Almost a survival situation. Don't read any further unless you have a high tolerance for stupidity.<br><br>Went pig hunting in unfamiliar territory with a friend one December. Our camp was on a mountaintop by a lake. I had a detailed topo and I had mapped out a 9 mile loop that consisted fairly quick descent along a creek (about 4 miles) to where it dumped into a river then a level stretch and a gradual climb back along a fire road. I was in lousy physical condition but I figured it would be a scramble for a while then a cakewalk back. For that reason, I didn't bring usual survival kit stuff with me. After all, the temperature was in high 40s when we left camp - practically balmy<br><br>We set off midday. Bushwhacking down the creek soon proved to be very demanding - alot of hands and knees scrambling over boulders. The sides of the hill were covered with pea sized scree so it was impossible to walk there. I was wearing a heavy fleece underlayer, a fleece jacket and a shell. I overheated and left the shell under a tree, planning to get it the next day. I was sweating like crazy and I couldn't imagine any reason to lug around that heavy shell. <br><br>We examined map, confirmed that we were only about 1/2 mile from river (and flat land) so we stopped and had a long lunch. I took some nice pictures of ice formations in the creek we were walking along. I had to use the flash because, even though sunset was still hours away, it was pretty dim in that narrow canyon.<br><br>After we hit the trail, I realized that I had misread map (the spring I used as a landmark was the wrong one) and that we were about 2 miles from river. We picked up the pace so we didn't notice the dropping temperature and increasing wind. It actually felt good to not be so overheated. The boulders became bigger and more slippery, forcing us to do some very fancy footwork. It was getting darker but I reasoned that we would be fine once we got to the river and fireroad and could walk back in the dark if need be.<br><br>After climbing/sliding down one series of boulders, we saw that our creek turned into small waterfall flowing through a house-sized rock. Going down was dicey and it would have required getting soaked in the water. <br><br>We sat to think a bit. At that point, I started shivering violently and was a bit dizzy. I was very tired. We were out of water.<br><br>Right about here is when I realized I was in a fix and frankly, I got a bit panicky. <br><br> I was a couple of thousand feet down in a narrow canyon that would be effectively dark pretty soon. I was soaking wet with perspiration. As soon as physical activity stopped, the wind cut through the fleece making it very, very cold. A strong wind was now blowing up from the valley below and being funneled into the little canyon we were in. (No wonder there was plenty of ice in the creek.) We had no real emergency food, shelter or warmth. We debated whether we should take the plunge through the falls, stay there through the night, or backtrack up the (now icy boulders) we had just come down. I reasoned that it it had taken us about 4 hours downhill and I just couldn't imagine having the stamina to go even longer than that uphill.<br><br>I was very tempted to try to dig out some dirt and leaves to sleep under and spend the night there, a nice nap seemed like the logical, perfect solution to me.<br><br>So what would you have done?<br><br>We turned tail and backtracked.The good news is that my companion had quite a bit more good sense than me. She reasoned that I was dehydrated, not dipping into hypothermia, but that I might if we remained stationary. She insisted that I start drinking alot of water from the creek, reasoning that I was dehydrated. I resisted since I didn't have a water pump or Iodine but she, logically, explained that the very small chance I might get giardia was outweighed by the more dangerous possibility that I would continue to get dehydrated, suffer immobilizing cramps, etc. I warmed the water a bit inside my jacket as I climbed. She was right, about 1/2 hour later i was no longer dizzy and I felt like I got a "2nd wind." We dumped some nonessential gear to lighten the load. I cut a sapling down with my knife and make a sort of walking stick. It proved invaluable as we helped one another up the boulders. It got pretty dark but we made it back to camp in less time than it took us to get there. (Duh, when I was sitting there calculating the time, I forgot that we had spent at least an hour on photos and lunch.) <br><br>The mistakes I/we made on the way down are almost too numerous to count. 1) inadequate survival gear, 2) leaving a windproof shell behind instead of stripping off an insulating layer, 3) inadequate water or filter, 4) poor map reading, 5) overestimating physical stamina and ability, 6) poor planning (waiting til last minute to leave camp instead of allowing plentyof time, 7) failing to critically assess problems early one, etc.<br> <br>I [censored] sure learned a few things that day, the most important being that even a benign little day hike can turn into a real challenge, if you make enough stupid decisions.