sleepy_mike
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Why didn't SAR find him earlier if he was just sitting there on a log?
Busy SAR 2019 Season Continues
- Thread starter DayTrip
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JustJoe
Active member
As all of these stories go, we never end up finding out the whole story and all we can do is speculate. For instance, where he was found is the site of old camp 16. There is a few stealth sites near that junction. Maybe he knew that and was in there spending the night or longer. But yeah, coming down Bondcliff Trail and all those crossing of Black Brook? As TCD speculated, possibly the fear of getting ill. I'm not saying this is a good practice, but I've drank untreated water in the Whites dozens of times. Only a few of those times did I actually need to. I just love the way it tastes. If water can have a taste.
Nessmuk
Active member
We have a brief segment on survival techniques during the NY Homeland Security Land Navigation course I teach. A couple of my fellow instructors are recently retired Army Rangers with advice to offer from their training and actual experiences. When the discussion of becoming dehydration comes up, our land nav students usually say that one can survive for only about 3 days without water. But guess what is constantly on the mind of a lost person after about a day and a half without water? Nothing becomes more important, to the point of making irrational and poor self preservation decisions. The guidance is to drink whatever water is available, clean, purified, or not. Without water for a prolonged time you will certainly die soon, either from dehydration and organ shutdown or from bad decision making. Giardia will not manifest for a week to ten days. Even in the Afghanistan desert, rescue will most likely happen within that time if ever. If sickness does occur, keep drinking whatever water you have, even if it keeps flushing out the other end. It could save your life until rescue.
ChrisB
Well-known member
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
Hard to guess with so little details. We dont even know what direction he went. My guess is if he was parked at Lincoln Woods he ended up in the Pemi via the Upper Franconia Brook Trail or Twin Brook. My guess is clockwise and bailed via Franconia Brook as if he was CCW he would have had to walk by Galehead Hut where presumably someone may have realized he was in trouble. Once he dropped down into the Pemi there are places to get lost and possibly outside of the initial search radius. Eventually he would end up at the Franconia Brook trail junction with the new Bondcliff trail (formerly Lincoln Woods trail).
BTW, I agree with the concept of drinking water straight from the source in wooded wilderness areas. On the other hand, in areas with potential livestock contamination, cryptosystem can kick in earlier than Giardia.
BTW, I agree with the concept of drinking water straight from the source in wooded wilderness areas. On the other hand, in areas with potential livestock contamination, cryptosystem can kick in earlier than Giardia.
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TEO
Well-known member
So much for finishing in a day. I guess he'll have to give it another go.
(I'm relieved to hear he's found OK.)
SherpaWill
Member
Becca M
Active member
I'm not surprised he lost the trails in there given the lack of blazes and typical wilderness-area trail maintenance plus the usual herd paths around obstructions. I think S&R stated that they didn't think he had a Hikesafe card on file. It seems a bit much that he might actually be charged given the typical trail conditions in there.
Raven
Well-known member
People get dehydrated all the time when surrounded by water.
hikeritz
Active member
WCVB (Boston) ran a story & interview last night:
https://www.wcvb.com/article/im-sti...ts-being-lost-in-woods-for-five-days/28250763
He said he got lost coming off Bondcliff. Mentioned encountering a washout at a stream. Lost his pack with food & water.
https://www.wcvb.com/article/im-sti...ts-being-lost-in-woods-for-five-days/28250763
He said he got lost coming off Bondcliff. Mentioned encountering a washout at a stream. Lost his pack with food & water.
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
While looking at the interview they showed his footgear. Looked to me like a pair of work boots. Sure folks do wear work boots but when doing a 31 mile day hike its not a typical choice for footgear. My guess is didn't keep an eye on his hydration and most likely was out of balance on his electolytes. He may have skipped the water source at Guyot and that means he may have not tanked up on water since Galehead. His claim of losing 20 plus pounds in 4 days lines up with dehydration being a factor.
egilbe
Member
This is such a bizarre story.
hikeritz
Active member
One of the newspapers reported he spent most of his lost time near Black Brook, down a slope and unable to get up to the trail. I'm wondering if the washout was where the trail crosses the top of Black Brook and turns south. Perhaps he got into the stream bed there? But did he follow it all the way down to the Lincoln Woods Trail where he was found? He would have crossed the Bondcliff trail several times along the way. Or was he found somewhere else?
Will there be an SAR report at some point that might have the details?
Will there be an SAR report at some point that might have the details?
I've have been witness to someone going into severe dehydration. Even with plenty of water around it can be a downward spiral for the dehydrating individual once the early stages start to occur. Most folks metabolism can only absorb around a liter of water per hour. It's important to drink enough but not too much. When water needs to be managed in a point to point situation one must have a strategy. If enough is not ingested that's not good obviously. But drinking too much too soon can result in the body excreting what it cannot absorb resulting in a waste of supply between water sources. Once an individual starts to go dry disorientation and irrationalism will set in and fog the appropriate cognitive set of the individual. They actually loose their desire to drink which obviously compounds the dire situation. Also one's stomach begins and can continue to loose proper hydration resulting in the stomach acids eating away at the stomach lining causing severe pain. Therefore the desire to drink and eat becomes inhibited.
While it may not work 100% of the time, isn't the Pemi the perfect place to abide by the rule of just following the water downhill and out to safety? Everything that flows in there is going to flow into the East Branch of the Pemigewasset eventually and if you follow that it leads back to Lincoln Woods and the Kanc. I can understand getting confused at a washed out stream crossing. I've been temporarily stumped a few times with Isolation Trail and Sabbaday Brook Trail as examples. I don't understand losing your pack and not remembering to "follow the water." I suppose if you are dehydrated and not thinking clearly it's probably a lot like hypothermia and you can make lots of mistakes. I'm glad he made it out.
sierra
Well-known member
Unless your dehydrated resulting in diminished decision making, yes.
The F&G press release is usually the final word. Sometimes the subject will speak to the press (which it looks like happened here); sometimes F&G will make another statement if they decide to charge; and sometimes the Accidents editor for Appalachia will decide to write an event up and do some legwork. But usually the PR shortly after the find is it.
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