Lost hikers found..with just a dead cell phone?

Nice to know they found the second lost hiker.

The "Rule of Threes" is just a place to start - not a rule. You CAN died in a day without water.
 
I live in the city, and most of my hikes are to destinations less than 3 miles from the car - but that can mean anywhere from a 4 to 12 mile hike, for me. I'll usually bring a water bottle, and always have a knife and light in addition to my phone. In my young days, before kids (and cell phones) I'd done a couple morning-to-night outings along ridges and cliffs so equipped. I don't recommend it, but can see how us city folk could easily get in over our heads. Everything's been so sanitized and safety-fied that we forget there can be actual danger in the woods.
I've built a couple EDC-style kits with additional gear and provisions, but honestly, if I know the trail and plan to be gone less than a couple hours I don't bring much with me. (With the kids I make sure we have snack bars and band-aids.)
Frankly, I'm a bit concerned that they were found without their shoes on. Not much good for hiking that way.

I have GPS Navigation in my cell phone, but it's completely useless to me without streets and destinations. I need to download and practice with a topo or wilderness type GPS App, but just haven't found the time.
I heard their cellphone died during the 911 call - after which point, it wouldn't matter if they had the remote control to a helicopter in there.

I'm just glad they were found alive, and hopefully they learned something from it.

I just noticed that REI "updated" the ten essentials. They removed knife, and added "repair kit" and "emergency shelter." Isn't that why you carry a knife...
 
I read that the boy was found less than a mile from his car and the girl found later in the same area on a cliff face. The boy was wearing surfer shorts and no shoes. No explanation was given as to why they split up.
 
I see people all the time who look so underprepared for a hike, even so near a big city. I don't even think they brought any water, and Cleveland NF is no place to mess around as it's a pretty arid place.
 
I went to a party out in a field in college. It took about a hundred 20somethings a half hour to get a fire started. Someone ended up using their $200 text book for kindling. This was in the middle of a field next to a forest, and no one could figure it out (I had just gotten there when they got it started, and was told how long it took). Unless people are accustomed and experienced to making a fire, it can be very very difficult for them.

Even with an altoids tin kit, if they don't know what to do with what's inside, it might not help a bit. It's funny when people ask what they should have in a 'survival kit' without mentioning what they know.

A stainless steel canteen, Fallkniven F1, and a fire steel are useless to 99% of the people out there...
 
Appropriate clothing a bottle of water should be the standard. Adding a poncho/shelter, some cordage, Bic and/or other fire starting method, LED flashlight and a small knife would have made their situation better. Additionally, just doing a little “map-recon” and knowing a little about your area helps to keep you from getting too disoriented. For those in dense areas, a compass can help to at least just shoot a back azimuth to get you out.

I think a PSK wouldn't have helped these two much. The purpose of a PSK is to reinforce your other preparations and skill. Given that these two didn't take any precautions, a PSK would have been useless without the skill or mindset.

I’m glad to hear they both made it out safely and hope that deputy (?) recovers from his injuries.

ROCK6
 
Thomas Linton said:
Nice to know they found the second lost hiker.

The "Rule of Threes" is just a place to start - not a rule. You CAN died in a day without water.
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Yep. You can die in hours if the conditions are right.
MatthewSB said:
I went to a party out in a field in college. It took about a hundred 20somethings a half hour to get a fire started. Someone ended up using their $200 text book for kindling. This was in the middle of a field next to a forest, and no one could figure it out (I had just gotten there when they got it started, and was told how long it took). Unless people are accustomed and experienced to making a fire, it can be very very difficult for them.

Even with an altoids tin kit, if they don't know what to do with what's inside, it might not help a bit. It's funny when people ask what they should have in a 'survival kit' without mentioning what they know.

A stainless steel canteen, Fallkniven F1, and a fire steel are useless to 99% of the people out there...
Click to expand...

I agree 100% and this is why I don't recommend things like compasses and knives to people unless I know that they can use them. They're just dead weight to most of the population or worse, a danger to them.

I also had a similar experience just a couple years ago on the fire lighting thing. It was entertaining to see guys in their mid 30's with access to lighters, paper and an axe fail to start a fire INSIDE of a cabin. :rolleyes: I don't hang with them anymore. :D
 
Decades ago, when 2/3 of all boys spent some time in the Boy Scouts, basic outdoor skills were more widely known to urbanites. In California, the big issue 9-10 months of the year was NOT starting a fire.

I suspect there is no market to sell basic skills. Those interested already have the basics so the market is for advanced skills (or entertainment)

I really appreciate the suggestion made in this forum some time ago to include a primer on basic skills in the PSK for the untrained -- fire/water/signaling/shelter
 
As part of a wellness program my employer is sponsoring day-hikes. Each hike has a "guide" who is basically responsible for all the details of the hike in addition to being a leader on the trail. In principle it seems like a good idea but after some conversation it is an accident waiting to happen. The man responsible for the first hike has never been an outdoorsman on any level and any knowledge he has comes from the internet. I asked about a first-aid kit which he immediately agreed would be a good idea. When I started talking about the basic items for fire, signalling, and navigation he got a deer in the headlights look. He believes that there is no way they can get lost hiking on an established trail and the biggest emergency he expects is a blister or twisted ankle. I have talked with a few co-workers who may go and offered ideas for basic kits. Having every essential item will however do them little good if they lack the skills to use them.
 
I have stopped even feeling sad when reading stories about lost hikers. Americans, for the most part, really DO feel we all live in Disney World.
 
I'm glad they both made it out okay. But something strikes me as weird about the whole story.

They were both found with no shoes on, separated in the same basic area. Dehydrated next to a waterfall. Even for total newbie beginner city kids, splitting up then taking off your shoes and not drinking from a river/waterfall all seem unexplainable even for kids who don't know any better. I hope it doesn't turn out that they were doing drugs or something, tripping out of their minds and thats why they got into trouble. Its wonderful and lucky that they were found though, good job for the sars team
 
Casey4545 said:
I'm glad they both made it out okay. But something strikes me as weird about the whole story.

They were both found with no shoes on, separated in the same basic area. Dehydrated next to a waterfall. Even for total newbie beginner city kids, splitting up then taking off your shoes and not drinking from a river/waterfall all seem unexplainable even for kids who don't know any better. I hope it doesn't turn out that they were doing drugs or something, tripping out of their minds and thats why they got into trouble. Its wonderful and lucky that they were found though, good job for the sars team
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or they are just stupid people
 
Mannlicher said:
I have stopped even feeling sad when reading stories about lost hikers. Americans, for the most part, really DO feel we all live in Disney World.
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Agreed. There are some "accidents" that really do provide some useful learning, but many are also just examples of stupidity. And bad things have been happening to stupid people for all of human history. Carry on...
 
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