Originally Posted By: Teslinhiker
Originally Posted By: dweste
Underestimating your situation may be the primary danger.

Give responders a short, easy, boring job. Let yourself feel a little embaressed if you need to. Light the fire right away. For all you know there may be someone nearby who can respond.


Ok Dweste. Now what do you do?

Two days have passed since you made your decisoon to stay put. No one has seen your fire. The litle bit of food you had, is now all but gone. You are tired and stressed after spending 2 very restless nights sleeping in your cramped truck wihout the beneift and warmth of sleeping bag or blankets and the windshield is now covered with one of the tarps.

Had you left 2 days ago, and considering this scenario that Sue layed out where you both are in decent physical condition, you would now either be home or very close to it..

To rephrase one of your statements above:

Overestimating your situation and making the decision to stay has put you in more imminent danger.


There is no right or wrong to this, staying could result in a rescue almost immediately, or it could result 4 weeks of waiting and starving to death. Conversely, walking out could result in you rolling into a ravine with a broken neck while a search party stands puzzled over the remains of your truck, an hour after you left...You takes your chances and you places your bets as best you can. If I felt there was no reasonable chance I would be discovered, I would leave a note indicating my path, and burn my truck tires, and attempt the walk out. If I felt there was a good chance of discovery, I would stay put. Keep it mind a PLB, and leaving a third party action plan alleviate all of this, and you can stay put, which is the least risky (but not always most fruitful) option.