They did fine. "stay put" is advice for when you're lost, or injured. They were neither - they had a broken car, knowledge, equipment, and experience. Can you imagine if the stayed put? "But you could have just walked out!"

I would have walked out too - 2 days food, a few mile hike, and great weather?? Geez, I might have made it a 2 day trip just to prolong the fun!

They made a good decision based on their equipment, conditioning and experience. If one of them was less capable than the other, I might stick to the road and longer walk, otherwise the more capable person falls down injured, the less capable is forced to press on, off trail, to get help.

I'd have at least stayed the night, good excuse for a quiet evening out. Then again, they may have had things to do and didn't want to unnecessarily worry folks when they didn't return on time. They made this Stay or Go decision in the field at the time and it appears they made the right choice. . . for them.

The people who are second-guessing their decision weren't there and it may not have been the correct choice for those individuals.

From the ABCDE survival matra,

A. Accept the situation.

B. Brew up a cup of sweet tea if time allows.

C. Consider all possibilities.

D. Decide on a Plan.

E. Execute your Plan.


But did they brew up a cuppa before making their plan?

Being Americans, I doubt it,,,but they MAY have brewed up a cup of coffee!!

MY thinking to. Do I really want to be rescued.....

But to be honest, its only 15 miles. It's a decent day's hike, but a little duct tape on the ankles and the good socks in the boots I keep in my car takes care of the iffy parts.

Sorry we are Canucks..however we love our Tim Hortons !

They thought of staying the night, but did not needlessly wish to worry their family nor cause any unnecessary search.

A short while ago, I talked to my co-worker and got a bit more info. After looking on Google Earth tonight, they figure the hike was about 15-17 kms and took just over 5 hours with darkness coming just as they got to the paved road. They started at approx 4100' elevation and went down to about 2600 feet at the road. The terrain was easy walking at times but also very steep and slippery (wet) in other areas. She has a few sore spots and bruises on her side and arms from taking a tumble almost backwards after slipping on a wet rock. She said that when she found herself falling, that all she could think about was tucking and covering her head so it did not get bashed on the ground....smart thinking.

They also found that their maps for this area are not scaled enough for hiking but even having this map was better then none. Other then this and wishing they had gaiters to help keep the pants drier (no cotton) their gear was more then adequate for their needs.

I asked both if they would make the same decision today as yesterday. The answer was yes...however the main concern if her fall had been worse (ie: bashed her head, broken bones, sprains etc) it could of quickly escalated to a more serious situation.

Given the scenario, I would have walked out too, without hesitation. To do otherwise would have been silly, and would have worried family unnecessarily.

The only big (REALLY BIG) question would be whether to stay with the road or go cross-country. Intimate local knowledge and maps would be the tipping point in this decision. Without those, I would have stayed with the road. Yeah, logging and oilfield roads meander all the heck over the place, which is annoying. But on the road you won't get turned around, won't sprain an ankle, and you are moving closer to rescuers, who will probably check the road first anyway. You can also keep moving after dark, though very cautiously if it's bear country.

IMO they did everything right. They took charge of the situation, assessed things carefully, took responsibility and got down to business. Pretty much a yawn, survival-wise.

Tell the nervous nellies at work to buzz off and watch more TV.

Sounds like a glorified day hike to me. They had the proper equipment, clothing, food, water, and a great trail to follow. Why not walk out???