From Wired.

Quoting the article:

Rescuers found him about two miles from a temporary command center, barely able to speak.
Searchers on snowmobiles would periodically stop, shut down their engines and blow whistles.
On one stop, they heard Horton blowing his whistle in response.

Interesting story, I wonder what he had with him for his "day trip" cross country skiing?

We know he at least had a whistle, and probably some firemaking gear. I assume he was dressed for cold conditions. It sounded like he was able to make fire, but, perhaps didn't have anything like a metal cup or anything he could melt snow in, causing the dehydration.

My wife always makes fun of the daypack full of "junk" that I bring xcountry skiing. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> (At least until we take a break out in the middle of nowhere and I can heat up some warm cocoa, then the "junk" seems to have value.)

Yesterday's news said he took a two week course with Tom Brown's school. It would be real nice if all the breechcloth school of instructors mentioned something about leaving word about a person's planned vision quest or solo ski trip. It could be charcoal and animal fat on birchbark. I don't care what, but this is common courtesy to the infrastructure we all so cavalierly expect to be there after so desperately seeking to escape it. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I found it curious that he took a course, as I am taking now, but I already know to leave word with others as to my whereabouts. Apparently he was in the men's room when that bit was covered. Now he, too, will be treated like a hero and expert survivor, when he really seems a bit of a dolt.

-- Craig

I try to be empathetic with these stories. We all do dumb stunts. The problem is others never seem to get the message at our expense and do their own dumb stunts. This morning brings news of a pilot who ran out of gas over Lake Michigan and is presumed dead after a failed SAR. My first knee jerk reaction was "what a dummy.' Then I remembered driving my MGA coupe in a torrential rainstorm down what had to be the last dirt road in the San Fernando Valley. I almost made it to, my 15" wire wheels and light weight defying the rising torrent. Then I ran out of gas. After the towtruck pulled out the towtruck that got stuck pulling me out, I drove to my grandmother's on .22 cents of gasoline- my sum cash on hand. Nobody was home. I found a Kimono in the garage my uncle brought back from the Korean War and changed into it. Then I walked outside and hosed the mud off my car in the rain. My aunty Ruthie Steinberg, actually our next door nieghbor of 50 + years walked out looking 'concerned.' I explained I sank my car on the old reservoir road. You want humiliation?My uncle had sunk a '37 Buick on that same road before I was born and aunt Ruthie's husband pulled him out with the Percherons he drove his produce wagon with <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

One of my co-workers came in this week after a sking accident. He went off a drop in bad visability and badly broke his arm. Layed there for an hour and a half or so yelling. Finally 2 skiers thought they heard something and stopped to listen.
A whistle would have been nice, he's my next project.
Dave

Wally's World has a price rollback on Storm whistles, with lanyard, ~$4.25. You have a choice of screaming yellow or orange. Or should I say piercingly shrill yellow or orange? They're large, but light, and VERY loud. I might go back and buy a dozen for stocking stuffers; maybe give them out early for summer hikes.

I have a bright orange Fox40 on a paracord lanyard with 5lb breakaway clasp (so I dont hang myself with it) that I like to sling around my neck when out in woods, especially when engaged in cold weather activities like skiing. I have one particular friend that sometimes hikes and camps with me in the warmer months and he always teases me about it. Hopefully I'll never have to tell him "I told you so." <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

A young guy I used to work with got him into sort of a poor situation on a day hike and, eventually, got himself out of it. When he was telling me what had happened on Monday, I asked if he had left a note or anything for his brother, telling him where he was going.

Of course, he hadn't. He gave me two reasons:

It was just a day hike.

He would have felt silly leaving a note.

I asked him if he had been lost AND had a broken leg, would he have felt sillier leaving a note so he could be found, or not leaving the note? (I didn't quite get what he mumbled as he left the room.)

With all the stupid, silly things we all do, leaving a note is the worst???

Sue

RE: Leaving a note
I can remember as a kid, there was ALWAYS a notepad either on the counter, or in the "junk drawer" in the corner of the kitchen. If _ANY_ of us went out "outside of normal routine" when no one was home to tell, you left a note. That included Mom and Dad. It could be as simple as "I'm next door watching TV". Prevented much worry of "why is XX late"

It was just the expected thing to do

I can understand running out of gas. I've never done it, but I've come close a few times. My big thing was a fear of locking my keys in the car. I fixed that by carrying spares in my wallet.

Now that my family knows I carry stuff for many contingencies, they've begun relying on ME. They don't carry a pocketknife because they know I have one. Same with a flashlight. Same with a first aid kit. Same with FILL IN THE BLANK.

Sigh.

-- Craig

Using a model that I found on a website for the state of Alaska, I have created a wilderness trip plan with all of the appropriate blanks for information about myself, my party, where we're going, where we're parking, what we're driving, what emergency gear we are carrying (with a list of items you just have to go down through and circle...of course I'm usually carrying all of them..ha), what time we are expected back, what time to alert the authorities, and then what numbers to call in regards to which county sheriff's office, park service office, etc.

I copied off a stack of them, and it takes less than five minutes to complete....give to someone who isn't going....and....there 'ya go.

It only makes common sense to folk like us.

Harley

Edit: If anyone is interested and has the means to store/link it, I could email it to them so that members here could access it. I would welcome input as to revisions, etc. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> One caveat: It is in Microsoft Works .wps format.