Lost in bush for 11 days....

Thought i'd share this story, remarkable to survive in the terrain he was in....link to story.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25785501-5001021,00.html

I have been following this story on the news, it has been funny watching his old man giving interviews, he kept saying my son will be ok he is tough he can handle a bit of cold.

I will be interested to read a firsthand account of what happened, i get the feeling this lad survived through brut ignorance but time will tell.

He has probably seen a couple of Mears and Grylls programs on tv so was going to be fine.

I am joking, i am glad to hear he has made it out, well done to him.

I like the dad's quote from this story:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/15/australia.backpacker/

"This is how to get lost in the bush: Leave your phone behind, don't tell anyone, don't phone anyone, don't sign the bush register, wear dark clothing. [...] Oh, and if you've got a space blanket, leave it behind in Perth."

That has to be the quote of the day!

This guy should have just ridden down the river in a toy truck.

A simple Doug Ritter PSK would have been quite a comfort and taken no room up...

At least the Dad isn't blaming any one and everyone for his son's predicament. Maybe we won't even need some sort of legislation to prevent it from happening again.

Glad to hear that the son is safe and will recover fully.

From the news reports this poor fellow seems to have deterioted quite badly after getting out of the Police Vehicle to walk into the Hospital unaided then being photographed with his father whilst requiring oxygen.

I would have thought the correct medical treatment would have been a course of steak and kidney pudding, roast potatoes, peas and carrots, a couple of pints of Stella and some strawberries and ice cream followed up by a 14 hr kip.

I want you to be my new doctor. Does this treament work for cat bites?

-Blast

As it comes, the PSP does not provide a knife, shelter, light, first aid kit, water container (though the pouch can hold some water), water sanitation, or matches (it does have the SparkLite), so it is critical that you supplement the PSP as recommended by Doug:

<>Folding knife w/ locking blade; >=2.5 in blade; one-handed opening
<>Pocket-sized personal shelter: space blanket, bivvy sack, large bags, poncho
<>Pocket-sized or key-chain flashlight: LED w/ constant-on switch
<>First aid kit: AMK Pocket Medic or Ultralight .5
<>Personal supply of Water: Katadyn Micropur MP1 purification tablets, a 1 quart/liter water container to match MP1 dosage
<>Personal medications (rotate regularly)
<>Waterproof matches: REI Waterproof matches or Mini Bic lighter
<>Personal Locator Beacon

I'm still waiting for the Doug Ritter Personal Survival Shelter (PSS).

To me shelter is often the weakest aspect of many personal survival kits - mostly because of the bulk involved. This wouldn't be a problem if everyone had the skills to create natural shelters, but the reality is most don't - and creating some of the natural shelters can expend quite a bit of energy (though sometimes very needed).

I like to stick in some pop-tarts and a powerbar for the day too Enough energy to keep you going!

I seldom walk off the pavement without having enough equipment to keep me going for at least a week. I don't understand, with everything so lightweight these days, why folks don't carry any gear when they go out.

The Ritter PSK does offer a scalpel blade and the Sparklite, I always carry too many knives so I am glad I got the option of adding my own to the psk. But there is a mylar blanket in the kit which can be used for a shelter.
You don't have everything you need for any occasion, but I always carry a waterbottle in my pocket as well as a knife, a couple of lights and my Swedish fire steel. I'm the one you want to hike with when you fall into bad times. Chances are, I have it.

This guy can count his lucky stars, I hope he learns to either stay out of the bush or not go into it without gear.

Oh, and this is my emergency, Iron ration that I always take, in addition to my lunch: A pack of melba toast and two cans of Spam or Corned beef. That will hold you over for quite a while.

His Dad's rollicked him.
His Mum's .......... him.
His Granny ......... him.
His Sister ......... him.
His Girlfriend ....... him.

Poor sod.

Surviving in the bush?
That's the easy bit.

Surviving the family?
Now that's a problem....

Mmm. Sounds like Dwarf Bread.

A

I don't know about dwarf bread, but it beats the anti-personnel crackers we used to get in C-rations

This chap's story is rather amazing considering what usually happens to people who get lost in low temperatures and are ill equipped. He was lost for 12 days according to the official report over here, he left as most day hikers do over here , unfortunately with just a bottle of water and two rolls without much else and light cotton clothing. He pigged out on pizza the night before so that may have helped a bit, GRIN.

He told no one where he was going and walked alone. PLBs were available at the police station, but he didn't know that they were available I guess.

A ten km hike is not a major deal usually, the problems started when he lost the trail (not too hard over here in places) as it started to get dark. The trail is in a very wide canyon of sorts with the cliffs of the Blue Mountains towering above the valley on both sides. The sun can be lost pretty quick down there as the sun falls lower in the sky.

He says that he is smart, but has no common sense.... Considering even a cigarette lighter or signal mirror ..... or compass.....would have saved him days earlier than he was....... He ended up traveling 60 km over the 12 days and he was off trail, bush bashing for most of the time. After a day or so, realizing he was going in the wrong direction, he turned around and tried to find his way back. He did some smart things like improvising a shelter and eating some wild nuts, mind you, over here that can be a bit risky if you don't know what you are eating, he was lucky... He kept moving around during the night to keep warm which was pretty sensible as the temperatures were 1 degree above freezing and rather damp. It is pretty amazing that he survived, many others would have died easily.

As it was, he basically walked out, he was just a few kilometers from his starting point when he came across a few campers on a trail.

If he had said where he was going, he may have been found much earlier.

There will be more publicity for PLBs over here now and hopefully it will save a few people who would possibly die otherwise. It would have saved a bunch of money that was spent on this search, that is for sure.

Hopefully the publicity that he has gotten will serve as a warning to those overseas that if you come over here to go into the bush, you need to be prepared as you may not be as lucky as this guy.

Cheers,
Mac.

He didn't carry a lighter because he didn't smoke...

sigh...

When I give talks these days and ask who has a lighter, it is very rare to have anyone hold their hand up. Mind you, I am generally talking to middle class and up, mostly white collar demographics, but, the days when nearly everyone carried a lighter are gone. Folks these days have to be taught to carry gear when they go out into the wilds (or stand a chance of ending up there inadvertently) that a generation ago they'd never leave the house without, a knife and lighter being two good examples.

I guess I don't fit the demographic mold. Upper middle class white collar, and I always have a lighter with me or near enough to get my hands on immediately. Not just any lighter either, I carry lighters that I would bet my little finger on lighting the first time, every time.

Being a pyromaniac, being able to make fire on demand is just to darned important.

Not trying to hijack this tread, but I would be interested in hearing about your choice of lighters. I carry a Zippo (nice on board supply of emergency tinder) and a cheap Mini Bic.

Craig.

Here's the sort of lighter I prefer. I have owned two in the past decade, and I paid $8 for the first one and $10 for the second, and I've never had either one fail me (I lost the first one in my move from Florida).

You can spend a lot more money and get one like the Brunton Helios that will work just as good as this. I do have various Bic and Zippo style lighters in my supplies and BOBs, but this is the only one I EDC on a regular basis.

Stormproof lighters

Lighter? As if I carry only 1 lighting source.

Between a mini bic, storm matches, swiss firesteel and UST sparkie, I think I got my EDC covered for starting a fire.

Just one bic?

I've got 2 in my pockets,
One in my jacket,
One in my bag.....

Just about every storm-type lighter I've owned, both cheap and brand name(including Colibri and Solo), have broken eventually. I've never had a bic fail ever, even after going through several loads in the washer and dryer. If I have the money and the space, storm-proof are nice, but I no longer consider any of them reliable.

My swedish firesteel scout never leaves my body. When hiking, neither does a mini bic and full size firesteel.