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Walking/Hiking Stick Giveaway for June
- Thread starter Mossyhorn
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Bigfattyt
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- Jun 23, 2007
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I have a "survival" story or two.
I was a boy scout taken on an afternoon trip on a small waterway in canoes. The leaders were just put in as leaders, and did not do any pre trip scouting to make sure they knew the idea.
They took us to the wrong little waterway. We were supposed to go down the Frenchman, and they took us down the lower Winchester (central Washington).
The Frenchman is a fun little float, that people do in tubes, etc all the time. Most spots are shallow enough that after every small waterfall (2-3 foot at most), if you swamp, you can stand up, dump the canoe and continue on, as long as you stay to the right side (the water is shallower, and you can touch bottom easily).
The lower Winchester is not tube friendly at all. Twisty, undercut banks, Russian olive trees and other thorny bushes along the banks. I could tell right away (at 14 years old) that we were on the wrong waterway. The leaders did not listen to this advice. They kept telling us to watch for the waterfall, and stay to the right. I got out ahead of the group, and when I saw the barbed wire fence strung across the waterway with a "DANGER WATERFALL, PORTAGE" sign. I got out upstream and pulled the canoe out. We ran around to check the waterfall (not trusting the "stay to the right" that the uninformed leaders kept shouting at us).
The waterfall was about a 20 foot drop into a whirlpool. (I talked to another group who said it is closer to 20 feet, so I edited this. They lost a canoe there to the waterfall on their last attempt, and were unable to recover it)
We made it back just in time to catch the next canoe behind us. They were so close to going past the only place to get out, it was a near thing. The water was too deep and swift to do anything but go over and die, if we had not gotten them out when we did.
We got the rest of the scouts out, and then had to convince the leaders not to go over the falls.
When they saw the drop, they were so scared!.
Instead of listening to advice from us kids (the scouts) we portaged around the falls, and continued down the unknown waterway. We ended up shearing one canoe in half (on a much smaller drop, where the water narrows), loosing one leader's wallet and wedding ring, the other leader lost his passport and travelers checks (he was leaving the country the next day for a business trip).
We eventually had to abandon the canoes when the waterway petered out into unconnected lakes and ponds. We had to hike out, and eventually found a homestead (only because the property owner had mounted a very tall pole with a bright light). We knocked on his door at about 2 am. When he came to the door, and saw all the tired, wet bedraggled scouts, he brought us in, and called our folks to come get us. He told us that he gets at least one or two people a year at his door late at night. Lost and cold. Several years he has answered the door to find one person dragging a deceased friend. That particular stretch kills hunters and fishermen all the time. The waterfall is a blind waterfall, and people every year ignore the danger sign, and thing they are on the wrong waterway.
They had to send a search plane to find the 6 canoes we had to leave. In our hike out, we found the correct waterway, but did not know it at the time.
Now, as an adult, we take the scouts on the Upper stretch of the Winchester every year. It is a great overnight paddle. We pull out at the spot where the old leaders put us in at (right where it turns much swifter and more dangerous).
We are taking that upper trip next weekend, and it is a very enjoyable trip.
That lower stretch is fine, if you can paddle, know that the waterfall is there, and you know how to make it through the maze at the end.
I learned quite a few lessons from that trip. Know the area you are going. Make sure people know where you are going (they were already organizing a search when we called, because we were about 6 hours overdue). Bring a source of fire. We were cold, wet, and miserable. We almost had to spend the night outdoors in shorts and t shirts with no source of warmth.
Bring warmer gear than you thing you will need. It is always better to have to take something off and put it in your pack, then be shivering and cold at 3 in the morning.
As a leader, I tend to overpack for trips, and bring "extras". We did a winter campout on Spokane Mountain a few years ago. I brought extra coats, sleeping bags, and extra pack boots (that were kid sized). Came in real handy.
I had another trip, as a adult in the Teatons where an oversight in my gear nearly killed me. I had a North Face mummy bag that I had not used in years. I almost never camp in cold enough weather to use it. I brought that as my only bag on a campout.
I discovered that night, in a couple feet of fresh snow, that the sleeping bag no longer fit me. I could not even get my arms inside (I had grown a foot or more since using it last). I left my big mummy bag at home (it was bigger, but did not have as low of a temp rating).
I tried to go to sleep, and when I went all warm and fuzzy, I got up to build a fire. I had stopped shivering, and felt all warm and comfortable. I almost went to sleep, but realized that I was not warm. I was covered in inches of frost inside the tent, and was about to fall asleep forever.
When we went to bed, it was well above freezing. Higher elevation up in the Teatons, man did it get cold fast!
I got my pants, boots, and gear on. I went out and realized my firewood was covered in two feet of snow, and the fire pit was buried as well. I managed to get a fire going, and sat next to the fire all night until my companions got up the next morning. This is where the "stupid and scary" part of hypothermia hit home to me. I never considered, not once, that waking up my two sleeping roommates might be a good idea. Even dumber?????? I was so far gone, that it never occurred to me to just climb in the truck and start it up! Thats right. I was so far gone, I never even considered starting the truck less than 10 feet away and warming up. I had a truck with a full tank of gas. Instead, I sat out in the snow, struggling to get my hands to work to get a fire going to survive. We stayed another night, and I got out my "survival" bivy and slept inside that half in the bag, with all my snowboarding gear, two hats, and mittens and was fine the next night.
I am an eagle scout, and have done "survival" camping before. I just could not believe how fast I lost all reason and thought process. If I had gotten up earlier and not tried to "tough it out" I would have been fine. I had enough gear. I had friends to help, and a truck right there to get warm in. I did not think of any of that once the hypothermia set in. All i could think of was to get a fire started so I would not die.
I always check my gear before a trip now.
I was a boy scout taken on an afternoon trip on a small waterway in canoes. The leaders were just put in as leaders, and did not do any pre trip scouting to make sure they knew the idea.
They took us to the wrong little waterway. We were supposed to go down the Frenchman, and they took us down the lower Winchester (central Washington).
The Frenchman is a fun little float, that people do in tubes, etc all the time. Most spots are shallow enough that after every small waterfall (2-3 foot at most), if you swamp, you can stand up, dump the canoe and continue on, as long as you stay to the right side (the water is shallower, and you can touch bottom easily).
The lower Winchester is not tube friendly at all. Twisty, undercut banks, Russian olive trees and other thorny bushes along the banks. I could tell right away (at 14 years old) that we were on the wrong waterway. The leaders did not listen to this advice. They kept telling us to watch for the waterfall, and stay to the right. I got out ahead of the group, and when I saw the barbed wire fence strung across the waterway with a "DANGER WATERFALL, PORTAGE" sign. I got out upstream and pulled the canoe out. We ran around to check the waterfall (not trusting the "stay to the right" that the uninformed leaders kept shouting at us).
The waterfall was about a 20 foot drop into a whirlpool. (I talked to another group who said it is closer to 20 feet, so I edited this. They lost a canoe there to the waterfall on their last attempt, and were unable to recover it)
We made it back just in time to catch the next canoe behind us. They were so close to going past the only place to get out, it was a near thing. The water was too deep and swift to do anything but go over and die, if we had not gotten them out when we did.
We got the rest of the scouts out, and then had to convince the leaders not to go over the falls.
When they saw the drop, they were so scared!.
Instead of listening to advice from us kids (the scouts) we portaged around the falls, and continued down the unknown waterway. We ended up shearing one canoe in half (on a much smaller drop, where the water narrows), loosing one leader's wallet and wedding ring, the other leader lost his passport and travelers checks (he was leaving the country the next day for a business trip).
We eventually had to abandon the canoes when the waterway petered out into unconnected lakes and ponds. We had to hike out, and eventually found a homestead (only because the property owner had mounted a very tall pole with a bright light). We knocked on his door at about 2 am. When he came to the door, and saw all the tired, wet bedraggled scouts, he brought us in, and called our folks to come get us. He told us that he gets at least one or two people a year at his door late at night. Lost and cold. Several years he has answered the door to find one person dragging a deceased friend. That particular stretch kills hunters and fishermen all the time. The waterfall is a blind waterfall, and people every year ignore the danger sign, and thing they are on the wrong waterway.
They had to send a search plane to find the 6 canoes we had to leave. In our hike out, we found the correct waterway, but did not know it at the time.
Now, as an adult, we take the scouts on the Upper stretch of the Winchester every year. It is a great overnight paddle. We pull out at the spot where the old leaders put us in at (right where it turns much swifter and more dangerous).
We are taking that upper trip next weekend, and it is a very enjoyable trip.
That lower stretch is fine, if you can paddle, know that the waterfall is there, and you know how to make it through the maze at the end.
I learned quite a few lessons from that trip. Know the area you are going. Make sure people know where you are going (they were already organizing a search when we called, because we were about 6 hours overdue). Bring a source of fire. We were cold, wet, and miserable. We almost had to spend the night outdoors in shorts and t shirts with no source of warmth.
Bring warmer gear than you thing you will need. It is always better to have to take something off and put it in your pack, then be shivering and cold at 3 in the morning.
As a leader, I tend to overpack for trips, and bring "extras". We did a winter campout on Spokane Mountain a few years ago. I brought extra coats, sleeping bags, and extra pack boots (that were kid sized). Came in real handy.
I had another trip, as a adult in the Teatons where an oversight in my gear nearly killed me. I had a North Face mummy bag that I had not used in years. I almost never camp in cold enough weather to use it. I brought that as my only bag on a campout.
I discovered that night, in a couple feet of fresh snow, that the sleeping bag no longer fit me. I could not even get my arms inside (I had grown a foot or more since using it last). I left my big mummy bag at home (it was bigger, but did not have as low of a temp rating).
I tried to go to sleep, and when I went all warm and fuzzy, I got up to build a fire. I had stopped shivering, and felt all warm and comfortable. I almost went to sleep, but realized that I was not warm. I was covered in inches of frost inside the tent, and was about to fall asleep forever.
When we went to bed, it was well above freezing. Higher elevation up in the Teatons, man did it get cold fast!
I got my pants, boots, and gear on. I went out and realized my firewood was covered in two feet of snow, and the fire pit was buried as well. I managed to get a fire going, and sat next to the fire all night until my companions got up the next morning. This is where the "stupid and scary" part of hypothermia hit home to me. I never considered, not once, that waking up my two sleeping roommates might be a good idea. Even dumber?????? I was so far gone, that it never occurred to me to just climb in the truck and start it up! Thats right. I was so far gone, I never even considered starting the truck less than 10 feet away and warming up. I had a truck with a full tank of gas. Instead, I sat out in the snow, struggling to get my hands to work to get a fire going to survive. We stayed another night, and I got out my "survival" bivy and slept inside that half in the bag, with all my snowboarding gear, two hats, and mittens and was fine the next night.
I am an eagle scout, and have done "survival" camping before. I just could not believe how fast I lost all reason and thought process. If I had gotten up earlier and not tried to "tough it out" I would have been fine. I had enough gear. I had friends to help, and a truck right there to get warm in. I did not think of any of that once the hypothermia set in. All i could think of was to get a fire started so I would not die.
I always check my gear before a trip now.
Last edited:
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Bigfattyt - I go to the Winchester Waste way a few times a year to bowfish carp, fun area. Too bad your leaders were too ______(fill in the blank) to listen to a kid which was trying to save them. Thats the best lesson I get from your story. Young doesnt mean dumb
I was in a few Search & Rescue missions urban and wilderness. My group never did find them, it was usually the 4x4 or atv unit, they cover a lot more ground then the brush monkeys. I was also on personal search and rescue when a few of my buddies went to our regular camping spot and blew out a tire when trying to park(I dont know how they manage). Its a 2-3 hour (at 40mph on average) drive on mountain roads, they had little water and had to walk back in July. They found a house that night around midnight. I got a call from one of their moms and went out the next day to find them. The funny thing was if they would have walked the other way on the road they would have had a hour long walk to the locked gate that leads into a state park. Phil just said "Oh ya, forgot about that."
That place is of a tire destroying zone, I got 3 flats, 3 different tires in one trip there.
Luckily and sadly that is the best story I got.
I was in a few Search & Rescue missions urban and wilderness. My group never did find them, it was usually the 4x4 or atv unit, they cover a lot more ground then the brush monkeys. I was also on personal search and rescue when a few of my buddies went to our regular camping spot and blew out a tire when trying to park(I dont know how they manage). Its a 2-3 hour (at 40mph on average) drive on mountain roads, they had little water and had to walk back in July. They found a house that night around midnight. I got a call from one of their moms and went out the next day to find them. The funny thing was if they would have walked the other way on the road they would have had a hour long walk to the locked gate that leads into a state park. Phil just said "Oh ya, forgot about that."
That place is of a tire destroying zone, I got 3 flats, 3 different tires in one trip there.
Luckily and sadly that is the best story I got.
Last edited:
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- May 10, 2012
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- 1,812
Well, I might as well play along at the last minute 
Not exactly "survival", but recently I had a similar gear mishap when I went camping with a friend up in the foothills of the Cascades.
We started off the day with a grandparent that spent 45 minutes after we were ready to leave, making sure everything was packed. We repeatedly assured her that we got everything, but to no avail. Finally she assured herself that everything was in the now overpacked trunk, and we were off. After an uneventful drive, we arrived at a lovely little camp ground that my buddy's grandparents live at over the summer. They have a gas stove, a camper, electricity, the whole package. But my buddy and I, we're real men. We don't want that.
So, of course, we go to set up our tent.
Oh, that's right! We never put it in the trunk... Oops. And now it's cold, and raining fairly hard. Not one to give up, my buddy goes hunting for tarps. Catching on to his idea, I went and pulled out all my paracord and duct tape, and in short order we had the supplies needed to build a shelter.
We selected a spot nestled between two large trees, down in an odd patch of "swamp" that never seems to get wet, yet has nice soft ground for sleeping on. We threw down a ground sheet, then skillfully strung up ropes between the trees, onto which we settled the tarps. After securing them and adjusting them, we stood back and proudly admired our creation.
Was it pretty? No. Functional? Very.
I even strung up a hammock using the remainder of my paracord and duct tape, and managed to stay in it throughout the night. And while fun, I think that'll be the last time we forget our tent.
And for your viewing pleasure, this is the hammock I made
Not exactly "survival", but recently I had a similar gear mishap when I went camping with a friend up in the foothills of the Cascades.
We started off the day with a grandparent that spent 45 minutes after we were ready to leave, making sure everything was packed. We repeatedly assured her that we got everything, but to no avail. Finally she assured herself that everything was in the now overpacked trunk, and we were off. After an uneventful drive, we arrived at a lovely little camp ground that my buddy's grandparents live at over the summer. They have a gas stove, a camper, electricity, the whole package. But my buddy and I, we're real men. We don't want that.
So, of course, we go to set up our tent.
Oh, that's right! We never put it in the trunk... Oops. And now it's cold, and raining fairly hard. Not one to give up, my buddy goes hunting for tarps. Catching on to his idea, I went and pulled out all my paracord and duct tape, and in short order we had the supplies needed to build a shelter.
We selected a spot nestled between two large trees, down in an odd patch of "swamp" that never seems to get wet, yet has nice soft ground for sleeping on. We threw down a ground sheet, then skillfully strung up ropes between the trees, onto which we settled the tarps. After securing them and adjusting them, we stood back and proudly admired our creation.
Was it pretty? No. Functional? Very.
I even strung up a hammock using the remainder of my paracord and duct tape, and managed to stay in it throughout the night. And while fun, I think that'll be the last time we forget our tent.
And for your viewing pleasure, this is the hammock I made
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- Messages
- 188
Haha I guess I'll get in last minute here. I really don't have that many "survival" stories because I usually don't find myself in those kind of situations.
I've had two or three "praying for sunrise" situations where I either packed inefficient sleeping bags/systems and payed for it by losing a night of sleep. I think the most recent one of these was the kayaking trip I took over spring break. My father and I had planned to kayak 200 miles down the Neuse river in eight days. After putting in three 20-30 mile days with an insufficient amount of food you think it would be easy for me to go to sleep. Unfortunately I had packed my old sleeping bag which has a giant rip in the bottom and is not very efficient. After three days with about 8 hours of sleep I finally called it quits on day four. By that time I had lost 10 pounds, and my hands were rubbed raw. The lesson I took away from that trip is that it always pays to pack good food and invest in a good sleeping system. (Just bought a nice down bag)
My neighbor and I have grown up together and since he's not here I'm gonna share some of his stories. A really avid fisherman he and his father went down to the beach to camp out and fish for the weekend. Both very outdoorsy kind of people they set up their tent and got down to fishing. Later that night after they had called it quits and turned in for the night a big storm moved in on them. The wind blew so hard that it ripped the rainfly right off of their tent and everything inside got soaking wet. Luckily their truck was parked near by and they were able to jump inside and drive down to the local laundrymat. Where they spent the night drying out the rest of their gear.
Like I said not really survival stories, but at least there something.
-MC
I've had two or three "praying for sunrise" situations where I either packed inefficient sleeping bags/systems and payed for it by losing a night of sleep. I think the most recent one of these was the kayaking trip I took over spring break. My father and I had planned to kayak 200 miles down the Neuse river in eight days. After putting in three 20-30 mile days with an insufficient amount of food you think it would be easy for me to go to sleep. Unfortunately I had packed my old sleeping bag which has a giant rip in the bottom and is not very efficient. After three days with about 8 hours of sleep I finally called it quits on day four. By that time I had lost 10 pounds, and my hands were rubbed raw. The lesson I took away from that trip is that it always pays to pack good food and invest in a good sleeping system. (Just bought a nice down bag)
My neighbor and I have grown up together and since he's not here I'm gonna share some of his stories. A really avid fisherman he and his father went down to the beach to camp out and fish for the weekend. Both very outdoorsy kind of people they set up their tent and got down to fishing. Later that night after they had called it quits and turned in for the night a big storm moved in on them. The wind blew so hard that it ripped the rainfly right off of their tent and everything inside got soaking wet. Luckily their truck was parked near by and they were able to jump inside and drive down to the local laundrymat. Where they spent the night drying out the rest of their gear.
Like I said not really survival stories, but at least there something.
-MC
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2012
- Messages
- 794
Can we post storys about what happened to other people we know
Bigfattyt
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2007
- Messages
- 19,237
Thanks again. I will post some photo's from the same stream. We just did another 2 day trip on the Upper Winchester.
We stopped for the night, and my first cast caught this guy. One of the boys cleaned and cooked this catfish (even though we had already had dinner about an hour earlier).
I am not wearing the jacket because it was cool. It was hot, but the mosquitoes were so stinking bad! I had repellent on that did not work at all. Then I put on some 100% deet repellent! Still, they followed me around and I got plenty of bites.
Not me, but the yellow canoe is mine.
Here is a favorite spot to stop on the 2nd day. The current takes a lazy turn, and the bottom is soft and sandy.
Here is one of the reasons we stopped here.
Here is the pull out spot. At this point, the current becomes much swifter, and the overhanging russian olive get worse. A little further down stream is where the water fall is. I found out another group of scouts actually tried to go over the waterfall. They saved the two boys in the canoe, but the canoe was pinned, and even with 6 guys on the rope, they could not budge it. They had to leave it, and call it a loss.
I did not take as many pictures this year (the phone camera is handy, but is more expensive than my normal camera, but I kept it double wrapped most of the trip).
Here are some pics from last years trip as well. (you can see more of the russian olive that make the turns a bit more interesting. If you don't pick a good line, or loose your forward momentum, you get the dreaded "Duck, Scrape and Poke")
This was a particularly tricky stretch (trick for this little waterway, but nothing scary on this whole trip, especially compared to a canoe on a class III in bad weather at flood stage). The waterway took a funny dogleg, but most of the water pushed through the trees, where a canoe could not get through. The boys had to make a 120 degree turn, with the water pushing them sideways into trees, and move against the current and trough a gap no wider than the canoe (dead tree just below the surface).
My self, and one of the boys dads sat and watched the group go through shouting directions. (I am a scout leader with the 12 year olds, although I am supposed to be in charge of the 14 year olds, but most have aged up to the older group). Some of the kids were stuck and had to work at it for 15+ minutes.
For some reason, he and I threaded the needle with no issues (might have had something to do with sitting watching all the boys go through and coming up with a strategy.
Or it might have been the fact that there were two grown men paddling hard!
little Gap to the right with the trees in the water is where we had to go. The bulk of the water just pushed straight through the stand of trees on the left.
One of the reasons it is a great paddle, is that it really teaches the new kids how to turn a canoe! They end up sideways, and backwards lots, but it is pretty low risk in most spots.
We stopped for the night, and my first cast caught this guy. One of the boys cleaned and cooked this catfish (even though we had already had dinner about an hour earlier).
I am not wearing the jacket because it was cool. It was hot, but the mosquitoes were so stinking bad! I had repellent on that did not work at all. Then I put on some 100% deet repellent! Still, they followed me around and I got plenty of bites.
Not me, but the yellow canoe is mine.
Here is a favorite spot to stop on the 2nd day. The current takes a lazy turn, and the bottom is soft and sandy.
Here is one of the reasons we stopped here.
Here is the pull out spot. At this point, the current becomes much swifter, and the overhanging russian olive get worse. A little further down stream is where the water fall is. I found out another group of scouts actually tried to go over the waterfall. They saved the two boys in the canoe, but the canoe was pinned, and even with 6 guys on the rope, they could not budge it. They had to leave it, and call it a loss.
I did not take as many pictures this year (the phone camera is handy, but is more expensive than my normal camera, but I kept it double wrapped most of the trip).
Here are some pics from last years trip as well. (you can see more of the russian olive that make the turns a bit more interesting. If you don't pick a good line, or loose your forward momentum, you get the dreaded "Duck, Scrape and Poke")
This was a particularly tricky stretch (trick for this little waterway, but nothing scary on this whole trip, especially compared to a canoe on a class III in bad weather at flood stage). The waterway took a funny dogleg, but most of the water pushed through the trees, where a canoe could not get through. The boys had to make a 120 degree turn, with the water pushing them sideways into trees, and move against the current and trough a gap no wider than the canoe (dead tree just below the surface).
My self, and one of the boys dads sat and watched the group go through shouting directions. (I am a scout leader with the 12 year olds, although I am supposed to be in charge of the 14 year olds, but most have aged up to the older group). Some of the kids were stuck and had to work at it for 15+ minutes.
For some reason, he and I threaded the needle with no issues (might have had something to do with sitting watching all the boys go through and coming up with a strategy.
Or it might have been the fact that there were two grown men paddling hard!
little Gap to the right with the trees in the water is where we had to go. The bulk of the water just pushed straight through the stand of trees on the left.
One of the reasons it is a great paddle, is that it really teaches the new kids how to turn a canoe! They end up sideways, and backwards lots, but it is pretty low risk in most spots.
Last edited:
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