The link below goes to a story with a happy ending….. the couple and their adult son were found after being lost in the forest with no food, no water, no clothing. They will be fine.
So many of these stories turn out less than “fine”. Every year, it seems there are three or for rescue efforts in big storms, etc. Some end well, many end in tragedy. It is easy to point at some of the predicaments and observe, “They should have watched the weather,” or, “Why did they go out in a blizzard?”. In the case of this family, it seemed a simple case of all three of the adults being certain that their vehicle was in a different direction.
A couple of items from this Monday Morning Quarterback that other individuals might consider when going out into nature:
* Tell somebody where you are going, and what time to expect you back. Specific coordinates would be good, but a general area is helpful.
* Carry emergency alert items. Flares, if you have them (be aware that these can start fires, though), and noise makers, such as an emergency whistle. Rescuers were 200 yards from this group when they were finally found, and helicopters had flown over them several times, but were unable to see them. Would flares or whistles have gotten them rescued sooner? Hard to say, but it wouldn’t hurt.
* It’s one thing to take food, water, blankets with you in your car. If you leave your car, consider taking a pack that has some of this stuff in it.
* Consider a GPS device. You may not have phone service where you go (probably not), but a battery powered GPS might get you back to a road, and they don’t cost much, especially in the grand scheme of things.
* Buy your mushrooms at the grocery store. :-)
Planning ahead and a small investment really can make a difference.
