Hiker's survival tale
AJ man's broken knee leaves him stranded for 6 days in wilderness

Michael Ferraresi and Steve Yozwiak
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 20, 2007 12:00 AM

Lon McAdam of Apache Junction had hiked in the Superstition Wilderness, often alone, for 32 years without a hitch.

But on the third day of a nine-day trek this month, along a creek bed at the bottom of aptly named Rough Canyon - just after he had scrambled past the worst of the boulders - McAdam slipped.

"It was not like a big tumble. It was just a simple little trip," he said.

McAdam's left kneecap cracked against a protruding rock, leaving him unable to walk, helpless and alone in the middle of nowhere, and with no one expecting him back home for six more days.

The 56-year-old building manager for Apache Junction's Gold Canyon Elementary School had a satellite phone, but it wouldn't work. During his fall, his water pouch busted, soaking the phone and leaving it dead.

"In 15 minutes, I broke my knee, drenched my phone and pretty much realized I was screwed," McAdam said.

He had talked to his wife, Toni, earlier that day, letting her know everything was going well.

"My biggest concern was there are bears out there," said McAdam, recovering this week at a Scottsdale hospital.

He had plenty of food in the wilderness, but no way of hoisting it up to store it in a tree, out of reach of wildlife.

The remote area near the Superstition Mountain's Reevis Ranch, about 30 miles east of Mesa, was littered with bear scat. McAdam said he knew the bears were close, so he spent much of his time gripping a can of bear repellent and yelling into the woods to frighten any animals away.

At the same time, McAdam knew he needed to get to a spot where a rescue helicopter could spot him in the narrow gorge.

"I was scrambling on my butt for three days," he said.

He eventually made it to a clearing 100 feet away, where he set up a large blue tarp with an X on it. Then he waited.

"I knew I'd have to be patient."

Somehow, McAdam remained calm. He knew someone would eventually come looking for him. As always, he had left a detailed itinerary with Toni.

With his kneecap split, McAdam gathered himself and, through the extreme pain, eventually reached for his camera.

McAdam, a photographer published in Arizona Highways magazine, passed the time doing something he knew well. He took photos, including some of himself.

McAdam also had plenty of time to think. He thought of Aron Ralston, the Aspen, Colo., man who in 2004 cut off his right arm to save his life after an 800-pound boulder pinned him for five days in southern Utah's Blue John Canyon.

Relatives fear worst
Late on April 15, eight days after Lon went exploring, Toni was feeling desperate. Her husband had not returned on time.

At daybreak on April 16, Toni called the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. She also called the satellite phone company to get a location of Lon's last phone call.

"I thought he was dead," Toni said, tears welling up again at the thought of something terrible happing to Lon.

Lon's 78-year-old mother, Georgianna McAdam, flew in from Anaheim, Calif.

"I'm going to cry. This was so scary," she said, recalling the uncertainty while Lon was missing.

Helicopter rescue
After six days injured and alone, McAdam saw a rescue helicopter hovering over Rough Canyon.

He signaled it, reflecting the sun with a small, hand-held mirror. Rescue personnel saw it, and within hours Lon was reunited with his family.

Recovering from surgery this week in a hospital bed at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn, McAdam received a surprise visit from Brenda Farris, principal of Gold Canyon Elementary School. Farris carried a giant get-well card, signed by many of the school's students.

"We told them he broke his knee; kept it in as simple terms as possible," Farris said.

Will hike again
Reflecting on his ordeal, McAdam said he enjoyed the view of the Superstitions from the rescue chopper. With the unspoiled wilderness below, he realized the trip - despite the "little trip" that nearly killed him - was worth it.

"This was just for the pure adventure and experience," McAdam said. "I knew I was going to get out."

And he plans to go back. But next time, he said, he's bringing a personal locator beacon.

Great story! Thanks for sharing that with us.

A few related thoughts:

-It shows how fast things can go sour, and how easily we can become essentially helpless. I find myself thinking about Doug's emphasis on one-handed tools and/or tools that are simple to operate (such as the one-handed Sparklite operation or a PLB that uses one button to operate rather than two)

-This once again emphasizes the utility of a personal locator beacon with an internal GPS. They are completely waterproof and very durable. If he'd had a PLB w/ GPS he would have most likely been rescued within 24 hours.

-This shows the importance of making yourself "findable", and having good signalling devices. Though I bought a PLB earlier this year, I still make sure I have good signaling capability AND have the gear to facilitate survival until help arrives.

-Someone in a backpacking forum recently asked for input on the choice of bladder vs. Nalgene bottle for water containers. I was surprized to see that the majority much prefered the standard Nalgene bottles, indicating that they are far more durable and easier to clean. A few years back, while at a Cub Scout event in fairly cool weather, one of the parents was sitting in a camp chair and her "camelbak" (not sure if it was genuine or faux) burst open (not just a leak, but more like a balloon popping), soaking her back, coat, butt, and the seat of the chair. Since then I've stuck to Nalgene bottles. Recently someone drew my attention to how tough and durable the Gatoraid bottles are. Hmmm.

-It is important to "train" those who we leave trip plans with to react fairly quickly when we don't show up on time. If she knew he had a satellite phone and she still hadn't heard from him, I would think she should have contacted the authorities long before she did. Thank goodness he did leave his trip plan in the first place.

I re-read the article and realized his wife didn't wait that long. She called the authorities the very next morning.

I wonder if he had any additional water available during those six days??

This is a great account of survival in action. It reinforces all the ideas that Equipped to Survive promotes, especially Doug’s love of Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and those Aquapac pouches for your not-so-ruggedized electronics.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Agreed, great story. Good job by the hiker.

These are the stories I like. He dared to prepare, and prepared to win. THIS is my worst nightmare, because I've dislocated my left knee a couple of times, once in the woods less than 200 yards from home.

And my dad wonders why if I'm not in line of sight of the house, I have at least the basics on me when I go to visit.

Not the next day...

"Late on April 15, eight days after Lon went exploring, Toni was feeling desperate. Her husband had not returned on time.

"At daybreak on April 16, Toni called the Pinal County Sheriff's Office."

He's been hiking in the Superstitions for 32 years... guess what he's been looking for!

How good would a PLB be in a slot canyon?

Sue

Gloria and I have been in the Superstition area for the last 20 days or so. We were close to his location on several occasions during his ordeal. Noticed a helicopter operation just over the ridgeline...wondered what was going on.

It is a funny feeling to have been so close to him, yet not having a clue about his situation. Glad he is doing well.

Another lesson -- if you have a very expensive, very not waterproof satalitte phone, pack it in something. A bag, a box, tupperware, even

I wonder if he tried to fix it. I believe the best method is to, first, take the battery out. Then remove excess water. If you can open it up, that should help. Let it air-dry. Mild warmth would be good, eg as from a 60 watt bulb, but he wouldn't have had that available (and a fire might do more harm than good). Wait until it is completely dry, put the battery back in and try it.

The water is unlikely to dissolve anything; the damage is usually caused by water being a good conductor and taking power to places it shouldn't go. That might blow an IC or something, destroying it permanently, but it might not, especially if it was switched off at the time. (But it's good to remove the battery quickly anyway.) ICs often have internal protection against static etc. Dirty water is worse because it is a better conductor. Also because it might leave deposits as it dries, so it can be worth rinsing the device in clean water (if you have it to spare) if you dropped it in the sea.

The upshot is that even if it doesn't work when wet it may work when dried again. If you have 6 days to kill it's worth a try.