About Over four years ago, I read “Touching the Void” and I was always intrigued by situation hikers find themselves in and the incredible things they do to stay alive.
This blog is about learning from other people’s mistakes, so you don’t make the same ones.
“Better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat”
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Who: A 16-year-old girl
Where: Devil’s Ice Box cave, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, Missouri
Her mistake: Just a bad mis-step
What happened: A girl was hiking in the Devil’s Ice Box cave and slipped on some leaves. She fell feet first 25-30 feet into the cave and suffered cuts, bruises and a head injury. She was slipping in and out of consciousness while rescuers were on their way. A chopper was brought in to fly her to the closest hospital where she was treated for her injuries.
Read the full story here.
Who: Jeff Kish, a PCT walker and “outdoor enthusiast”
Where: Mt. Hood, Oregon
His mistake: Angry mountain gods
What happened: A man was hiking around the 10,000-foot mark of Mt. Hood when a storm formed above him. He was stranded and became lost on the mountain. When the storm turned into a complete whiteout, the man did two things, he called 911 for help, then he posted his status on Facebook.
He posted a screenshot to his Facebook along with his GPS coordinates. Rescuers used the Facebook info to find the man. He was escorted the mountain in good spirits.
Read the full story here.
Who: Erwin Wildhaber, mechanic for the Scott-Swisspower Mountain Bike Team
Where: Chopfenberg mountain, Switzerland
His mistake: He slipped
What happened: A man and two of his friends were hiking on a steep and grassy slope on Chopfenberg mountain. During the hike, the lead man slipped and tumbled down, taking out his two friends. Two of the men tumbled roughly 200 meters before they stopped. The third man continued tumbling and fell over a ledge and died. The two surviving hikers suffered injuries including a broken foot and multiple other fractures.
Read the story here.
Who: 32-year-old Joshua Dale Riggs, of Moab, Utah
Where: Williams, AZ – the gateway to the Grand Canyon
His mistake: It’s unknown. Details are scarce
What happened: A man and his girlfriend were climbing in Williams, AZ. It is unclear what happened, but the man fell roughly 80 feet and hit the ground. His girlfriend called for help and rescuers arrived. They pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Rescuers lowered a basket and hoisted the man out of the canyon to recover his body. The process took about 3 ½ hours. It is unclear what type of climbing the man was doing or how he fell.
Read the story here.
Who: A male and female hiker
Where: L.D. Ranch Road, near Calgary
Their mistake: Bad luck, they startled some bears
What happened: A male and a female were out hiking when they came across a sow and two cubs. It is unknown if the bears were black bears or grizzlies. The female hiker began yelling at the bear in an attempt to scare it, but then she started running. The bear chased her and knocked her down. Then the bear attacked the man, then re-attacked the woman. Despite massive bites and scratches to their legs, groin, head and arms, the pair were able to get to the road and flag down some people for help.
An ambulance was sent out and sent the pair to a local hospital where they are recovering from their injuries.
Read the story here.
Who: A group of six hikers
Where: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona
Their mistake: Doesn’t look like they were prepared for the deep, snowy conditions
What happened: A group of six hikers went into the forest in search for their beloved Christmas tree. During the 2.5-mile hike, one of the hikers severely sprained his knee. Two of the hikers were able to make it back to the road and call for help.
After getting help, a team of hikers and rescuers went back to the injured hiker and started a signal fire. A helicopter was launched and was able to spot the signal fire in minutes. The helicopter rescued two hikers at a time, but for some reason the injured man was hiked out.
Rescuers urge people to know where they are heading or at least have a gps or cell phone handy to let rescuers know where they are if an incident like this does occur.
Read the story here.
Who: A 48-year-old woman from Tokyo
Where: Otsuki, Japan
Her mistake: None. Maybe she could’ve been wearing bright colors
What happened: A woman was hiking with her friends in the mountains near Otsuki when a hunter spotted her. The hunter thought she was a wild boar and shot her in the thigh. Another hunter reported the incident and the woman was taken to a local hospital.
Wild boar hunting season opened 10 days before and the hunter is being charged with negligence resulting in bodily injury.
Read the story here.
Who: Andrea Pinero Cebrian, of Spain
Where: Big Bend National Park, Texas
Her mistake: She may have pissed off the cat
What happened: A woman and some friends were hiking through a remote area of Big Bend National Park when they came in contact with a mountain lion. They through some rocks at it to scare it away.
Later on during the hike, the group encountered the mountain lion again, but this time they decided to run from it. The cat pursued them, but left them relatively unscathed. One of the women suffered scrapes, but it is unclear if the injuries came from cat scratches or if they were sustained while fleeing the cat.
Rangers are unsure if the cat was just curious or if it was hunting.
Read the story
Who: A male
Where: Kissing Camels rock formation, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs
His mistake: He took a fall and wasn’t wearing a helmet
What happened: A man was rock climbing the west face of Kissing Camels when he took a fall and hit his head. He was knocked unconscious. His friend lowered him to the ground and called for help.
Rescuers plucked him up and put him into an ambulance to be transported to a hospital.
Read the story here.
Who: Athol Whimp, a renowned New Zealand Mountaineer
Where: Mt. Moir, New Zealand
His mistake: Just bad footing on an unlucky spot
What happened: A renowned mountaineer was scrambling down from the peak of Mt. Moir in wet conditions. He was climbing with three friends without ropes. Whimp was very experienced and the descent should have been straightforward for him. At some point, he slipped on mud and fell. He suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was dead on the scene. The coroner believes Whimp suffered a head injury which prevented him from a self rescue.
Read the story here.
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If you're into the outdoors, why not think of going on a caravan or RV trip? Better make sure you get caravan insurance first, though!
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