Two Year Old Mystery Solved,

One of the articles stated that they were only reaching the area where she was lost by the time they had to turn around, and due to the difficulty of the area only officially trained experts were allowed to go on the search. If true then they were only searching the area for an hour or two, at most, and then going back to their base.

The search command center was at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort. It looks to be less than five miles from the resort to the location where she failed to meet her husband. There may not be many facilities in that area capable of organizing and housing hundreds of searchers. Imagine the number of meals, the size of the tent city, vehicle parking, easy access, phone service/internet, office space...

Furthermore there is vehicle access to the SERE training camp and Redington Pond, only a half-mile away.

Doesn't look to me as if the search crews had trouble accessing the area. They covered every landform, every trail, every old logging road, and every drainage as well as surveying blocks of transects.

 
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Herlock aren't the Alpini involved with SAR at times ?

Yes, they are still. Within the Meteomont Unit, there are a few SAR teams. Mostly specialized in avalanches rescues. Today is mostly C.A.I. volunteers and Protezione Civile in charge for the rest.

Beg your pardon for the little O.T.
 
5 miles is not that far for an ICS given the area and accessibility and that has nothing to do with search effectiveness.
 
One of my friends has hiked the entire trail several times, he's a fit 68 year old former US Army Ranger. I asked him about this incident a while back. He told me that in his experiences over the last forty years, the trail changes so much seasonally he always carries his topo map and compass. His last trip he carried a locator beacon (due to his age). He travels alone and has very little fear of getting lost, but he did emphasize that her leaving the trail wasn't the best idea, especially given her anxiety history. The fact that she stayed put for almost a month leads one to believe the anxiety took control.
 
Hi all,
I've followed this thread with great interest. I, too, just heard about her body being found and was wondering how her demise came about. The more I read about her case, the more I feel she had a psychiatric disorder which caused her to do the things she did and lead to her death and NOT do the things that might have fairly easily saved her. Yes, I believe she panicked, but to continue to operate in 'panic mode'; in her case, essentially curl up in one's sleeping bag and keep a journal and not try to actively get out of the situation (light bonfires, search for trails, roads, streams to follow etc.) for the next 27 or so days, tells me there was an underlying psych problem here.
 
Hi all,
I've followed this thread with great interest. I, too, just heard about her body being found and was wondering how her demise came about. The more I read about her case, the more I feel she had a psychiatric disorder which caused her to do the things she did and lead to her death and NOT do the things that might have fairly easily saved her. Yes, I believe she panicked, but to continue to operate in 'panic mode'; in her case, essentially curl up in one's sleeping bag and keep a journal and not try to actively get out of the situation (light bonfires, search for trails, roads, streams to follow etc.) for the next 27 or so days, tells me there was an underlying psych problem here.

I have minimal survival knowledge compared to many here. But I do take interest in some threads to expand my base. I also practice basic skills to become and stay proficient in core survival skills.....What I am seeing from the casual bits on TV such as that Alone 2 show, my own experience, and discussions, is this: Lose the mind and the body will follow. I saw very little of Alone 2 but wasn't there some black guy, x-military or some such losing his load before spending a single night ? Was it not his mental fear of the dark and potential contact with predatory animals that became self defeating ? It is becoming much more apparent to me, as you have alluded to, that when someone panics and loses it, bad things happen. I remember years ago nearly being lost in dense Boreal forest and feeling the waves of panic wash over me. I also remember forcing myself to get it together and take stock of my situation. I have felt it and pushed it down. Maybe some people are incapable of the mental discipline needed to handle panic. If so, they would be extremely foolish not to take additional precautions for their safety. Just my 1.5 cents.
 
What is your greatest fear (type of situation) in terms of hiking or being caught out in the woods lost, alone, injured and so forth? I think this hikers anxiety was her big handicap and I think she found it.
 
no danged reason to be out there without a rental satellite phone. they are very cheap these days.
 
22-rimfire, my greatest fear is an event happening while I'm out with a group that cuts us off from support. Be it a local problem like flooding, or a larger one like a CME, (even the bus breaking down and not being able to get us) so suddenly its a survival situation where I have care of 20 people, and limited resources.
 
What is your greatest fear (type of situation) in terms of hiking or being caught out in the woods lost, alone, injured and so forth? I think this hikers anxiety was her big handicap and I think she found it.

there are areas i hike that don't have cell signal and the roads are very narrow and twisty so my greatest fear is actually while driving to/from the trailhead and getting hit by a crazy driver with no way to call for help.
 
Be it a local problem like flooding, or a larger one like a CME

Acronym Definition
CME Coronal Mass Ejection
CME Christian Methodist Episcopal (church)
CME Conseil Municipal d'Enfants (French: City Council of Children)
CME Commission Médicale d'Établissement
CME Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
CME Children Missing Education (UK)
CME Crédit Mutuel Enseignant (French bank)
CME Certificat Militaire Élémentaire (French: Elementary Military Certificate)
CME Centre Méditerranéen de l'Environnement (French: Mediterranean Center for the Environment)
CME Compare and Merge Engine (SwiftCompare)
CME Construção e Manutenção Electromecanica (Portuguese: Construction and Maintenance Electromechanics; engineering company)
CME Conservatoire des Mémoires Étudiantes (French: Student Memoirs Conservatory)
CME Courtesy Marine Examination
CME Complex Medical Engineering (International Conference)
CME Chloromethyl Ether
CME Centre Médico Éducatif (French: Educational Medical Center)
CME Civics and Moral Education
CME Corridor Management Entity (Florida, USA)
CME Component Management Entity
CME Centro de Microscopia Eletronica
CME Certified Municipal Engineer (New Jersey)
CME Comprehensive Monitoring Evaluation
CME Central Mine Equipment Company
CME Computo Metrico Estimativo
CME Creighton Manning Engineering, LLP
CME Carmel Middle School (California)
CME Centre for Molecular Epidemiology
CME Composite Medical Equipment
CME Conformant Management Entity (Sprint)
CME Comando de Missiones Especiales (Cuban special operations group)
CME Contract Manpower Equivalent
CME Club des Micro-Entrepreneurs (French small business owners association)
CME Concept Méditerranéen d'Emballage (French: Mediterranean Concept of Packaging)
CME Communications Management Entity
CME Compagnie Minière Espérance (French: Hope Mining Company)
CME Command Mission Equipment
CME Conservation of Mechanical Energy (physics)
CME Contemporary Montessori Education
CME Camera Module Electronics
CME Contract Manyear Equivalent
CME Civilian Manhour Equivalent
CME Certified Module Embedder
CME Cache-Miss Exception
CME C4I Maritime Extensions
CME Conveyor Maintenance and Erection
CME Countermeasures Evaluator
CME Corrective Maintenance Exercise
CME Construction Matériel Environnement (French stormwater treatment equipment manufacturer)
CME Composants Magnétiques Électroniques (French: Magnetic Electronic Components; electronics manufacturer)
CME CheatMania Extreme (forum/website)
CME Cadet Medal of Excellence (Canadian Cadet Organization and Royal Canadian Legion)
CME Configuration Manager Environment
CME Childhood Music Education
CME Center for Microbial Ecology
CME Construction Management Engineer
CME Colorado Mountain Express
CME Center for Media Education
CME Cervicomediastinal Exploration (with bronchoscopy)
CME Chicago Mercantile Exchange
CME Circuit Multiplication Equipment
CME Ciudad Del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico (Airport Code)
CME Cystoid Macular Edema
CME Continuing Medical Education
CME Configuration Management Engineer
CME Chief Medical Examiner
CME College of Military Engineering (Pune, India)
CME Conseil Mondial des Éleveurs (French: World Council of Farmers)
CME Chemical and Materials Engineering
CME Center for Music Education (Bangalore, India)
CME Coefficient of Moisture Expansion
CME Caribbean Music Expo
CME Center of Mass Energy (physics)
CME Center for Manufacturing Enterprise (Cornell)
CME Center for Manufacturing Excellence
CME Container Management Element
CME Center for Management and Entrepreneurship
CME Cisco CallManager Express
CME Community Music East (UK)
CME Certified Marketing Executive
CME Continuous Medical Education
CME Conferences, Meetings and Events
CME Coconut Methyl Ester
CME Common Malware Enumeration
CME Communications, Media and Entertainment (various organizations)
CME Crisis Management Exercise
CME Columbia Music Entertainment (Japan)
CME Command Error (SESR bit - GPIB)
 
I used to visit Petit Jean in Arkansas all the time for weekend camp outs. Love that little park.

I think the back pack thing on short trails is something that has developed as a half way standard in the last 20 years. I am usually loaded down with camera gear and frequently did not carry anything other than camera stuff with me for years. But it is a relative thing... on distance. Now, if I hike a 5 mile trail, I have water, first aid, a gun, knife, compass and if their is any possible rain, a poncho + the camera gear.

I suspect there is something wrong with this woman mentally if she got lost this easily and for weeks to boot. They called her "inchworm" for a reason. Who would want to hike with her other than her friend? If you are not paying attention, you can cross a trail and not realize it especially if you are a bit scared.
I lived about a half hour from there in the town of Perryville. I miss it a lot sometimes.

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no, there's no reasons to be without the satellite phone., just silly notions about 'wilding'. Dont cry, then, when the wild gets your silly butt.
 
Cougar, all of those scare me! But a coronal mass ejection will sort of negate my fancy EPIRB.

Alewn, ever used a satphone? many places they don't work, they are still and electrical device which can fail. Does that mean don't take one? no, but its not a panacea. You have a lot of ideas, but you are a little fast to discount those of others.
 
no, there's no reasons to be without the satellite phone., just silly notions about 'wilding'. Dont cry, then, when the wild gets your silly butt.
Wrong again. I'm beginning to think you have little true experience afield. Millions have done fine without them and believe it of not,before and after man ever launched communications satellites from Earth. You'd be better off with a SPOT.
 
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