If you need to leave line of sight of your camp in order to look for resources, a compass might make it a lot easier to get back to camp. Considering how small and light a button compass is, I'd say it's worthwhile.

That's a very good point. When considering compasses too many people only think about walking all the way out.

"I didn't understand how anyone could freeze with gallons of aviation fuel to burn. What was I missing?"

If the fuel tank was intact, you have to have something to burn it in, and you have to have some way to ignite it. And if the wind is blowing, without some kind of enclosure, you would lose all benefit of the heat, anyway. Unless you set yourself on fire, which is usually counterproductive.

In this glacier case, the plane was reported as intact but not flyable, so I'm sure they're taking shelter inside the plane, and burning something inside may be an iffy situation.

Sue

Another case of "we're only taking a quick trip". Seems like that's when things go wrong and that's when people are least prepared. And people give me a hard time about carrying my backpack EVERYWHERE I go. *SIGH*

Tourists are notorious for not having anything on themselves except for credit cards and maybe a bottle of water.

But I'm still a little shocked the pilot wasn't a "little bit" better prepared.
I wish they would pass a rule for the tour groups that state "before boarding you will have on you at least.....(fill in your own list here)".

Hmmm, Gilligan's Iceberg?

Just sit right back
and I'll tell a tale
A tale of a frigid trip
that started from this Alaskan port
aboard a tiny airship.

The pilot was an average man,
as were the passengers.
A few hours flying, why bring a coat?

Why bring a coat?

The engine started sputtering
then the oil pressure went flat.
If not for the luck of the the pilot
they all would have gone splat.

They would have all gone splat!

The plane crash landed on the surface
of this frigid arctic waste.
No hats, no coats,
not a single candy bar!
Stranded on an ice flow
rescue away was far.

Rescue was so far!

Eventually two nights had passed
and then saviors came
To take these cold, stranded castaways
home once again

To their homes once again.

The question now is did they learn
that life is really unfair?
A lovely little polar trip
could have ended in a bear!


-Blast

Blast....please forward your lyrics to the Juneau Empire as a letter to the editor. I'm serious.
I'm so ROFLMAO but you are so right about it.

+1, Blast. Very nice!

Sue

What was I missing?

What many people are missing is the skills and ability to work in the cold and in high winds. I have read about a number of people who have either failed to survive or suffered instead of surviving well because they simply did not have either the knowledge or practical experience to survive.

"The time to learn to light a fire is not just after the plane crashes"