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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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 [...]

Builderer Rescued Twice in 24 Hours

Who: A 38-year-old man
Where: Chicago, IL
His mistake: Didn’t check out the downclimb
What happened: A builderer (a climbing boulderer who climbs on buildings) had to be lowered from a 25-foot traffic light after topping it out. The man took off his shoes and shimmied up the light and couldn’t get down. Rescuers used a [...]

Climbers Stranded on Kitt Peak Rescued

Who: Two men
Where: Elephant Trunk, Kitt Peak, Arizona
Their mistake: It’s unknown
What happened: Two men were rapelling off of the Elephant Trunk on Kitt Peak and somehow became stuck. It is unclear what stopped them from completing the rappel.

Fortunately the men had a cell phone to call for help. The Southern Arizona Rescue Team and [...]

Lost Snowboarders Rescued After Dark

Who: A husband and wife, both 44 years old
Where: Powder Mountain, Utah
Their mistake: They wanted to get one more run in and got caught in fog
What happened: A husband and wife wanted to get one more lap in at Powder Mountain in Utah. Their plan was to follow the same line as the previous run. [...]

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, [...]

Ice Climber Injured on Officer’s Gulch

Who: A male ice climber
Where: Officer’s Gulch, The Shroud, Colorado
His mistake: It’s unknown
What happened: Two men were ice climbing on The Shroud route near Copper Mountain and Frisco in Colorado. At some point during the climb, one of the men fell 40 feet. His friend called 911 and 22 volunteer rescuers responded. Rescue teams used [...]

Missing Snowboarder Found In A Bar!

Who: A 20-year-old Austrian snowboarder
Where: Obertauern, Austria
His mistake: Being stupid
What happened: While snowboarding with some friends who were heading down the mountain, the young snowboarder lost his snowboard and climbed down alone to retrieve it.

When he never showed up an hour later his friends called the police. A group of 12 volunteers from the [...]

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 [...]

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