Who: 44-year-old Ross Mason
Where: Big Bear Loop, Gila Wilderness Area, New Mexico
His mistake: It’s unknown if he was lost or injured
What happened: A man went on a solo hike on the Big Bear Loop, a 25-mile trail part of the Gila Wilderness Area. When the man didn’t return as expected, his friend reported the man overdue. His friend hoped for the best since the missing man is an experienced outdoorsman and should have ample food and water for a multi-day trip.
The missing hiker left a detailed itinerary of his trip, so rescuers knew exactly to look for him in the rugged terrain of the trail. Rescuers were forced to stay on the trail because the terrain was so steep and rugged.
More than 35 members of multiple search and rescue teams along with choppers were looking for the man. Eventually, a chopper spotted an “SOS” written on the ground with bright clothing. Authorities said the man stopped when he was in trouble and was there for about one day. Rescuers reached the man by foot and escorted him to safety the next morning. It is unclear if the man became lost, exhausted or possibly injured and unable to continue.
Read the story here.
This man was nowhere near where he said he was going. He may have got lost on the mesa between the two forks( Middle and West forks of the Gila) where there many trails and few landmarks. He may have mistakenly gone up the West Fork and not the middle fork. Or he may have changed his mind about his route( which is almost always a bad decision).But once he was on the west fork he should have known to just start hiking downstream. Of course he might have been exhausted or hurt at this point I know he’s probably embarrassed right now, but he should eventually tell his story so that others can learn from his mistakes.