"...early symptoms weren't recognized and thinking capacity quickly deteriorated."

By then, you're really in trouble, and no matter what you do, it will probably be the wrong thing. You've passed the point of adjusting the situation more to your benefit.

I'm not a hunter, and one thing I JUST DO NOT UNDERSTAND is why a group of guys go hunting together and practically the first thing they do is split up. I see two problems here: 1)you give your eager buddies something to aim at when you move through the brush, and 2) there's no one near to help you if you start becoming hypothermic, sprain your ankle or break your leg, start having heart pain, etc.

"We probably shouldn't have ...(fill in the blank)" doesn't raise any dead.

And, when everything is fine, you don't want to carry excess weight. But when the SHTF, how much will you pay for a couple of extra pounds of crucial gear?

Sue