>>The 4 ate 5 peanuts each for breakfast, a little oatmeal for
>> lunch and a spoon of peanutbutter for dinner. This in
>>reagrds to the Bargetto party of 4 that were found.

I don't consider that indicative of a lack of preparedness, myself. they could probably have gone without any food at all for several weeks.

>>In the end they were all just lucky that the weather cleared
>>enough for the copters to locate them.

Maybe, but I think one of the parties spent three nights in a tent with a fire going and none of them required hospitalization, so I think there was more than luck involved there. My guess is they probably could have walked to safety after the storm passed if they'd wanted to; in fact, one of the groups of climbers on El Capitan refused rescue.

Just because SAR goes looking for you doesn't mean you're lost; and just because they find you doesn't mean you needed to be rescued.