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I just got the latest Readers Digest, and inside was a story about Seattle camper/backpacker Pamala Salent, who last year had to survive for 4 days in Mount Hood National Forest with a broken leg.
While I am glad she was rescued and made it out alive, I really cringed at the circumstances of how she got in a jam in the first place.
Apparently she and her boyfriend hiked from their car to Bear Lake about a mile and a half away. Once there, they got into a spat, so she dropped her pack, and said she was going to go find a better place to camp.
Due to terrain, she had to move out of sight of the lake, and got lost in the woods. Having no map, compass or anything but her clothes, she wandered around until it was getting dark. In the dim light, she fell off a 40 foot cliff and broke her leg in two places. Long story short, she ended up following Lindsey Creek down a steep crag where she got stuck. Luckily a local Search and Rescue team, the Hood River Crag Rats, were able to reach her by descending down with climbing equipment and calling in a Blackhawk Helo to air lift her out using a cable and harness.
First off. I am damn glad to hear she made it out alive and I commend her for at least having enough snap to eat bugs and such for food and get to a place where she could be seen by air.
What saddens me is any number of things could have prevented this, or at least improved her situation.
#1 Carry a map of the area you will be in and a compass. Know how to use them.
#2 Don't leave all your gear back at camp and go running around in the woods without at least a PSK.
#3 With two of them, they could have brought walkie talkies.
#4 Walking in the dark at night with no lights is a good way to fall off a cliff as she discovered.
#5 Luckily it was July, so she didn't freeze to death at night. The good thing was she was able to improvise some extra insulation with some dried moss and putting her bra on her head as a hat (seriously). She should have had at least a mylar blanket in her pocket. To keep warm, and she could have possibly signaled the choppers easier and sooner.
Remember those "10 essentials" we talked about in another thread. Lets see what she had.
Extra clothing Fail
Extra food Fail
Map Fail
Compass Fail
Matches Fail
Fire starter Fail
First-aid supplies Fail unless you count using her underwear for a bandage.
Knife Fail
Headlamp/flashlight Fail
Sunglasses and sunscreen Fail
Apparently she did break down and eat some raw bugs and slugs, along with fortunately finding some edible berries which she was "pretty sure" weren't poisonous.
I have to give her credit. She kept a cool enough head with the SHTF to stay alive long enough to be rescued, but if she had a cool head before heading out, she wouldn't have needed to be rescued in the first place.
While I am glad she was rescued and made it out alive, I really cringed at the circumstances of how she got in a jam in the first place.
Apparently she and her boyfriend hiked from their car to Bear Lake about a mile and a half away. Once there, they got into a spat, so she dropped her pack, and said she was going to go find a better place to camp.
Due to terrain, she had to move out of sight of the lake, and got lost in the woods. Having no map, compass or anything but her clothes, she wandered around until it was getting dark. In the dim light, she fell off a 40 foot cliff and broke her leg in two places. Long story short, she ended up following Lindsey Creek down a steep crag where she got stuck. Luckily a local Search and Rescue team, the Hood River Crag Rats, were able to reach her by descending down with climbing equipment and calling in a Blackhawk Helo to air lift her out using a cable and harness.
First off. I am damn glad to hear she made it out alive and I commend her for at least having enough snap to eat bugs and such for food and get to a place where she could be seen by air.
What saddens me is any number of things could have prevented this, or at least improved her situation.
#1 Carry a map of the area you will be in and a compass. Know how to use them.
#2 Don't leave all your gear back at camp and go running around in the woods without at least a PSK.
#3 With two of them, they could have brought walkie talkies.
#4 Walking in the dark at night with no lights is a good way to fall off a cliff as she discovered.
#5 Luckily it was July, so she didn't freeze to death at night. The good thing was she was able to improvise some extra insulation with some dried moss and putting her bra on her head as a hat (seriously). She should have had at least a mylar blanket in her pocket. To keep warm, and she could have possibly signaled the choppers easier and sooner.
Remember those "10 essentials" we talked about in another thread. Lets see what she had.
Extra clothing Fail
Extra food Fail
Map Fail
Compass Fail
Matches Fail
Fire starter Fail
First-aid supplies Fail unless you count using her underwear for a bandage.
Knife Fail
Headlamp/flashlight Fail
Sunglasses and sunscreen Fail
Apparently she did break down and eat some raw bugs and slugs, along with fortunately finding some edible berries which she was "pretty sure" weren't poisonous.
I have to give her credit. She kept a cool enough head with the SHTF to stay alive long enough to be rescued, but if she had a cool head before heading out, she wouldn't have needed to be rescued in the first place.
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