Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

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acorn woodpecker
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Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by acorn woodpecker » October 27th, 2017, 5:22 pm

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascoun ... s_fou.html

I was at the Bonanza TH today and spoke with some locals about this.

They told me he was found a couple miles up the Bonanza Trail before the trail switchbacks up toward Plaza Trail/Huckleberry Mtn (the article doesn't mention this). The hiker had parked at the Wildwood TH, so he had presumably went up and over Huckleberry Mtn. and got on the Plaza Trail before ending up on the Bonanza Trail (if he stayed on trail)?

The day he left (Saturday), that strong storm system arrived and dumped 3-4 inches in that area. He only had gear for a day hike, but did he have a map and compass or GPS? I wonder if he became disoriented and then mildly hypothermic and veered off the trail?

I always wish there were more details as to how lost hikers end up where they do, particularly ones described as experienced in an article.

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retired jerry
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by retired jerry » October 27th, 2017, 5:29 pm

I heard on TV that he was found by a friend who was out searching for him.

He was off the trail, a short distance from trail. Didn't know how close to the trail he was until the friend came along.

squidvicious
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by squidvicious » October 27th, 2017, 8:13 pm


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retired jerry
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by retired jerry » October 28th, 2017, 4:53 am

hmmm...

Heavy rain

He fell off the trail and then rather than hiking back up to the trail he just continued downhill

Then his pack fell and he couldn't find it. With food, jacket, cell phone

Never told anyone where he was going

I'd like to see the comments about that (no, just kidding, but I can imagine...)

Aimless
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by Aimless » October 28th, 2017, 10:00 am

If this is an example of an "experienced hiker", the charitable conclusion is that he was judgment-impaired by hypothermia. On the other hand, if he was hypothermic on his first day missing, it seems odd he survived for several more nights. His conduct was puzzling to say the least.

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chiefWright
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by chiefWright » October 28th, 2017, 12:05 pm

I've been "lost" solo twice, though not overnight. "Lost" in both cases was being unsure of what direction to take to get to where I wanted to go for more than several hours. And in both cases I had all the proper equipment and folks knew my itinerary.

In one case, the weather was bluebird and the terrain was relatively open and not hazardous. I was "lost" for most of the day, but for the most part it was more of an adventure than a trial. I was able later to reconstruct my steps and mis-steps.

In the other case, the weather was inclement and getting worse, the terrain was enclosed and dodgy. I was "lost" for only few hours, but it was terrifying. To this day my recollection of events is sketchy, including where I got off track, even though I've been back to the area several times.

I agree (as does the lost hiker), he should have at least let folks know of his itinerary. And what he does recall about his ordeal sure doesn't read like best practices when one is lost.

However, having been there, done that, I wouldn't be surprised if his recollection isn't terribly accurate. And in tense situations even cautions, prepared and experienced hikers (I count myself as one) will not always make the best choices.

That said, there's a couple of takeaways from his story (whether his story is accurate or not) that are in my backcountry playbook. I don't claim these to be correct for all, they're my own, and both assume I'm prepared with appropriate survival gear and have made my itinerary known:

1) You will be lost before you suspect you're lost. Keep a mental backtrack running to your last certain location.
2) In inclement or hazardous conditions, it's even more important to pay attention, slow down and constantly review your backtrack.
3) If you suspect you're lost, stop and calm down. Then carefully review and slowly execute your backtrack.
3) If your backtrack fails, it's usually better to stay put or foray in a safe location than foray into an obviously hazardous location.
4) If you're separated from your survival gear when you're lost it's usually better to safely reconnect with your gear than try to get unlost without your gear.

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retired jerry
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by retired jerry » October 28th, 2017, 1:30 pm

Good advice

Yeah, keep looking back from where you came so you can backtrack. Like look at landmarks like ridges or valleys.

I occasionally take a break, then continue except I go the wrong direction, eventually it occurs to me something is wrong and turn around. And once I did it twice, meaning the first time I though I was going the wrong direction but actually I was okay.

Once the map said there was a trail but there was only a faint trail, so I took it. (The real trail was further along). Then the faint trail petered out and I wasted a couple hours going off trail through brush and stuff eventually found the real trail. I should have just backtracked and continued. Or maybe the route I took was actually more memorable. I didn't die or anything.

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RobFromRedland
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by RobFromRedland » October 28th, 2017, 6:56 pm

I've seen Lurch post this before (and I think I've posted this before), but if you think you are lost, the FIRST thing you should do is STOP (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan):

https://survivalcommonsense.com/stop/

Adrenaline does weird things to your thought processes. This acronym helps with that.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW! What a ride! - Hunter S. Thompson

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markesc
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by markesc » October 29th, 2017, 7:49 am

I've adopted a don't leave the trail policy unless I'm above timberline, and obviously, check the weather the night before and day of the hike.

Off trail excursions: bring a friend + gps + extra batteries and keep it reasonable, and mostly, only do this after you've done a few normal hikes in the area, this way you know the terrain and how the lighting changes throughout the day.

Sounds like this guy did the 'hike dowhill til I hit a road' thing? Seems to me the odds of being found are much higher if you're on the trail...

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Charley
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Re: Missing Hiker in Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness Found

Post by Charley » October 29th, 2017, 7:54 pm

The circumstances seem so unlikely, and his survival so fantastic, that I can understand the level of speculation. It's just SO hard to imagine making the decisions he made, and so hard not to second-guess (abandoning the trail, rather than getting back up to it?!?!).

If the rest of ORHikers is like me, we're all wondering "That couldn't possibly happen to me? Right??" To be honest, we probably won't ever know. The mindset of survival-situation psychology is really hard to conjure up inside a warm home with the lights on, in front of a computer.

I've been lost several times (always on snow, usually on skis, up in treed, sub-alpine backcountry, looking for a road buried under a half dozen or more feet of snow). I have an idea of what "LOST!" feels like. That said, we always just got out whatever navigation equipment we had (from compass and map, to gps) and poked around till we found our route. The only scary thing about it was not knowing how long it would take us to get back on route.

Maybe if the process had begun with a bad crash down an unskiable slope, I'd have had a worse experience (although, since I wasn't alone, my partner probably wouldn't have let me wander around in the wrong direction). That said, I think I would have gotten out a map and plotted my best route out.
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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