Oregon Hikers

https://katu.com/news/local/clackamas-c ... mona-falls

This caught my attention because of this

When their inaccurate online information about their route left them on an impassable trail, the exhausted hikers decided to build a fire and camp for the night.

Assuming the "impassable trail" was the section of the TT, I was wondering how they would have wound up over there. Then I remembered: if you just put "Ramona Falls" into google maps for directions, instead of Ramona Falls trailhead, it directs you to sort of Top Spur trailhead (not even to, just the general area of, and then I guess you're supposed to bushwhack?). The reason I know this is there are a bunch of comments on alltrails from people who didn't question it and tried to go that way, and wound up stuck in the snow or just hopelessly confused.

Even if that doesn't turn out to be what happened with these people, those directions are obviously causing problems, and potentially dangerous. I do see an "edit the map" link on google maps, but it's not exactly intuitive, and I couldn't see how to edit it to direct people to the actual trailhead. Is that something that can be done?

One would think that 1 person out of 7 would have a map or gps. The odds must be astronomical for this to happen.

I expect a lot of this to happen this year. Trails are still impassable from last year’s windstorms, and a lot more people are getting outdoors due to a multitude of reasons, mostly Covid-related.

I’m not surprised in the slightest.

Based on the comments in this Facebook post it sounds like the group was using AllTrails.

People frequently think AllTrails is providing the directions when in fact that app it is dumping you into Google Maps. It still surprises me how many people use Google Maps to navigate on public land.

Not surprised either. Last week I came back down from camping in snow with my pack, poles, and gaiters. I passed a group of people wearing flip flops and swinging Nalgene bottles. I told them route finding was difficult up ahead because of snow and they should have gps or good route finding skills. “Ok, thanks”. Flip flop flip flop

justpeachy wrote: ↑

June 9th, 2021, 7:12 pm

It still surprises me how many people use Google Maps to navigate on public land.

I'm in that category. Sometimes I consult an alternate source, but of course an alternate map using the same data will be equally valid. One thing I won't do though: blithely continue on my merry way, positive the map couldn't possibly be wrong, until it's getting dark and it's raining and I realize I'm in trouble. If every map in the world was 100% accurate, we'd still have stories like this.

In another discussion a few days ago, a TR I believe, a SAR team member warned people to stay the heck off that trail, said they've already had to rescue a couple parties. [edit: it's linked in the OP above] I wonder if there are signs that people are ignoring. If so, that's easy to understand. If you've never seen the aftermath of severe storm damage, it's easy to scoff "some downed trees? Bah, I'll just climb over or around". No, you won't, you can't imagine how hard it is if you've never seen something like that.

A screen shot of the one the lost souls during the rescue. What's wrong with this picture?

What's wrong with this picture?

I would never wear sandals when hiking. Mosquito bites on the feet are miserable!

Last year it seemed to be a bummer that the wind storm was followed by fires. But now it seems that the areas that had fires might be easier to restore than this ridge.

Chip Down wrote: ↑

June 9th, 2021, 9:45 pm

In another discussion a few days ago, a TR I believe, a SAR team member warned people to stay the heck off that trail, said they've already had to rescue a couple parties. [edit: it's linked in the OP above] I wonder if there are signs that people are ignoring. If so, that's easy to understand. If you've never seen the aftermath of severe storm damage, it's easy to scoff "some downed trees? Bah, I'll just climb over or around". No, you won't, you can't imagine how hard it is if you've never seen something like that.

I bushwhack for a living, sort of (restoration / invasives control) and still managed to injure my knee pretty badly a couple weeks ago working in one of the closed Metro natural areas. Clearly hadn't been anyone on the little maintenance trails since at least the February ice storm if not the Labor Day winds.

Even as a frequent hiker, it's really not a danger that would ever have occured to me before I started climbing around in areas like that every day!