A Dozen Ways to Die :-0

A Dozen Ways to Die
1. Falling
Tempted to climb higher? Think twice: The backcountry's #1 killer is only a slip away.

Dana Crane, an outdoorsy 19-year-old student at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, lay crumpled on the beach near Strawberry Point in Washington's Olympic National Park. It was a tragic end to a trip she'd planned to celebrate her recently completed sophomore year. After 4 days in the Hoh Rain Forest, Crane had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to trek down the coast. Not expecting any trouble, she didn't register at the Third Beach trailhead.

On day 2 of her coastal hike, she stashed her pack and jogged to Strawberry Point, where sand bluffs taper out from the shore to form a low spit capped by a 70-foot spire. Enchanted by the sea stack, Crane scrambled up for a view. Suddenly, she greased off mossy holds and cartwheeled 25 feet down onto jagged, fist-sized cobbles.

When she came to, Crane had a black eye, gashes in her back, two shattered feet, a broken thumb and pelvis, separated ribs, a displaced fracture of her lower right leg, and three spinal fractures. Despite those injuries, she crawled nearly 100 yards to the shelter of driftwood logs piled beneath the bluffs. There she lay for 48 hours without food, water, or gear, getting chilled, baked, and severely dehydrated. Finally, a couple of hikers came by.

"We heard a whistling sound," recalls Brandon Smith, a 26-year-old hiker from Missoula, MT, who was with his girlfriend, Heather McKee. "I looked over, and this girl was smashed up pretty bad." McKee stayed with Crane while Smith ran for help. He found off-duty ranger Dave Skinner, who had a cell phone. Two hours after Skinner reached a spot where he could get a signal, Crane was evacuated by helicopter to a Seattle hospital, where she underwent multiple surgeries (and survived).

"It's a popular area," says the ranger. "I'm surprised someone could have lain there that long, but she was probably in and out of consciousness, so people might have passed her." Smith is a bit more judgmental. "She shouldn't have been on that rock face," he says. "It was way, way too steep."

Analysis
Unroped falls are the #1 cause of wilderness deaths nationwide. Our research suggests that most accidents happen while hikers are scrambling up or descending semitechnical peaks, crossing class III passes, or getting far out onto overlooks for better views and pictures. Steep snowfields, rotten rock bands, and gravelly ledges are typical culprits–combined with overconfidence. According to the rangers and rescue pros we interviewed, many victims could have avoided falling if they'd spent more time looking for an alternate route.

Advice

Leave word Crane's first error was failing to register or give her return date to a friend. This is critically important for a solo hiker.
Carry a lifeline Her second mistake was leaving her pack–and all her safety gear. Always stash a basic survival kit in your pocket on side hikes.
Climb smart If you're alone, attempt only easy moves, and test each hold to make sure it's solid. Avoid wet, mossy, and loose rock, and never ascend any face you wouldn't be absolutely comfortable downclimbing. When contemplating sketchy moves or long, exposed snowfields, ask yourself what the worst outcome could be. If it's ugly, find another way or turn around.

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

Pretty sure that broken thumb and black eye were the worst of her worries, I would imagine she probably had some serious bleeding Shocked

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

The area she was climbing in sounds just like the Scarborough Bluffs, here in Toronto:

Every summer, people have to be rescued from them because they underestimated how steep and crumbly they are. I know it's tempting to try to climb up or down them, but it's not worth the risk. Bluffs like these are more difficult and dangerous than they appear.

_________________

"The monkeys are throwing stuff at me again."
-Survivorman in Costa Rica

	BushRat wrote:
	The area she was climbing in sounds just like the Scarborough Bluffs, here in Toronto: Every summer, people have to be rescued from them because they underestimated how steep and crumbly they are. I know it's tempting to try to climb up or down them, but it's not worth the risk. Bluffs like these are more difficult and dangerous than they appear.

Agreed, it's much safer to go around if there is a way, and if there isn't I wouldn't suggest going up at all. You DEFINATELY do not want to get to close to the edge on one of those things.

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

A Dozen Ways to Die
2. Drowning
Mishaps on frozen lakes and whitewater rivers represent the second most common cause of death in the wilderness.

On June 26, 2005, four thru-hikers showed up at the McClure Meadow ranger station in California's Kings Canyon National Park with an urgent message. They told ranger Bob Kenan they'd seen a red backpack floating in partially frozen Evolution Lake, an idyllic rockbound pond set at 10,850 feet on the John Muir/Pacific Crest Trails. Unable to reach the pack himself, Kenan called in a chopper. From the cockpit, pilots could see a human body floating beneath it.

A journal identified the victim as Peter Spoecker, 64, a Joshua Tree resident who'd registered a few weeks earlier for a weeklong solo loop. An obviously fit hiker, Spoecker had been carrying high-quality gear, photo equipment, and snowshoes. He'd reached Evolution Basin by crossing Lamarck Col, a tough, 13,000-foot, class II gap.

Spoecker was a fascinating individual by anyone's measure, a long-bearded Hindu vegan and professional didgeridoo player. An autodidact, Spoecker regularly taught himself subjects from music to advanced computer graphics. In recent years, he had taken to landscape photography, backpacking for weeks at a time to build a library of images. He was also a wilderness veteran with expert climbing and survival skills; he'd been hiking in the High Sierra, often solo, for more than 40 years.

So how did such an accomplished hiker drop through the ice of a tranquil lake? Several possible scenarios emerge. First, Spoecker may have been trying to get water, since both his bottles were empty when he was found. Second, his snowshoes may have caused him to slip as he traversed the steep sidehill above Evolution Lake. A third possibility is that he detoured down onto the lake for easier traveling, and broke through where currents had weakened the ice.

Analysis
"Any place there's water mixed with hiking, boating, and fishing, drowning usually wins first place," says Robert Koester, a researcher with Virginia-based dbS Productions and creator of the 30,000-case International Search and Rescue Incident Database (ISRID). Most victims are whitewater paddlers or rafters who get trapped under strainers or ledges, or backpackers who fall while fording rivers, often in spring runoff.

Advice

Doubt yourself A recurring theme in wilderness fatalities is overconfidence or simple neglect of basic safety procedures by veteran hikers. Spoecker's case is typical of Sierra fatalities: He was an expert, and alone. "Our frontcountry incidents are usually newbies," says Alex Picavet, public information officer for Sequoia-Kings Canyon. "But our backcountry deaths are often extremely experienced hikers." The lesson: Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by years of trouble-free hiking. Always expect thin ice.
Be ready to swim You've probably heard it a hundred times, but it bears repeating: When crossing turbulent rivers, unbuckle your hipbelt and sternum strap so your pack doesn't force you under water if you fall.
Recline in rapids If you fall in whitewater, point your feet downstream (so you can push away from rocks) and float on your back until you can swim to shore. Never try to stand up in a strong current; if your foot gets trapped between rocks, you could get pushed over and drowned.

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

If you plan on being on ice I STRONGLY suggest a pair of these...
http://www.columbussupply.com/products/?productid=1647&price=6307

You can find pairs for much cheaper than those, but those were the only ones I could find a decent picture of. For the people that haven't seen them before, they're for if you fall through the ice. If you fall through you stab them into the ice and use them as grips to pull yourself back out in deep water. Simple, but useful Cool

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

^ Ah yes, the mighty ice picks. Its something i never have to worry about out here.
Im never on a frozen lake, there is none, lol But they are a must to anyone that is on lakes in the winter.
The only time i was on a lake frozen was ice fishing, but the lake was only 3' deep where we were.

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

	Drummer Dave wrote:
	^ Ah yes, the mighty ice picks. Its something i never have to worry about out here. Im never on a frozen lake, there is none, lol But they are a must to anyone that is on lakes in the winter. The only time i was on a lake frozen was ice fishing, but the lake was only 3' deep where we were.

Yeah, they're a staple here in Minnesota due to the facts that A. I ice fish and B. there are over 15,000 lakes here. Laughing

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

^ Wow, thats alot of lakes Shocked

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

while I was on vacation in Oregon a young man and woman were going to haystack rock the tide was out so you can just walk to it. they fell asleep on the rock and the tide came in up to their waist, a person saw them and called for a rescue she was choppered out but he was sweeped off to sea very sad. and it was less then a mile where I was staying. Sad

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A Dozen Ways to Die
3. Heart Attack
At risk: Baby-boomer men trying to keep pace with their younger selves.

On a windy day in late July 2001, a group of senior hikers who call themselves the Over-the-Hill Gang were climbing 8,952-foot Mt. Cannon in Glacier National Park. It's a stout ascent with some scary class IV scrambling, but these men were veteran Glacier backpackers with numerous technical peaks on their resumés.

Suddenly, 69-year-old Harry Isch didn't feel well. "He joked about somebody having to take his pack," recalls George Ostrom, 78, one of the group's founders. While most of the party moved ahead, two members stuck by Isch. "I turned around and saw Harry sitting down," recalls Hi Gibson, 75, a retired physician. "He said he felt dizzy, so I checked, and he was in atrial fibrillation, with a weak, vibrating pulse." Gibson and fellow hiker Pat Jirion decided to take Harry back down to the cars. They considered calling for a helicopter, but gale-force winds and the steep location precluded it.

"I picked the easiest way," says Gibson, "then we started down together. I kept taking Harry's pulse, and it was normal." They intercepted the Hidden Lake Trail and began climbing again to where a boardwalk descends to Logan Pass Visitor Center. "Harry was doing OK. Then we happened to run into a friend. I stopped to talk briefly, and when I turned around again, Harry was down on the trail.

"Immediately, a man and his son arrived," Gibson recalls. "He was an ER doc in Minnesota, and his son had just completed CPR training, so we took turns trying to resuscitate Harry." Within minutes, an ER nurse from Chicago happened by, then an ICU nurse from Stanford. "You couldn't get that kind of expertise on a sidewalk outside a hospital," says Gibson. "But it was no use."

Analysis
Heart failure is a top-five killer everywhere, but it jumps to second place in areas where steep, high-elevation trails are located near lowland cities. Isch was both representative and atypical of these victims. He was the least fit member of his group, which makes him a typical target. But he was much older than the average backcountry heart-attack victim, a male in his 50s pursuing the same fitness goals he attained in his 30s–or attempting some kind of life-renewing challenge for which he has not adequately trained. Heat stress or hypothermia are often contributing factors.

Advice

Get your ticker tested In the backcountry, heart attacks disproportionately affect baby-boomer men, so if you're a guy pushing 50, get to a doctor for a full cardiac workup. That goes double if you haven't done much hiking lately.
Boost your training There's no need to back off big goals, but the days are gone when you could race up Rainier without substantial preparation. To improve your odds, start working out 3 months before any big backpacking trip; include a 6-plus-hour hike with a pack at least once a week.
Check your pace Isch wasn't going fast, but he may have been going too fast for the altitude, given his conditioning. Find a speed that lets you maintain conversation.

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

Very interesting stuff, Dave. Cool

One has to wonder if the young lady who fell was an avid watcher of ManvsWild. Poor decisions and risky behavior that could endanger your life....sounds familiar, no?

A Dozen Ways to Die
4. Hypothermia
Exposure attacks both body and mind, quickly compromising your dexterity and decision-making ability.

On Saturday morning, November 30, 2002, Arthur Birchmeyer, a 58-year-old outdoors enthusiast from Syracuse, NY, ventured into the swampy Moose River Plains in the western Adirondacks. He was familiar with the area, but still carried a map, three compasses, and a GPS unit, in addition to a lighter, matches, a flashlight, and hunting equipment. Around midday, a cold front swept through, dumping 2 feet of snow and dropping temperatures into the teens. When Birchmeyer's wife reported him missing on Monday, an intensive search began.

"By the time we got in there, we were dealing with subzero temperatures," says ranger Will Geraud. Two days later, a helicopter pilot located Birchmeyer's body less than a mile from the snowmobile trail he'd hiked in on. "Our initial assumption was that he had screwed up, that he didn't know how to use the GPS," Geraud recalls. Then searchers found his Garmin still on, recording data. When they combined that with evidence from his tracks, a far more tragic picture emerged.

Before he died, Birchmeyer had made several attempts to intersect the gated road that led to his truck. Unfortunately, he hit it in a whiteout, after heavy snow had bent the trees, obscuring the narrow track. A few hours later, he crossed back near the same place again, less than 300 yards from the road. He then climbed over a high ridge to the banks of the Indian River, where he built a fire under an overhanging spruce.

The next morning, Birchmeyer beelined northeast, heading for a waypoint labeled "end of road." At 8:30 a.m., a "man overboard" waypoint appears on his GPS. He'd fallen in a beaver swamp up to his waist. To start a fire, he pried a bullet apart, but the gunpowder flashed too fast. His fingers probably weren't working. "He was less than a half-mile from the gate," says Geraud. "His vehicle–another mile and a half up the road–had a stove, sleeping bag, insulated one-piece suit, food, and water."

But Birchmeyer thought he'd been wrong before, so he turned and headed back to his previous night's camp on the Indian River. Failing to relight his fire, he died soon after.

Analysis
Hypothermia always ranks among the top three killers in cold-weather and mountain environments, and it's a contributing factor in many other fatalities. In spots like Mt. Rainier and New Hampshire's Presidential Range, cold is villain number one. But you don't need winter to die of exposure. From the Smokies to the Sierra, hikers have been felled by the pernicious combination of wind, humidity, and 45°F temps.

Advice

Rehydrate and rest Dehydration and fatigue accelerate hypothermia, so don't plod along in a single-minded effort to escape the cold. Stop regularly to eat and drink, and find a pace that will keep you warm without exhausting your muscles.
Pack some heat Like Birchmeyer, many hypothermia victims are dayhikers who leave their sleeping bags behind, expecting to return before dark. That may be a fine strategy in summer, but always pack a bag in winter. Chemical handwarmers and a thermos of hot soup are also wise, and a reliable supply of firestarting material–not just a lighter–is essential.
Learn winter tricks Leaves stuffed in your shirt make good insulation. A south-facing slope is warmer and less snowy.

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

sad story but great advice. Sad

_________________

^ Ya. But learning what not to do now & what to do to prevent it is a good thing Cool

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

A Dozen Ways to Die
5. Heat Stress
A formidable threat in the Southwest, this killer strikes with extreme force, though not without ample warning.

On 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 8, 2004, 24-year-old Margaret Bradley and a male companion left the Grand Canyon's South Rim for a 27-mile trail run. Their plan was to descend the Grandview Trail to the Tonto Trail, cross 16 miles of hot, rolling plateau, then climb 3,200 feet in 5.5 miles back to the rim on the South Kaibab Trail.

That spring, Bradley had finished the Boston Marathon in 88°F heat, placing 31st among women with a time of 3 hours, 4 minutes. Anticipating a similar effort, the duo was traveling light. Bradley's partner (authorities refuse to name him) carried a gallon of water; she had 1.5 liters. There are no water sources along the route, and neither carried maps or headlamps.

By 3 p.m., the temperature had reached 105°F and the pair had covered only 12 miles. On the exposed plateau, their run turned into a walk. Soon, the man crawled under a bush, unable to continue. Bradley went on for help.

Around dawn, the man woke to cooler temperatures and pushed on. As he neared the South Kaibab Trail, he encountered a USGS employee with a satellite phone, who called rangers for directions to an emergency water cache. Inexplicably, the companion never mentioned Bradley. "In all the confusion," says Grand Canyon SAR Coordinator Ken Phillips, "he assumed she had gotten out of the canyon."

Bradley wasn't reported missing until Saturday morning. At 2 p.m., a helicopter spotted her body 300 feet below the Tonto Trail in the Cremation Creek drainage. She was curled in a fetal position, a casualty of acute dehydration and heatstroke. Like all too many Grand Canyon fatalities, Bradley was apparently trying to reach the river, only to be stymied by unbroken cliff bands.

"She had descended several small pouroffs," explains Phillips. "The last one, a water-polished slickrock trough, was high enough and tough enough she couldn't get back up." Authorities estimate she had died 12 to 24 hours before being found, as many as 30 hours after her companion had reached a satellite phone.

Analysis
"We do about 300 rescue missions a year," says Phillips. "About 80 percent are related to heat." Most victims are either new to the desert, too ambitious, or forced by circumstances to move midday.
The result is one of four conditions:
1) Heat exhaustion, where dehydration leads to acute fatigue and potential organ failure.
2) Heatstroke, a life-threatening rise in core body temperature.
3) Hyponatremia, a dangerous combination of heavy sweating, high water consumption, and low salt intake that leaches electrolytes from the body, leading to seizures; and 4) exertional rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of muscle fibers from exertion and heat, which releases myoglobin that clogs the kidneys and leads to renal failure.

Advice

Train for heat In just several weeks, you can adapt your body to extreme hot weather. Go to badwater.com/training to learn about proven techniques developed by ultramarathoners, including exercising in a sauna, driving in summer without air conditioning, and running in heavy fleece layers.
Lose weight Obesity exacerbates all forms of heat illness.
Stash water Not sure if you'll encounter a stream or spring on your hike? Take half a day to drive and/or hike extra water into one or more locations along your intended route; 8 liters a day is wise for a hot climate.

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

Drummer Dave wrote:

A Dozen Ways to Die
5. Heat Stress
A formidable threat in the Southwest, this killer strikes with extreme force, though not without ample warning.

On 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 8, 2004, 24-year-old Margaret Bradley and a male companion left the Grand Canyon's South Rim for a 27-mile trail run. Their plan was to descend the Grandview Trail to the Tonto Trail, cross 16 miles of hot, rolling plateau, then climb 3,200 feet in 5.5 miles back to the rim on the South Kaibab Trail.

That spring, Bradley had finished the Boston Marathon in 88°F heat, placing 31st among women with a time of 3 hours, 4 minutes. Anticipating a similar effort, the duo was traveling light. Bradley's partner (authorities refuse to name him) carried a gallon of water; she had 1.5 liters. There are no water sources along the route, and neither carried maps or headlamps.

By 3 p.m., the temperature had reached 105°F and the pair had covered only 12 miles. On the exposed plateau, their run turned into a walk. Soon, the man crawled under a bush, unable to continue. Bradley went on for help.

Around dawn, the man woke to cooler temperatures and pushed on. As he neared the South Kaibab Trail, he encountered a USGS employee with a satellite phone, who called rangers for directions to an emergency water cache. Inexplicably, the companion never mentioned Bradley. "In all the confusion," says Grand Canyon SAR Coordinator Ken Phillips, "he assumed she had gotten out of the canyon."

Bradley wasn't reported missing until Saturday morning. At 2 p.m., a helicopter spotted her body 300 feet below the Tonto Trail in the Cremation Creek drainage. She was curled in a fetal position, a casualty of acute dehydration and heatstroke. Like all too many Grand Canyon fatalities, Bradley was apparently trying to reach the river, only to be stymied by unbroken cliff bands.

"She had descended several small pouroffs," explains Phillips. "The last one, a water-polished slickrock trough, was high enough and tough enough she couldn't get back up." Authorities estimate she had died 12 to 24 hours before being found, as many as 30 hours after her companion had reached a satellite phone.

Analysis
"We do about 300 rescue missions a year," says Phillips. "About 80 percent are related to heat." Most victims are either new to the desert, too ambitious, or forced by circumstances to move midday.
The result is one of four conditions:
1) Heat exhaustion, where dehydration leads to acute fatigue and potential organ failure.
2) Heatstroke, a life-threatening rise in core body temperature.
3) Hyponatremia, a dangerous combination of heavy sweating, high water consumption, and low salt intake that leaches electrolytes from the body, leading to seizures; and 4) exertional rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of muscle fibers from exertion and heat, which releases myoglobin that clogs the kidneys and leads to renal failure.

Advice

Train for heat In just several weeks, you can adapt your body to extreme hot weather. Go to badwater.com/training to learn about proven techniques developed by ultramarathoners, including exercising in a sauna, driving in summer without air conditioning, and running in heavy fleece layers.
Lose weight Obesity exacerbates all forms of heat illness.
Stash water Not sure if you'll encounter a stream or spring on your hike? Take half a day to drive and/or hike extra water into one or more locations along your intended route; 8 liters a day is wise for a hot climate.

And the moral of this one is HYDRATE. HYDRATE. HYDRATE. If you are sweating you gotta be drinking water at minimum (Though sports drinks are better, the put back in what you sweat out Smile

)

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

Yes, proper hydration is key. Cool

That's one reason I have my Camelbaks. Smile

Another thing about the heat....fatigue can reduce your body's ability to handle the heat. Get plenty of rest and give your body time to acclimate before you take on something like this.

camelbaks seams like a good idea, Cool

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	linsleyk wrote:
	camelbaks seams like a good idea,

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

_________________
-Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.

-Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!!!"