A Dozen Ways to Die :-0

A Dozen Ways to Die
6. Lightning
Going high in July? Start early–afternoon is high-voltage hour in many mountain ranges.

In some parts of the country, Boy Scouts have gained a reputation for walking into disaster. But Troop 7001 from St. Helena in California's Napa Valley was different.

These boys had gone on 110-mile canoe trips and winter campouts. They'd climbed the Grand Teton and Olympus. They'd studied first aid and navigation. And now, in late July 2005, they were tackling a 70-mile, 9-day trek in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks.

Around 2 p.m. on day 7, the 12-person party pitched camp in a clearing at the eastern foot of Mt. Whitney. The plan was to turn in early, get a midnight start, and summit at sunrise. As the boys lounged, a storm cell moved in from the north. This was little cause for alarm: The forest rose a thousand feet above them to ridgeline. They were beneath tarps, sitting on their sleeping pads, and atop dry groundsheets when the rain began.

"We were counting the time between flash and thunder," recalls leader Stu Smith, "and teaching the kids about sound speed. We never finished the conversation."

The bolt hit a nearby tree and arced horizontally under the tarps. All but four members of the troop were immediately knocked out.

"I came to in this brown sea of hurt," says Smith. "It was like when your foot goes to sleep then comes awake, only all over and to the 10th power." Three people were in cardiac arrest, and a fourth lay moaning, with blood streaming from his mouth and nose.

As Smith directed CPR efforts, two of the boys raced to a nearby ranger cabin. Two adults came around quickly, and ranger Rob Pulaski arrived within the hour, followed by a helicopter. Despite the troop's efforts, 29-year-old Stephen McCullagh, a burly winemaker and father of two, never regained consciousness. Ryan Collins, a 13-year-old who would have entered 8th grade that fall, was resuscitated, but loss of brain function led to removal of life support weeks later.

Analysis
Lightning injures 500 to 700 people a year in the United States, and kills 75. Few are backcountry accidents, perhaps because electrical events are so impressively frightening. Most wilderness incidents happen to boaters, or hikers and climbers caught on high ridgelines during afternoon storms. "We get near-daily summer lightning storms," says Renny Jackson, head climbing ranger at Grand Teton National Park. "But when we had a major disaster on the Exum Ridge 2 years ago, we checked our records and were surprised to find we'd never had another fatality inside the park."

Advice

Climb early, camp low Your single smartest move is to descend from above-treeline peaks and ridges by 2 p.m. during the summer. If there's a black cloud within 5 miles, you've waited too long.
Split up Should a lightning storm approach your party, spread out so a single strike doesn't disable the entire group.
Avoid electricity magnets Bad: single tall trees, metal objects, and high rock outcrops. Good: gullies, depressions in a meadow, and any spot lower than your current position.
Learn CPR "Nearly everybody who dies from lightning dies from cardiac arrest," says Grand Teton's Jackson. Troop 7001's training and the fast SAR response surely saved two lives.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Survivor Kid 909 wrote:

	linsleyk wrote:
	camelbaks seams like a good idea,

I've heard they are a PITA to care for...

No, not at all.

I only put filtered or distilled water in mine. Just dry it when you get done, and it's fine. Cool

If you put in other liquids like Gatorade or it just starts to get yucky(it has Hydroguard Antimicrobial Technology to prevent that), you can clean it with soap and water, freshen with water and baking soda, or sanitize with water and bleach.

It is very helpful to buy the drying and cleaning kit. It includes a hanger, dryer(a piece of plastic that lodges in the opening to hold the reservoir open as it tends to want to collapse on itself and inhibit drying), tube brush, reservoir brush, and two cleaning tablets(Polident works just as well).

I love my Camelbaks. Cool

When I'm on the trail, all I have to do is grab the hose, turn on the valve, pull off the bite valve cover, then bite and suck. Takes all of two seconds. Much more convenient than having to stop and take off your pack, and then dig around for a water bottle.

You should look into them. I would recommend the GMI M.U.L.E. Carries the same as a normal fanny pack(540 cu. in.) and 3 liters of water. Cool

It's on sale now at Cabela's for $30! Surprised

Sorry for going off topic, Dave, but dehydration is a horrible way to die and having a Camelbak is a great way to stay hydrated. Very Happy

Happy hiking!

_________________
Using dial-up is like riding a tricycle at Indy.

Yeah I agree, it's pretty common to hear people say how hard they are to clean. They're really not though, my cabela's on cleans out just fine Cool

Here's another one from cabela's made by swiss.

Wenger Mojave and Baden 2L Hydration Packs

_________________
Limitations are created only in the mind.
Only by ignoring them can one truly be great.

Last edited by BXC on Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

A Dozen Ways to Die
7. Avalanche
They're rare among hikers, but these snow slides are deadly and highly unpredictable.

At 6 a.m. on March 20, 2004, Dave Bennett, Joel Siebersma, and Kyle Fitzpatrick set off to hike 14,336-foot La Plata Peak, the fifth-highest summit in Colorado. Experienced peakbaggers, they'd taken avalanche courses and were equipped with shovels, probes, emergency gear, and a promising avalanche forecast.

After summiting a bit behind schedule, they decided to speed their descent by glissading down. "We found a nice, long patch that would take us all the way to La Plata Creek," says Siebersma. He waited until Fitzpatrick was about 400 yards below him, then followed. "I'd descended about 10 yards when the snow fractured," Siebersma recalls. "I tried to self-arrest, but the axe ripped out of my hands.

"Your first 5 or 10 seconds," he says, "your life flashes before your eyes. Then it's just this morbid waiting game. You don't know which time the slide slows will be the last, and whether or not you'll be buried. When it finally stopped, I was on top."

Bennett, meanwhile, had seen the slide scour the mountainside from 13,200 feet down to 11,600. When a lone figure emerged, he thought it was Fitzpatrick, because he'd watched Siebersma getting pummeled and assumed he was dead.

The pair searched for Fitzpatrick for 2 hours using avalanche probes. "By then it was getting dark, and I was in bad shape," says Siebersma. "Dave has a WFR rating, and he thought I had a cracked skull, because I had this huge lump, blood was pouring from it, and I was hallucinating." A 6-hour struggle to the trailhead ensued.

Fitzpatrick had driven, so they smashed his car window to get to the extra food and clothing. "Just then a sheriff pulled up," says Siebersma. His girlfriend and Fitzpatrick's fiancée had called authorities when the trio didn't make their meeting time. The next day, a rescue dog located Fitzpatrick's body buried in 3 feet of snow that had frozen so hard it broke searchers' probes.

Analysis
Avalanches are a rare threat for three-season peakbaggers (we could only find two fatalities in a decade), but they pose a very serious risk for backcountry skiers and mountaineers. An average of 22 skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers die each year in backcountry avalanches in the United States. More than 90 percent are caught in slides they triggered by crossing an unstable slope. Surprisingly, most victims are skilled outdoors enthusiasts with avalanche training. "We used to think education was the key," notes forecaster Tom Kimbrough, "but people seem to think that because of their knowledge, they can push closer to the edge."

Advice

Time your climb Morning is better than afternoon, and cold days are better than warm ones. Also, stay off steep slopes during or soon after windy storms, which create unstable snowpacks.
Spread out The same practice that holds for lightning applies to unstable hillsides, but in the case of avalanche-prone slopes, it's wise to increase the distance between individuals from 100 to 200 or more feet.
Try another day Because many victims die from injuries sustained during the slide, even companions with beacons and rescue skills can't necessarily help. Best advice? Avoid getting caught altogether. Turn back, and revisit when the slope is safer.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

A Dozen Ways to Die
Less Common but Still Lethal

8. Suicide When wilderness SAR teams respond to a frontcountry call, chances are the distressed party is what the ISRID lists as a "despondent." Suicides are especially common in national parks, but the victims tend to launch from drive-up cliffs and other accessible spots. Backcountry suicides are much less frequent–only a handful are reported annually. Advice: Call a suicide hotline, if for no other reason than to spare rangers the worst task they face.

9. Flash Flood Deaths due to flash floods are quite rare, and occur almost exclusively in canyoneering environments. But when they do kill, floods tend to take out groups, keeping the fatality average up around two per year. The good news: Almost every deadly incident we investigated resulted from an unwillingness to turn back despite obvious weather warnings. Advice: "If you're heading to a slot canyon, have a fallback plan," says Shane Burrows of Climb-Utah.com. "Then, if the weather's bad, you won't feel so determined to go on with your vacation."

10. Insects
Ticks and mosquitoes Every year, hundreds of people fall victim to the illnesses carried by these tiny pests. The list includes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, encephalitis, and West Nile. Advice: Apply deet-based insect repellent, do frequent tick checks, and wear bug-net clothing if necessary. Bees, wasps, and fire ants These 50 to 60 annual deaths almost always involve allergic reactions. Advice: If you're sensitive, carry an oral antihistamine such as Benadryl, or a prescription epinephrine injector pen.

11. Snakes and spiders Several thousand people are bitten by snakes in the United States every year, but only 12 to 14 of them die. "Without antivenom," says Langley, "there would be many more deaths." While black widow and brown recluse spiders are the most dangerous species, years often pass without a fatal spider bite in the United States. Advice: Keep the limb cold to reduce swelling, and get to a hospital as soon as possible.

12. Predators
Alligators Gators have claimed 5 victims in the last 12 months, but only 30 in the last half-century. Most attacks occur in lakeside Florida suburbs and on golf courses. Advice: Don't linger on the banks of gator-country swamps, particularly at night.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Forgot hunting accidents Rolling Eyes

_________________
Limitations are created only in the mind.
Only by ignoring them can one truly be great.

Lol, ya i guess i could have called the thread " 13 ways to die " Razz

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing