Hypothetical Survival Scenario

KuRUpTD

KuRUpTD

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That long awaited backpacking trip has commenced and you venture into the backcountry. You are an experienced backpacker / hiker but your companion, although ready willing and able, is not. A day and a half into your trek you slip and fall and either severely sprain an ankle or worse break a leg. You realize that you can't go any further and need immediate medical attention. Your partner offers to head out on their own to try and seek help .

1) Would you allow your inexperienced friend to leave at the risk of him / her getting lost or injured themselves ?

2) What are your survival priorities in such a scenario ?

3) What survival skills would you employ to stay alive and be found ?
 
I think you left out two very important pieces of information.

1. What is the terrain?
2. What season is it?

If the terrain is not too extreme and the season is mild, this is not a horrendous situation to find yourself in. The colder it gets and the rougher the terrain is, the more risk involved.
 
KuRUpTD said:
1) Would you allow your inexperienced friend to leave at the risk of him / her getting lost or injured themselves ?

2) What are your survival priorities in such a scenario ?

3) What survival skills would you employ to stay alive and be found ?
Click to expand...

1) No, I wouldn't allow my inexperienced friend to leave - I'd splint my leg and fashion some crutches/walking cane as best i could, and limp back out. after going through our packs and ditching unneccessary weight, my inexperienced friend would serve as the pack mule to carry the bare essentials to survive comfortably on the way out

2) to make the way out as comfortable as possible

3) the biggest survival skill would be pain management since hobbling out with a bad sprain or a broken leg wouldn't be pleasant - which is why i've got painkillers in my FAK

4) if i were truly immobilized i'd of course have to send out my friend, my priorities would be to remain dry, hydrated, warm and well-fed. i don't know how much skill is involved given the fact that presumably the friend would make it out ok so it's just a matter of waiting for a SAR team to arrive.
 
Don ... I don't have an exact location in mind but thinking relatively remote wilderness and several miles from civilization ... the season would be mid fall

Thanks
 
Everything matters Gents. Mid-Fall can be a real killer in some places. A sprained ankle is way different than a broken leg and a compound fracture of the leg even worse yet. On sprains, yeah, you could get out on improvised crutches, etc. Broken? Bad things. 8-)
 
First, assess the severity of the medical emergency. Determine whether or not the injury is likely to render you unconscious or not e.g. internal bleeding etc. If you think it is stable, then you might want to try making it out with your friends help.

If you can't, then your friend should help you arrange shelter, secure food provision and enough water before sending him off. Find a spot that allows both shelter from the elements and security against animal attack. At least have your back to a wall and a big stick close by for use as a club or to attach with knife as a spear.

Agree on a reasonable timeline it will take friend to hump it back and get help. Re-inforce to your friend to take their time and be extra careful on their return journey. Afterall, it is not only his ass on the line buy yours as well.

Maybe take out your map, if you have one, and go through the return journal and try to recall outloud with your friend land marks and other features that help him recognize that they are on the right track. While you are at it, find your own position on the map and put a big circle there for the SAR team. If you have a GPS, mark your coordinates so that your friend can provide it to the rescue team.
 
Good plan KGD.

Def get yourself situated first. That means splint the leg, make shelter, secure enough water. I'd also start a fire with some nice, sappy, smoky wood (good for locating you). Have your friend help/do as much of it as possible. DEFINITELY map out a path for him to take. Not necessarily the shortest path, but the easiest for a novice.
 
I'd stay put, do first aid on the injury, get comfortable, have buddy build shelter, fire and gather a LOT of firewood before it gets dark. Buddy would also gather extra water. as we would have filed a hike plan prior to leaving on the hike, I/we would rely on those contact persons to report us overdure to the local authorities/SAR unit.

A nice smoky fire, possibly three well spaced apart , heaped with pine and cedar boughs would be burned all day, in the hopes that the local smokejumpers would spot the collumns of smoke. At night, the fire would be maintained with large amounts of wood, to provide animal control, heat, and light.
 
If you've done enough pre work this doesn't have to be that big of a deal. People who are not with you should know where you are and when you plan to return. that should cover you ther then you have the question of wether or not you have cell phone reception wich could be as simple as sending your freind to the top of a near by hill. but worse case cenario you splint the leg make sure that you are secure (shelter,fire, water,food, etc.) then send the friend out.
 
prior planning prevents piss poor performance.

with maps compasses and possible gps and working knowledge of said tools...my friend could go and get help.

of course my wife calls me paranoid, i have all the ranger stations and aid stations mapped out and noted in the areas i hike in.
 
KuRUpTD said:
That long awaited backpacking trip has commenced and you venture into the backcountry. You are an experienced backpacker / hiker but your companion, although ready willing and able, is not. A day and a half into your trek you slip and fall and either severely sprain an ankle or worse break a leg. You realize that you can't go any further and need immediate medical attention. Your partner offers to head out on their own to try and seek help .

1) Would you allow your inexperienced friend to leave at the risk of him / her getting lost or injured themselves ?

2) What are your survival priorities in such a scenario ?

3) What survival skills would you employ to stay alive and be found ?
Click to expand...



Uh, If you are experience you wouldn't be walking on injured ankle till its wrapped up, you should have ace bandage with you on all hikes, if it was broken you couldn't put any weight on it, I'm a medical professional. To answer your question.

1. No would not send inexperience person to go for help, sure way to help him or her meet god.

2. Water source, fire and shelter in those orders. Hopefully you know the area and make camp near water source, if there no water source around, in most parts of the u.s. during fall you can collect water from morning dew. Small a frame works the best for shelter. Fire no need for explanation, except to make signal smoke put green timber on the fire and watch the puff the magic dragon do its thing.

There is an assumption this is a casual hike and you have informed someone where you are going, so food is not really an issue, heck they may come for you the moment people see white smoke in the area.

P.S. don't take off shoe you will never be able to get it back on its better to undue the laces make sure you have good circulation, the moment you feel strange sensation in your foot its a sign of poor circulation deal with it accordingly.
 
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