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”

Gear that Rocks


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Missing Hiker on Mauna Loa Found

Who: A 43-year-old woman
Where: Mauna Loa, Hawaii
Her mistake: She didn’t wait for her husband when he took a break
What happened: A husband and wife went on a day hike on the lava fields around the Mauna Loa Observatory where they began their hike. Shortly after leaving the observatory, the husband stopped to rest, but the [...]

Bear Charges News Photographer

Who: Photojournalist, Bob Karp, of the Daily Record
Where: Dover, New Jersey
His mistake: He got a little too close
What happened: A photographer for the Daily Record in New Jersey was called to photograph a bear in a neighborhood. The black bear was 300 pounds and hunkered 50 feet up a willow tree in a neighborhood.

The [...]

Teen Hiker Dies in 80-Foot Fall

Who: A 16- or 17-year-old male
Where: Mamaewa Gulch, near Kohala Mountain Road, Hawaii
His mistake: A simple slip
What happened: A couple of teens went for a hike in Mamaewa Gulch. They were in the gulch and were attempting to scramble up. On their way up, the teens slipped. One fell 80 to 90 feet to the [...]

Polish Hiker Missing in Croatia

Who: 35-year-old Tomasz Troszok
Where: Imber Mountain, Omis, Croatia
His mistake: He went off alone. His ultimate mistake is yet to be known
What happened: A man was hiking with a group of four when he decided to go solo to an Imber excursion site on Imber Mountain. Later on that day, the man never reunited with the [...]

Lost Australian Hiker Found on Grouse Mountain

Who: 24-year-old Frederick Hayes from Australia
Where: Grouse Mountain, a.k.a. the Grouse Grind, British Columbia, Canada
His mistake: He became separated from his friend and wasn’t dressed for the weather
What happened: Aussie. Aussie. Aussie. Doy. Doy. Doy. An Australian hiker and his friend went for a day hike on North Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain, also known as the [...]

DEVELOPING STORY: Elderly Man Missing on Mt. Whitney

Who: A 73-year-old Kenneth “Wade” Brunette of Washington State
Where: Mt. Whitney main trail, California
His mistake: He was hiking alone, but the actual cause is unknown
What happened: A 73-year-old man from Washington is missing on Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states at a height of 14,494 feet or 14,492 feet depending on [...]

Hiker Falls 150 Meters to Death in Chamonix Valley

Who: A Swedish hiker between 16 and 22 years old
Where: La Vormaine, Le Tour, Chamonix Valley
Her mistake: They got lost and hiked off trail
What happened: A brother and two sisters from Sweden were hiking in the La Vormaine area of Le Tour. Their goal was to head towards Albert 1er refuge. During their hike (which [...]

6-Year-Old Dies in Mountain Fall

Who: A 6-year-old boy
Where: Alpbach, Tyrol
His mistake: He wandered off
What happened: A six-year-old boy and his 5-year-old friend were playing near a food stand that was close to a steep, rocky area. Both of the boys fell over a side down the mountain. The five-year-old grabbed a tree branch and was able to hold on [...]

Guide Contributes to Hikers Becoming Overdue

Who: 28-year-old Steven Smith, his 21-year-old wife Megan Smith, 27-year-old Jeremy Borie and his wife, 24-year-old Alana Borie
Where: Wet Beaver Creek wilderness, Waldroup Canyon, Northern Arizona
Their mistake: Looks like they trusted the sole source of a guide without consulting the Internet or books
What happened: Four friends went on an overnight hike through the Wet Beaver [...]

Ballzy Hiker Not So Ballzy on Lizard Head

Who: A 25-year-old man
Where: Lizard Head Rock, Sedona, Arizona
His mistake: He climbed up without planning the climb down
What happened: A man on a bike decided to sit on top of Lizard Head Rock, a rock that looks like a … yah, you got it.

The scramble up was no problem for the biker, but when it [...]

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