From the Dec05-Jan06 National Geographic Adventure magazine:

"How to Survive Nine Days in the Backcounty" by Charles Horton

In April, 2005 Charles Horton broke his leg while cross-country skiing near Steamboat Springs, Colorodo. He had with him a backpack containing a lunch, 2 energy bars, some nuts, and chocolate bar. In the article he says he also had a CamelBak with water, matches, a lighter, and a magnesium bar.

He spent 9 days in the woods waiting to be rescued. After breaking his leg he used his backpack as a splint and took 2 hours to crawl 1/10th of a mile toward his car. He found a dry spot under a tree and tried to build a fire. He said that even with the fire-starting gear he couldn't get the wet leaves lit and wished he'd had brought a "long-burning tinder cube". After the nine days he was found just 2 miles from his car. He had lost 30 lbs and his core temperature had dropped to 86 degrees F.

The article focuses mostly on the mental aspects of survival. The rules provided are:

>>Let people know where you're going and when you'll return - 'nough said

>>Be realistic - he thought survival would be pretty easy, but it wasn't.

>>Work with what you've got - This is where he mentions using the backpack as a splint and crawling to find a dry spot in the snow.

>>When it comes to fire, pack smarter not more - This is where he talks about having three ways to start a fire, but not sufficient tinder to ignite wet leaves/wood

>>Write your own rules - Do what works for you under your circumstances.

>>Go ahead, eat snow - his CamelBak lasted only one day. Then he started eating snow. He found it satisfied his thirst and didn't really make him colder.

>>Stay in the moment - He took each day at a time. If he'd known rescue would take 9 days, he might have given up much earlier.

>>Accept your situation - do what needs to be done and don't give up.

>>Keep your sense of humor - When the first rescue medic arrived and asked if he was Charles Horton his reply was "If I weren't, would you leave me to go find him?"

My take-away is the importance of good firestarters, tools that will allow one to access dry inner wood, and the importance of a simple shelter which would have kept him dry. It also emphasizes the fact that you won't likely encounter a survival situation while in peak physical form, thus the emphasis of simple, one-handed tools and lots of practice using them.

Another thought is that he would likely have been better off (drier, less tired) if he had not crawled the 1/10th mile and simply found a dry spot nearby.

Having a few bright "flags" such as orange plastic bags, survey tape, or bright bandannas would have allowed him to mark his position on the trail while still finding shelter in a nearby "hole".

Question: When search & rescue teams are looking for someone, do they blow whistles or horns while searching? If Charles had a whistle I doubt he would have had the energy to blow it for nine days, but if he'd heard a whistle/horn blast coming from a rescuer, he could have then returned the signal using the whistle.

That was also a docudrama on Nat Geo channel awhile back, with 3 different stories of survival or not. I know that crawling in snow with a broken leg could be difficult, a lot depends on the actual terrain and conditions. Considering the time he survived, Doug really did well with what he had available. This to me really stresses the importance of carrying some emergency gear. I was on a hike Saturday with a large group and equipment carried by most looked pretty limited. Some would have had difficulty surviving this simple hike if there had been a turn in weather or an injury. I can't imagine why people venture into the wilderness with such limited preparation. Lunch, camera and a water bottle is about all the majority of the folks carried. We were as much as 5 miles from the cars and a 3 hour drive to civilization from there. These types of hiker seem to be candidates for future articles!

It would be interesting to create a mid-hike scenario where you stop the group, have them tie their feet together, and then tell them they need to get back to the car(s) without untying their feet and/or prepare to stay put until rescued. During the scenario the group could discuss alternatives, how long it might take before rescue arrives, methods of staying warm/dry, and ways to signal for help. It wouldn't take very long before they'd be VERY frustrated and want to stop the scenario.

You an I think alike! I have seen a few groups have a problem and are at a total loss as to what to do. There is not enough survival training available to people that aren't willing to pay a premium price for it. I used to give some awareness talks and tried to instill some sense of readiness for wilderness travellers. Maybe I should consider doing this again sometime.

KenK said:

I've been volunteering with a local SAR group, and the procedure we use is to walk, stop, call out the persons name, listen, repeat ...
So, yes carrying a whistle is a very good way of signaling when you hear strange noises coming from the wilderness ... <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

"... his core temperature had dropped to 86 degrees F"

"….Go ahead, eat snow - his CamelBak lasted only one day. Then he started eating snow. He found it satisfied his thirst and didn't really make him colder."

What? His core temperature dropped TWELVE degrees!

I'd rather keep a simple tarp, some solid firemaking materials & a metal cup with me, at the very least.

Dumb Luck strikes again!

Sue