lost hiker

[Paradox]

Louisiana? Hmmmmm, okay, but if he had been from Arkansas then he would have had no excuse.

 

[the starchild]

title goes here

here are a bunch of other stories on the same dude. some have additional facts, and some paint a different picture. pretty interesting how the writers can influence our opinion and perception of an an incident.

on a lighter note this dude had a great quote, "I really don't like to camp out, and this week has not made me like camping out."

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060603/NEWS01/606030370/1060

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS01/306020002/1002/NEWS

http://www.kpxj21.com/news/local/2922251.html

http://cbs4denver.com/seenon/local_story_154230006.html

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4748011,00.html

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=4978496

 

[the starchild]

cotton kills!

cotton does kill! but that statement must be used in the context of winter, which i believe people who say it assume it is implied. IMHO, this is where we may disagree but if we step back for a second, we prolly do agree. Cotton takes forever to dry, doesn't wick well and a wet cotton shirt is bad news in the cold. really bad news IMHO. this past weekend for example, hiking in wet fog and rain in 40 degree temps with cotton, i'd say, cotton kills! but gimme a synthetic shirt, windbloc vest, synthetic shorts and a hat and i'm all good!

in summer, especially someplace very hot and dry, cotton is better than a wicking synthetic because it won't keep sucking the moisture away from you dehydrating you. cotton will also breathe much better and be cooler than wearing a syhthetic.

i have heard this argument many times before and usually the disagreement is cotton doesn't kill in warmer weather, which i do not think anyone believes or is saying.
anyways, no matter what, if it works for you and makes you happy, go for it!

 

[Dugan]

cotton does kill! but that statement must be used in the context of winter, which i believe people who say it assume it is implied. IMHO, this is where we may disagree but if we step back for a second, we prolly do agree. Cotton takes forever to dry, doesn't wick well and a wet cotton shirt is bad news in the cold. really bad news IMHO.

Cotton DOES NOT kill. Lack of knowledge as to how to properly manage layers DOES kill. I (and others) have hiked many times in winter WEARING COTTON!!! and have lived to tell the tale.

Your points are all valid: it does take longer to dry and doesn't wick well. If memory serves, in winter, we got around that by carrying more layering pieces and being careful to pace ourselves and manage layers in such a way as to minimize sweating.

In fact, back before synthetics were available, I do not recall stepping over/around the dead bodies of hikers wearing cotton and wool in the winter with any greater frequency than in the summer! Of course, since it was well known that cotton killed, we all hiked naked in winter!

Now then - who remembers pre Gore-tex rain gear?

 

[HAMTERO]

I think the guy did pretty good after his initial mistakes. He stayed alive for 7 days and didn't panic.

 

[dms]

Cotton DOES NOT kill. Lack of knowledge as to how to properly manage layers DOES kill. I (and others) have hiked many times in winter WEARING COTTON!!! and have lived to tell the tale.

I agree, I used a cotton fishnet undershirt when I was winter hiking in the late 70's and early 80's until Helly Hansen came out with it's polypro underwear. I layered the fishnet with wool and never, ever had a problem on many winter hikes.

 

[Woody]

Compass?

After reading all the links that Starchild posted (thanks) it sounds like this lost day hiker had a map but I never saw anything about a compass mentioned. That critical piece of equipment and a little knowledge of how to use it may have been all the help he needed to avoid all those nights out. We all need to learn from these stories about lost hikers. I have a compass in each of my three packs, so that I won't forget one. Whenever I hear comments from friends or co-workers about their plans for a short hike or some "exploring" I try to find a polite way to mention that they should remember to bring a map and a compass with them on their walk.

 

[cushetunk]

I just skimmed everything written in this thread. The most interesting thing is that this guy apparently survived 7 days in a challenging situation, and that he has a good sense of humor: i.e. joking about using his bald head to signal airplanes.

I've often read that it is not any "hard skills," but rather flexibility and a sense of humor that are the best survival skills.