't have food or water. No report if they had any sort of survival gear in the Jeep. One news report said they were seen doing "donuts" in the snow at one location. Not much common sense before the wreck, but he used his head after. I have enough stuff in my vehicle in the winter that I can offer the "rescue" folks hot coffee and a granola bar.
 
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