Equipped To Survive Equipped To Survive® Presents
The Survival Forum
Where do you want to go on ETS?

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Topic Options
#215464 - 01/22/11 05:29 PM Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky
Teslinhiker Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/14/09
Posts: 1418
Loc: Nothern Ontario
Good news article of a person recounting his many mistakes and subsequent rescue from Mt. Ripinsky in Alaska. Interesting to note the 3rd last paragraph in the article, his mistakes will be affecting him for the rest of his life.

One day away from a two-week holiday in San Diego, Keith Hutchins was braced against a sheer face on Mount Ripinsky, playing mind games with himself to stay awake and alive.

Beneath him was an avalanche chute and a vertical drop he doubted he could survive. To either side of him were rock walls. Above him was the section of steep mountainside he’d fallen down.

"I was afraid to sleep. If I loosened up the tension, I was going down the cliff," Hutchins said.
_________________________
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.

John Lubbock

Top
#215466 - 01/22/11 05:51 PM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Teslinhiker]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
Great story. It is so easy to get disoriented in low visibility...
_________________________
Geezer in Chief

Top
#215467 - 01/22/11 05:58 PM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Teslinhiker]
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
“Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.”

Oscar Wilde quotes (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)

Top
#215474 - 01/22/11 08:15 PM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Teslinhiker]
bsmith Offline
day hiker
Addict

Registered: 02/15/07
Posts: 589
Loc: ventura county, ca
Originally Posted By: Teslinhiker
Good news article of a person recounting his many mistakes and subsequent rescue from Mt. Ripinsky in Alaska.

a great example of making many small - at the time - ill-advised or ill-thought-out decisions that combine to place one in great jeopardy.

a great lesson.

thanks for sharing this.
_________________________
“Everyone should have a horse. It is a great way to store meat without refrigeration. Just don’t ever get on one.”
- ponder's dad

Top
#215497 - 01/23/11 02:59 AM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Teslinhiker]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
Another prospective Darwin Award winner. I hope he isn't breeding.

YoooooHoooooo! Keith Hutchins! No one is missing on Mt. Hood yet, and it's already January 22...

Talk about 'truly unprepared'!

Sue

Top
#215511 - 01/23/11 04:33 AM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Susan]
Ann Offline
Newbie

Registered: 01/04/11
Posts: 42
Loc: Western Washington
This statement of his really stood out to me:

Quote:
"Like a knucklehead, I got complacent. I’ve been up there a million times. I didn’t think it would take much time."


It sounds like a variation of "short hike syndrome". Even though 7 miles (according to the link) isn't short by most people's standards, apparently he considered it so and his considerable experience with this specific trail also lulled him into complacency.

It's refreshing to see a hiker own up to his mistakes; it sounds like he's learned his lesson, albeit the hard way.

Top
#215570 - 01/24/11 04:05 AM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Teslinhiker]
Hikin_Jim Offline
Sheriff
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 10/12/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: Southern California
"Doctors told him he would never snowboard again and that he may not be able to return to his job as a carpenter."

Ouch.

Always bring a map and compass -- and check those GPS batteries before you get in the car.

HJ
_________________________
Adventures In Stoving

Top
#215620 - 01/24/11 07:49 PM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Teslinhiker]
MostlyHarmless Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 06/03/09
Posts: 982
Loc: Norway
Some remarks I made to myself when reading:

Originally Posted By: Keith Hutchins
He told himself to turn around, then ignored his own advice.


That seems to be a classic: Whenever you're about to do something you really shouldn't, there is usually a part of you telling you to stop.

"Get-there-itis", "summit fewer" are just two names given to man's phenomenal capacity to ignore the advice of a person he deeply respects and trusts: Himself.

Originally Posted By: Keith Hutchins
"At seven o’clock I said to myself, ‘I’ve made it from two to seven and I haven’t fallen off or frozen to death. I can make it another five hours…’ Five hours later, he told himself, "I’ve made it 10 hours. I can make it another nine hours until it gets light."


That's the spirit: Break the impossible into small, manageable chunks. Do one chunk at a time. Don't worry about the next 100 chunks - just focus on the chunk at hand.

Originally Posted By: Keith Hutchins

Hutchins also focused on his 17-year-old daughter he was planning to visit in California. "I thought of her the whole time, and I thought, ‘I’m going to see her again. I am not going out like this.’ She was a lot of my inspiration."


According to Laurence Gonzales (Deep survival), someone to live for seems to be an important, perhaps crucial factor in most or all of those who survive against impossible odds. (But since we can't interview those who didn't survive such odds we can't say for sure if the same applies to non-survivors...)


Originally Posted By: Keith Hutchins

As soon as I got to the top, I turned around. Things didn’t look right. For some reason it was easier to see where I was going up than it was going down."


IMO, that is always the case. There is only one way UP. Down you have the full 360 degree set of directions to choose from.

Originally Posted By: Keith Hutchins

With only five feet of visibility, Hutchins headed downward, aiming for a pond that lies between the peak’s north and south summits. When he dropped steeply for a long time, he realized he wasn’t in line with the pond and assumed he’d instead gone down the mountain’s east side, toward Lutak Inlet.

He turned 90 degrees, thinking he’d intersect the trail.


A compass would have been incredible useful in that situation.... Not that I recommend 5-foot visibility in steep terrain to anyone. But at least a compass can stop you from heading right down any of the 100% lethal cardinal directions. Heading in the not-so-lethal direction is a great place to start (though it does not stop you from falling down the 60-foot cliff that you were supposed to sidestep by 15 feet before heading in that direction).


Originally Posted By: Keith Hutchins

Ten minutes later, Hutchins had climbed to a treacherous spot, with no way up or down. He was out of cell phone range and realized he was nowhere near where he’d thought he was.

Climbing over a rock outcropping, trying to get within phone range, he fell backwards, he thinks maybe 500 feet or more.


Sometimes, you dig yourself deeper into trouble by every action you make... But then again, staying put on that mountain wasn't a really viable option. Or was it? We don't know what equipment he carried.

Originally Posted By: Keith Hutchins

Also, the sky cleared at times, giving him a view of stars and the Big Dipper. "It was actually pretty beautiful."

"At some point you accept the fact that this is really happening to you, and you deal with it."


More of the stuff you find in Gonzales: Deep survival. Appreciation of beauty and accepting the situation in earnest are perhaps to facets of the same mind set necessary for survival?


Bear in mind that I don't know what he carried of equipment, the local terrain or what conditions he was exposed to. I am snug, warm and comfortable where I sit, enjoying my coffee. Therefore it is very easy for me to say things as having a bivy bag and a sweater would have removed none of his joy at the snowboard, but vastly expanded his options.


IMO, a PSK for the winter mountains is at the very minimum a small backpack with bivy bag, a sweater and something to drink (preferably warm). That's about 6 pounds, give or take. Perhaps also a small collapsible shovel, depending on when and where. Of course, you should also add a snack as well as the more conventional "survival-in-a-tin-can" items, they weigh next to nothing anyway. But the most crucial thing in the winter mountains is shelter from the environment and hydration.


Of course, it is hard to argue that a PLB would have removed any need to get off the mountain the fastest and most lethal way possible. All he had to do, was push the button and don't freeze to death while waiting for either a ground crew or favorable helicopter conditions.


As a side note: I am curios to what comments he would have received if he a) had a PLB, and b) pushed the button when he should have realized he was in deep trouble, BEFORE falling off a cliff or being part of an avalanche. Would he be scorned as the guy who pushed the button at the first hint of trouble?


Edited by MostlyHarmless (01/24/11 08:01 PM)

Top
#215625 - 01/24/11 09:17 PM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Susan]
Glock-A-Roo Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 04/16/03
Posts: 1076
Originally Posted By: Susan
Another prospective Darwin Award winner. I hope he isn't breeding.


Wow, a pretty harsh assessment there.

The low visibility situation like this one is where the GPS really shines. Taking key waypoints along the route allows you to navigate back down in zero visibility. There's no need to run the unit continuously to record a track or follow it back. If you are proficient at plotting UTM coordinates on your map then targeting those spots in the GPS allows you to navigate efficiently on new terrain, again in zero visibility. In this way you could safely take a different route down.

All the standard caveats apply (terrain association & map/compass first, know how to use it, don't rely 100% on batteries, etc etc).

Top
#215628 - 01/24/11 09:40 PM Re: Rescued hiker recounts ordeal on Mt. Ripinsky [Re: Glock-A-Roo]
Hikin_Jim Offline
Sheriff
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 10/12/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: Southern California
Originally Posted By: Glock-A-Roo
The low visibility situation like this one is where the GPS really shines.
Yeah, you've got that right. A map and compass and knowledge of the techniques to use them are great, but in a white out or other low visibility situation, a GPS stands out. I've been hiking, backpacking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, etc. for years and years and have developed pretty good proficiency with a map and compass. I've never needed a GPS and have eschewed them thus far (expensive, one more freakin' thing to carry, have to learn how to use them), but someday in some situation I'm sure I'll wish that I had one.

I do however carry a PLB. I'm not a complete Luddite. smile

HJ
_________________________
Adventures In Stoving

Top
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >



Moderator:  Alan_Romania, Blast, cliff, Hikin_Jim 
March
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online
0 registered (), 429 Guests and 467 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
GallenR, Jeebo, NicholasMarshall, Yadav, BenFoakes
5367 Registered Users
Newest Posts
What did you do today to prepare?
by dougwalkabout
03/27/24 11:21 PM
Zippo Butane Inserts
by dougwalkabout
03/27/24 11:11 PM
Question about a "Backyard Mutitool"
by Ren
03/17/24 01:00 AM
Problem in my WhatsApp configuration
by Chisel
03/09/24 01:55 PM
New Madrid Seismic Zone
by Jeanette_Isabelle
03/04/24 02:44 PM
EDC Reduction
by EchoingLaugh
03/02/24 04:12 PM
Newest Images
Tiny knife / wrench
Handmade knives
2"x2" Glass Signal Mirror, Retroreflective Mesh
Trade School Tool Kit
My Pocket Kit
Glossary
Test

WARNING & DISCLAIMER: SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Information posted on this forum is not reviewed for accuracy and may not be reliable, use at your own risk. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site.