First post in several months for me, have been busy - but heard this story on the radio and was interested in checking this board's opinion.

You know, in reading this article I think they did fairly well, all things considered. I mean basically if you look at it they left the car to look for a tree and got lost in the woods - which many of you should know is NOT had to do. Unless you check behind you from time to time, it's downright impossible to navigate in a pine forest. EVERYTHING looks the same.

So yeah, even if he had a kit in the car, he probably would have left it because he was 'simply' getting a tree. Sure, the lesson is carry it with him but it's a simple, though potentially deadly, mistake. I am glad to see that given the circumstances they had the foresight to build a shelter, stamp out a 'help' in the snow filled with sticks to offset the color of the terrain, and that he was able to keep his kids emotionally stable (that alone speaks volumes) enough to complete the journey into awareness in one piece.

Let's not forget that even the most unlikely circumstances can catch even the most vigilant off guard - it's how we react when those circumstances occur that's important.

Just my .0002 cents