Since we've mostly been reacting to the news reporting which tends not to give much information and also color the account, I thought I'd try to find some more details.
WHERE:
Rangers estimate the women logged at least 20 miles before they were picked up by a helicopter crew outside the northeastern side of the 9,400-square-mile park, Fister said.
The backpackers left Thursday from the Savage Creek checkpoint just 15 miles from the park entrance,
They were spotted by other hikers a mile off the road before they vanished.
PREPARATIONS:
The women said they each packed only bare essentials, such as two [peanut butter] sandwiches and granola bars, thinking that would be enough for their short trek. They brought a compass and a map but still lost their bearing, mistaking one river for another. They tried to follow the river, but that proved impossible many times, Flantz said.
At night they slept in a tent.
So they did have a map and compass, some food, and a tent.
drank river water or melted snow
We can probably imply from this they either had a stove or ability to make fire.
The backpackers had a permit to camp in the Mount Healy wilderness unit and their intended destination required a crossing of the Savage River.
If they filled out a permit, it is implied they declared where they were going and at least some general aspect of their timeline.
TERRAIN:
"There were steep hills, so we had to get away from them and there was this high brush we had to push through,"
Searchers scoured a 100-square mile search area that includes dense alder and willow, some black spruce forest, but also miles of open tundra.
WHAT THEY DID:
The days wore on and they rationed their food, but ran out of water and drank river water or melted snow. Hiking exhausted them, but they trudged on when the weather was good, hoping their destination was over the next bend. At night they slept in a tent.
The only wildlife they saw, however, was a porcupine.
Well, that was one meal missed.
they had no food when found.
they regularly clicked on their cell phone until they finally found reception that led to their rescue.
After the second cellphone call, they powered down the phone to save battery strength and text-messaged instead.
The last couple of days it rained, so they mostly stayed in the tent, conserving their waning energy.
Sounds like due to the food situation they were running out of steam.
They found no indication that the women had left the park but were puzzled that no clothing or gear had been found, or that the women had not somehow signaled the three helicopters or park airplane that flew overhead.
Not sure what 'puzzled that no clothing or gear had been found' was supposed to mean (they assumed they were eaten by bears?).
At one point, they saw an airplane to the south, Fister said.
Be interesting to know if they had attempted to signal and if so, how.
SUMMARY:
Pros:
- They appeared to be prepared enough in terms of clothing and shelter. They spent six days out there with rain and were still in good shape.
- They did declare where they were going and when (at least to some extent).
- They did have a map and compass.
- They maintained a positive outlook.
Cons:
- They didn't prepare for unexpected issues.
- They underestimated the terrain and/or overestimated their capabilities.
- They got lost and appeared to be unable to get unlost.
- They appeared to be at the end of their rope when they ran out of food.
- They were not successful in signaling the search craft.
- As they wound down, it isn't clear that they did anything to help themselves get found.
QUESTIONS:
- I'm getting a hint that they had a strategy regarding getting unlost. It would be helpful to understand this better to see if it was viable.
- Were there lost food gathering opportunities (other than the porcupines)?
LINKS:
(sorry, I think I missed a few)
yahoo news seattle times 
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