Originally Posted By: Sherpadog
Stay put or hike out?

If you are out day fishing in a fairly remote area and your vehicle breaks down 23 km's (14 miles) from the nearest main logging road then 4 miles to pavement (and cell phone coverage). Would you stay put and await for help or hike out considering these circumstances:

- Two people (male/female) with food (2 days worth) and water (easily replenishable)

- Are in good physical/mental condition with strong outdoor and navigational skills (she is a former adventure racer)

- A detailed note was left with family as to where, when, what gear they had, and what time they expected to be back

- Proper clothing and footwear for the weather: 50- 60 F with some clouds and periods of very light rain

- Carried pertinent maps, compass and survival gear in their backpacks for time of year and terrain (a mix of PNW forest and interior open grasslands)

- Despite it's remoteness, both people know the area very well and have spent years, hiking, camping and fishing in this same area


This situation happened yesterday morning (11:45 am) to co-worker and her husband. Their car would not start and after an hour of trying, they realized that whatever was wrong with the car was beyond their ability to fix in the field. Rather then wait until nightfall and hope that their family would alert the authorities, after some discussion and review of their situation, the remoteness of the area and available gear, they decided to hike out.

They knew that by following the winding and looping road, it was a 23 km hike, however by hiking out cross country they could shave the distance by just under half. To their credit, they left a detailed letter in the car with their names, their personal descriptions and clothing, cell phone numbers, what gear, maps and compass they had, boot manufacturers / model / size. They also included a hand drawn map of the area and which direction they were taking. In short they left very little detail to chance.

Needless to say they hiked out with no issues and were able to use their cell phone to contact a family member who picked them up. Their car will be hauled out tomorrow on a flat deck.

In telling their story to family and now today at work, my co-worker privately told me that they have been roundly criticized for not staying put and waiting for help. I know both her and her husband well and have been on many extended outdoor trips with them over the years and they are very, very competent in the wilderness in general.

Do I think they did the right thing....I have somewhat mixed feelings. They know (and I know) what they are capable of....and their limitations. Part of me says they made the right decision, however one wrong mistake could of made that right decision very wrong.

Thoughts??
I don't see anything wrong with what they did. If they had planned a cross country hike, would anyone have said anything? They had the right equipment. They were familiar with the area and had proper nav equipment. They left a trip plan. No inclement wx was forecast. Why wait?

Now if they didn't know the area or didn't have nav equipment or bad wx was forecast, or they didn't have equipment, or were there anything particularly dangerous or smacking of poor judgement, then I'd say wait in the car, but none of those circumstance exist in this case. Why not just hike out and "get the ball rolling" on getting the car into the shop and things set aright?

Perhaps in this case the crucial issue is as if they had planned a cross country hike. As people have pointed out, there are dangers in cross country travel. Ideally, they would have (I assume they did) evaluated the risk involved with a cross country walk out prior to their setting out just as they would if they were planning a cross country hike. I wouldn't automatically say "go ahead and cut cross country" nor would I say "always stick to the road." Rather, I'd say "evaluate the cross country route just as you would were you planning to hike cross country, and then make your choice as to which way to hike out (or not)." Time of day and daylight hours remaining, the speed (or slowness) of cross country travel, and the difficulty of terrain, vegetation, and other natural obstacles would have to be evaluated. Based on the outcome, it appears that they evaluated things well.

FWIW, some of the things I factor in when I plan cross country, off trail hikes:
-Ease of navigation (Deep forest vs. good landmarks continuously visible. Followable terrain features?)
-Steepness of terrain
-Distance
-Surface type (rocky, sandy, firm, boggy, etc.)
-Brush (type, density, etc.)
-Weather
-Water or other obstacles (river crossing, swamp, etc.)
-Season (snow on ground? How cold at night?)
-Time (Can I make it by nightfall? How much margin do I have?)
-Price of failure (What's the worst that can happen?)
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