WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — Julian Hernandez and his son got lost while hiking in southern Utah recently, and they began searching for shelter — instead, they stumbled across a “miracle” in the form of a fully stocked green backpack.
But how did the backpack get there?
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And I quote: “Looking at the map, it seems flat, which it’s not”
Regardless of what it looked like on the road map, didn't the terrain of the badlands as they were driving in tip anybody off?
if you have lived your entire life in the city or suburbs, you do NOT, in fact probably cannot understand that nature can kill. Look at the folks who walk up to bears and fluffy cows oblivious to the danger. In the city terrain isnt dangerous, people are.
ReplyDeleteItd be nice if natural selection was still in play
ReplyDeletePro Tip - When the topography lines a map start getting close together the terrain is probably not flat even though the paper the map is printed on is. (that was sarcasm).
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing it was a regular road map.
DeleteCity folks.....
ReplyDeleteYou know, there's people who will answer questions if you ask. The Sheriff, SAR, they aren't just sitting around hoping for some dumbasses to get lost, stranded, or stuck...they have a life, family, friends....
You ask locals, they can tell you, those tires aren't good enough for that road, need 4wd, extra clothes, food, water, etc.
Greg, too many folks dont even know there are questions. It never occurs to them that maybe they shouldnt head up that mountain in shorts and tee shirt. Yeh, I know theres snow way up there, but its summer. How bad can it be? I grew up in Detroit with a couple of trips to my uncles farm in mississippi. As a young adult there were a couple of occasions where I would have gotten in way over my head if my wife hadnt been as well traveled as she was.
DeleteY'see kids? Stoopid comes in all kind of flavors!
ReplyDeleteThere was a writer for 'Outdoor Life' magazine named Ben East, who wrote a series of articles about people who got into survival situations. His advice: "Never step off a road or a marked trail unless you're prepared to spend the night in the woods." (Or in this case, among all the rocks.)
ReplyDeleteI spent a fair amount of time wandering the High Sierras. I always took a pack with what I'd need if I couldn't make it back to the truck in time. I also took the time to study the lay of the land - If I'm going uphill I'm headed east, if I hit a river at the bottom of the canyon, turn around, etc.
DeleteMany years of hiking and backpacking in the Sierras, too, WC. On one outing four of us hiked to the top of Half Dome from Glacier Point (it's not the usual route). All of us were experienced hikers and/or backpackers. On the hike down we were approached by 3-4 different groups that were begging food and water from other hikers. One was a man and his 4-5 year old son. We were all over prepared, so were able to help them out. Worst thing, IMO, were all the people in Teva sandals. Definitely inappropriate, even dangerous, footwear. None of these folks should have been that far away from the parking lot.
DeleteStupid people should be charged for their rescue...
ReplyDeleteWell, yes, someone else was wearing the back pack, and yes, we had to beat him with rocks and sticks to get it, but it's still a miracle that we found it!
ReplyDeleteLevi spent a couple of months gearing up. Apparently no one told him to take a proper map, or how to read it.
ReplyDeleteAbout one month later, two completely unprepared hikers relief on the lost backpack.
Rescues, and the equally as common recovery, happen year round in AZ/UT border area. Many people come to grief and by the simplest means.
Dehydration and heat stroke are the most common. But those are only contributory. Causative is unpreparedness. Which means the unprepared are done in already when leaving the house. Only time separates them from their demise. Sometimes a miracle intervenes.
My oldest who did grow up rural, called me when she was driving through the mountains to BC.
ReplyDeleteHer gps on her phone told her to take a short cut to shave off an hour from the route i sketched out for her. She called me because the gravel road it was taking her in had a sign saying 'must call next 50km - ladd1'. She wanted to know what it meant. I told her its a radio call road for logging trucks and to turn around as she had no radio to call out with our hear the oncoming logging trucks with.
Exile1981