Micah True: Ultramarathoner's Autopsy Could Take Days, Authorities Say - ABC News
I love to hike and camp in that area. I've done it three times, and hope to do it several more. That said... it's remote as hell (which is most of the draw), and the odds of someone finding you if you get hurt can run very low. It's up in the mountains, and this time of year you're probably seeing temps down into the 30s at night. It's easy to get lost - I've been part of a group that was lost for a night. And the last trip, I helped keep a small group from getting themselves lost because they couldn't (more like wouldn't) listen to directions. It sounds like this guy was dressed for a nice suburban jog, not a trip off the pavement. He should have had some kind of emergency shelter (couple trash bags probably would have worked, a poncho and some 550 cord would have been excellent), two different ways to make fire, and at least a jacket. Why? Because if you break a foot or sprain an ankle, you might not make it back before night falls, and without fire and/or shelter, wearing what he was, you're not going to fare well. It's rugged as hell out in this place. Fist-sized rocks love to sit in the middle of trails, so it's easy to get hurt.
On the trip where we got lost, two of the five carried "more water than we'd need". I had a full gallon at the trail head. After sharing it around to guys who stepped off with a quart or less, guess how much we had left when we finally found the river the next day? None. Dehydration leads to trouble thinking clearly, and that leads to mistakes. Things could have gone way worse if the two of us had listened and dropped four lbs of water off our already-heavy loads.
Bottom line: It's easy to get in trouble if you start taking things for granted.
Go out. Have fun. See stuff and do things. But take the hardware and software you'll need for that time when something finally goes wrong. I don't need to read another article like this one.
I love to hike and camp in that area. I've done it three times, and hope to do it several more. That said... it's remote as hell (which is most of the draw), and the odds of someone finding you if you get hurt can run very low. It's up in the mountains, and this time of year you're probably seeing temps down into the 30s at night. It's easy to get lost - I've been part of a group that was lost for a night. And the last trip, I helped keep a small group from getting themselves lost because they couldn't (more like wouldn't) listen to directions. It sounds like this guy was dressed for a nice suburban jog, not a trip off the pavement. He should have had some kind of emergency shelter (couple trash bags probably would have worked, a poncho and some 550 cord would have been excellent), two different ways to make fire, and at least a jacket. Why? Because if you break a foot or sprain an ankle, you might not make it back before night falls, and without fire and/or shelter, wearing what he was, you're not going to fare well. It's rugged as hell out in this place. Fist-sized rocks love to sit in the middle of trails, so it's easy to get hurt.
On the trip where we got lost, two of the five carried "more water than we'd need". I had a full gallon at the trail head. After sharing it around to guys who stepped off with a quart or less, guess how much we had left when we finally found the river the next day? None. Dehydration leads to trouble thinking clearly, and that leads to mistakes. Things could have gone way worse if the two of us had listened and dropped four lbs of water off our already-heavy loads.
Bottom line: It's easy to get in trouble if you start taking things for granted.
Go out. Have fun. See stuff and do things. But take the hardware and software you'll need for that time when something finally goes wrong. I don't need to read another article like this one.
