Hiker rescued off Gorton Creek trail

[adamschneider]

I do not understand how "just turn around and go back" is not the default decision for people in this situation, unless you are a skilled navigator. Same goes for roads that are getting covered with deeper and deeper snow.

I don't understand how you can get hopelessly lost if you have a smartphone — which almost everyone does. Please tell me their batteries died.

[Bosterson]

I do not understand how "just turn around and go back" is not the default decision for people in this situation, unless you are a skilled navigator. Same goes for roads that are getting covered with deeper and deeper snow.

I don't understand how you can get hopelessly lost if you have a smartphone — which almost everyone does. Please tell me their batteries died.

I don't understand either of those things. And I don't understand how people's phone batteries die out there so quickly - I've stopped taking my full GPS unit and just use my phone these days, and it's never close to dying. Like, make sure your battery is fully charged when you leave the car and stop playing Angry Birds while hiking? I don't get it.

[Chip Down]

And I don't understand how people's phone batteries die out there so quickly - I've stopped taking my full GPS unit and just use my phone these days, and it's never close to dying. Like, make sure your battery is fully charged when you leave the car and stop playing Angry Birds while hiking? I don't get it.

I too have stopped carrying my (first-generation brick) GPS. I'm amazed that I can almost always navigate with phone. I can drain a battery in a day though, so if I expect to be playing Angry Birds or watching porn or whatever, then I carry a small external battery.

[Chip Down]

from the gofundme:

"After a snow covered trail hid the path of his hike, he did his best to find his way. Unfortunately, it took Morgan 4 days of trekking, several falls and extreme exposure to make his way somewhere he could be found"

I do not understand how "just turn around and go back" is not the default decision for people in this situation, unless you are a skilled navigator. Same goes for roads that are getting covered with deeper and deeper snow.

I suppose a big part of it is the mentality of "I can't turn back now; I've spent two hours getting this far. I can't accept that I've wasted that time". And, of course, "I know the road must be just over this next ridge".

[aiwetir]

Are we just gonna ignore the option to go downhill in the Gorge to get out?

[retired jerry]

same here, phone works just as good as old GPS

maybe we should short Garmin stock

it does seem hard to get "lost" in the gorge, a little harder than just going downhill because there are cliffs

[justpeachy]

And I don't understand how people's phone batteries die out there so quickly

Cold weather and "older" phones can make your battery die quickly. (I hate that a phones are only designed to last a few years.) I can't speak to Androids, but in my experience iPhones eventually get bad at holding a charge. My iPhone 8 is over three years old now and the battery drains faster it used to. It's ok in summer, but this time of year if I'm out in anything below 45 degrees my phone battery can go from 100% to 50% in about two hours, even in airplane mode. Batteries of all kinds hate cold weather.

[Webfoot]

Are we just gonna ignore the option to go downhill in the Gorge to get out?

That's going to cliff out a lot, isn't it?

[dirtman]

Are we just gonna ignore the option to go downhill in the Gorge to get out?

That's going to cliff out a lot, isn't it?

This is why everyone should have a paraglider in their pack as part of their essential equipment.

[aiwetir]

Are we just gonna ignore the option to go downhill in the Gorge to get out?

That's going to cliff out a lot, isn't it?

Sure but at least you know the way out