Triathlete Debbie Collins was dependent on luck and strangers to rescue her from the Santa Cruz Mountains, just like a lot of other people.

Collins hadn't been reported missing until November 30, despite the fact that no one had seen her since the 24th. She left no info on where she was headed, and the local Sheriff's Office said a full-scale search of the two nearby parks wasn't feasible.

Friends and neighbors searched for her.

But it was an unknown neighbor and his 7-yr-old son who found her, hypothermic and with an injured ankle.

Missing California triathlete found alive

It will never happen to me...
It will never happen to me...
It will never happen...
OH-OH!

Sue

I am a triathlete, desert hiker/trail runner. After hearing a few of these over the years I carry a hydration system on all outings plus a UL survival kit depending on season and location. I added a SPOT2 last year which makes everyone feel much safer about me.

This:
http://www.suite101.com/content/danelle-ballengee-rescued-a10887

Happened to her:
http://www.trainingrx.com/articles.htm
http://www.trainingrx.com/results.htm

She is extremely fortunate. The ultimate SAR nightmare is having a lost individual with no indication of where to search.

That's freakin' amazing. I would like to see pics of the arrows and maps.

That is quite a story -- neighbors instigated their own searches, a psychic predicted she'd be found in that area and a wife made the suggestion to her husband who found her.

We're all just a misstep away from being incapacitated.


Collins braved temperatures that dipped into the 30s for at least some of the past six days. She had no food and only water from the nearby creek to drink. She used a plastic bag she had in her pocket for a cup and several layers of clothes kept her relatively warm.

Why not just leave a note of where you are going?

That would have been valuable here. However, the article says that the woman is "a triathlete and had spent nearly every day of the past nine years hiking in Fall Creek and other parts of Henry Cowell, which surround her home."

I'm also a hiker/runner and have my regular routes. Leaving a note of exactly where I will be running every time is just not going to happen. Even if I said I would do it, it still wouldn't happen in reality. Further, many times, I take a different path than I originally planned. The woman here was probably the same way.

Maybe a tangent but last week I watched the movie Frozenabout three friends stuck on a ski lift after the mountain closes for several days. It was a decent movie in the vein of Open Water and Jaws. They explain the lack having a cell phone in the movie, though on AT&T, I never consider my phone a via option outside of town; I couldn't help but think, PLB, PLB, PLB. A dang SPOT2 could have solved the whole thing and a decent strobe light might have helped considerably.

As I have stated earlier regarding the injuried woman, I never really needed my SPOT before I got it but I and my family are certainly glad I have it now.

Ok - How about an email to friends (or facebook note)
Listing possible where's and when to start looking. even if its 2-3 parks and possibly 10-30 trails, it gives SAR a good place to start.