Fox News link

I seriously doubt she humped in 2 weeks of water. I think that's just a catch-all phrase used by the media regarding something they really aren't experts about. As a climber, I remember the talking heads at Fox News making several ridiculous statements during the Mt. Hood rescue/recovery situation. They just make up phrases on the fly regarding things they don't understand.

Great lesson on the "don't worry about food" survival advice. What so many people fail to explain is this: while you may survive the time without food, after a few days you will be so WEAK that you won't have much ability to initiate (or continue) self-rescue. Extreme situations & environments cause the body to burn enormous amounts of energy. Quick example: many people don't realize that your body burns a lot of energy in hot weather just to stay cool, even when sitting still.

Once depleted & weak, the only option left will be the dumb-luck of getting rescued passively. Of course in this particular case the area may not have had much to offer regarding game. At least she wasn't injured, so perhaps some fishing would have been in order before she got weak.

I choose to 1) throw in a little extra high-calorie food in the pack, no matter how short the hike and 2) understand (and practice) basic fishing & game taking methods.

This story also shows another benefit of outdoor preparedness: being equipped to help others in need. The 2 hikers who found this lady had enough food to share, and apparently they had a GPS with which to provide coordinates to rescuers.

The old saying goes something like this: "every mountaineer must know that someday he will be involved in misfortune, if not his own then someone else's".