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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Two Climbers Stranded in French Alps For Nearly One Week

Who: Olivier Sourzac and Charlotte Demetz, both in their 40s.
Where: Walker Peak, Mont Blanc Massif, France
Their mistake: Bad luck with the weather
What happened: Two climbers are stranded on the 4,208-meter Walker Peak in the Mont Blanc Massif due to bad weather. It is unclear how the climbers called for help, but they did [...]

Hiker Chased By Hoodlums Breaks Leg, Gets Mugged

Who: A 23-year-old man from Rondebosch, South Africa
Where: Table Mountain, South Africa
His mistake: Bad luck. Maybe he smelled like money
What happened: Three men were hiking between Rhodes Memorial path and Devil’s Peak on Table Mountain when two muggers began harassing them verbally.

The hikers started running down the trail to try and get away [...]

Hiker Spends Unexpected Night in Crawford Notch, Mass.

Who: 41-year-old Sergio Mori of Brookline, Mass.
Where: Crawford Notch, Massachusetts
His mistake: Just tripped and bad luck
What happened: A man went out for a solo day hike in Crawford Notch. After hiking up Mount Eisenhower and descending the Edand’s Path, the man fell and injured his ankle so bad that he was unable to [...]

Missing Hiker Found in Swollen River

Who: 40-year-old Matthew Chidgey
Where: Wildwood Regional Park, California
His mistake: He was alone and possibly ventured too close to a swollen river
What happened: A man was anxious to see some nearby waterfalls after a large storm. He asked his roommate to go, but the roommate declined, so the man went by himself.

When the man didn’t return [...]

Hiker Dies of Possible Hypothermia

Who: A young adult male
Where: Florida Trail, Okeechobee County, Florida
His mistake: He was hiking alone and wearing insufficient clothing
What happened: Hikers came across the body of a young adult male while hiking the Florida Trail in Okeechobee County. The dead man was only wearing cargo shorts, a t-shirt and a light windbreaker.

Authorities believe the [...]

Army Lieutenant Dies in Rock Climbing Fall after Iraq Tour

Where: Makaha Valley, Hawaii
His mistake: It’s unknown if it was a human error or equipment failure
What happened: One week after a First Lieutenant returned from a tour in Iraq, he and his friends went on a grueling two-day hiking trip bushwacking through jungle forests and traversing ridges. During the trip, the Lieutenant and a friend [...]

Man in Tennis Shoes Lost During Snowy Hike

Who: A 23-year-old male
Where: Between Summit Cove and Keystone, Colorado
His mistake: He was alone and wearing tennis shoes despite the cold weather
What happened: A man was at a house in Summit Cove and decided to walk back to his house in the Keystone area. It is unclear how far the locations were. Despite the cold [...]

Lost Hearing Impaired Teen Found in Buffalo NR

Who: 19-year-old Steven J. Strygulec of Rogersville, MI
Where: Buffalo National River, Arkansas
His mistake: He got separated, then lost a bunch of his gear
What happened: A group of five college students went for a camping trip through Buffalo National River. At some point during the hike, one of their friends – a hearing impaired, inexperienced outdoorsman, [...]

Boy Injured by Icicle

Who: A teenage boy
Where: Center Hill Lake, Austin Bottom, Tennessee
His mistake: Bad luck
What happened: A boy was hiking with companions when a large icicle dislodged above him and struck him in the leg. The boy was unable to continue on the hike. Friends alerted authorities. It took three hours for crews to package the boy [...]

Lost Backpackers Found on AT

Who: A 17-year-old female and 20-year-old male
Where: Appalachian Trail the towns of Beekman and Pawling, CT
Their mistake: They got lost in the dark
What happened: Two young hikers were on the Appalachian Trail and took the wrong trail at dusk. When they realized they were on the wrong trail, they used a cell phone to call [...]

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