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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Searchers Looking for Overdue Hiker

Who: 45-year-old Joe Christaldi
Where: Pete Lake, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
His mistake: Bad timing
What happened: A man was dropped off by a friend at a trailhead and began a multi-day loop trail in the Pacific Northwest. During his hike, the man called his friend the next morning to say the weather was terrible and everything was icing [...]

Man Dies in Fall from Maamtrasna

Who: Patrick Fox, a man in his late 50s
Where: Maamtrasna range, Ireland
His mistake: It was just a simple slip
What happened: A man and his two brothers began a hike in fair weather on the Maamtrasna range. After walking for part of the day over the range, the weather started to deteriorate. A heavy fog fell [...]

Photo Gallery and Other News

No stories yet today. Looks like people stayed relatively safe on the trail yesterday. This gave me a chance to finally populate the Photo Gallery. You can check out pictures from some of my trips over the last couple years. I’ll have to dig a little deeper in the archive to go further back. To [...]

Another Lost Hiker Found on Pikes Peak

Who: A woman
Where: Barr Trail, Pikes Peak, Colorado
Her mistake: She took a wrong turn
What happened: A woman who planned for a light hike during the day time was hiking on the Barr Trail when she took a wrong turn. She was dressed too light and called for help at 6:30 p.m. Rescue crews were dispatched [...]

Missing Hikers Found on Pikes Peak

Who: A couple in their 40s visiting from Ohio
Where: Pikes Peak, Colorado
Their mistake: They got lost
What happened: A couple went for a day hike from Crags campground to the saddle of Pikes Peak. Before they left, the couple posted their intended route on a Twitter feed.

When they didn’t return from their hike as expected, the [...]

8 Hikers Rescued in Hot Weather

Who: 8 hikers
Where: The hills above Brand Park, Glendale, California
Their mistake: Either they weren’t fit enough or didn’t bring enough water or a combination of both
What happened: A group of eight hikers were trekking through the hills above Glendale. This is a hill in the middle of a metropolis. Pictured above is the view from [...]

Elderly Couple Hit By Falling Rock

Who: An elderly couple in their 60s
Where: Mt. Beerwah, Sunshine Coast, Australia
Their mistake: It was just bad luck
What happened: A couple were climbing Mt. Beerwah when a rock dislodged above them and struck both of them. The man suffered minor injuries including lacerations to his shoulder and leg. The woman had abrasions and bruising to [...]

Man Dies in 70-Foot Fall

Who: A 49-year-old hiker
Where: Escalante River, Lake Powell, Utah
His mistake: Looks like a bit of bad luck combined with poor decision making
What happened: A man was hiking with some friends when they were trying to negotiate a talus slope. The area was steep and was littered with loose rock.

While the man was crossing the slope, [...]

9-Year-Old Survives Night in Wilderness

Who: A 9-year-old boy
Where: Englishman River, British Columbia, Canada
His mistake: He was walking off trail away from the group
What happened: A boy was on a hike with a group of family friends which included two adults and two other children. The boy was hiking parallel to the trail for much of the hike. At some [...]

Two Hikers Freeze to Death

Who: Two Women
Where: Swartberg mountains, Cape Town, South Africa
Their mistake: It’s unclear. Details are preliminary and thin
What happened: A group of six hikers went out for a hike in two different groups. It is unclear what happened on the hike, but everyone ran into some trouble. It’s unclear if they became disoriented or if there [...]

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