Probably also related to the tendency of people to start walking faster and faster when they first suspect that they are lost out on the trail, and a major reason behind the "hug a tree" instructions many kids get about getting lost out in the woods.

The hypothetical scenario you described reminds me of the 100-car "pileup" (well, "only" about 25 cars actually collided in the whiteout conditions, from what I read) in North Dakota last week. Not a good situation to be in.

Actually, this story sort of reminds me of the subway riders stuck on the A train in Queens in that they were also basically stuck because they had no options. They could've left the train, since it was at a station, but there was nowhere really to go. So, they just kept doing what they were doing, which in their case meant sitting on the train, while on this case, it meant creeping along into the blizzard with all the other cars.

Glad things turned out OK.