Situational awareness is a lifesaver. So is prior preparation.
This lost hiker in Colorado had neither and survived because of pure luck.
by Leon Pantenburg
All Search and Rescue personnel can tell stories like this. Someone goes out for a quick walk in the mountains and is never seen again.
Or they are just going to take a quick walk, so any survival gear is left at the trailhead. Take a notebook
Here is my story: From Bushcraft Basics: A Common Sense Wilderness Survival Handbook
A few years back, I was at Swampy Lakes Snow Park near Bend, Oregon getting ready for a snowshoe trek. An older couple pulled up next to me – tourists from the looks of their inappropriate clothing and rental equipment. They had no survival equipment of any kind that I could see. They struggled to put their snowshoes on, then asked if there were any maps around. I gave them one of mine, and offered to orient it for them with my compass.
They declined.
They also didn’t want the book of matches and a packet of fire starter I tried to give them. And here comes the quote that keeps SAR teams busy:
“We’e just going out for a quick outing,” the lady said. “We’re not going to do any of that wilderness survival stuff.”
And she was absolutely right.
This lost hiker near Buena Vists, Colorado added to an already serious situation by not using common sense. Here is the complete NBC News story.
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