'“Any failure of my equipment, might cost me my life.”'

Other things that can cause you to lose your life: emphasis on equipment rather than knowledge; lack of common sense; allowing yourself to depend on ephemeral things like desert water sources in summer.

I thought he had a dirt bike or something... taking a quarter ton+ Harley into the desert??? Talk about equipment failure...

Sue

Hi Susan,



According to the photo in the story, it looks like he had a dirt bike, not the Harley.



Most folks would just find a petrol station, purchase a petrol can and some petrol and return to the Harley and fill it up. Even more strange is that he seems to have repeated the same mistake and run out of petrol for his dirt bike just a few weeks later.



Even stranger. Sounds like he did something daft which cost him his life.

Survival is an attitude. This statement showed an attitude that proved self-fulfilling. When he had an equipment failure, he may have assumed he was going to die and gave up, rather than struggling to come up with a solution. But this is just speculation.

From the article - and this could explain how it happened"

"Rescue crews found his camp, where he still had several pouches filled with water, that Sunday."

and further on:

"Police suspect Tanner may have been hiking to or from Clapp Spring, which is described on the Bureau of Land Management's Web site as a palm oasis and permanent water source for wildlife. Locals say Clapp Spring is little more than a muddy patch that supports a few palm trees but does not have enough water to drink."

So Tanner may have been acting on bad information. He left his encampment, leaving behind some of his water, as he headed to what he believed to be an "Oasis" to get more water. Finding little water there, he tried to get back to camp but didn't make it due to dehydration.

"Going solo is taking a risk, even on a day hike."

I concur with Doug's comments he took a big risk by travelling solo and not have a proper emergency plan in place. Its odd up here we teach drinking 4 to 6 litres of water each day in the wilderness and that you will need more in hot dry areas like the southern US. Its a sad day when a someone takes a chair with him on his motorbike and leaves out enough water to survive.