What would you have done differently?

Can't say I disagree with you at all. He made so many mistakes along the way but somehow none of that is being used as an example of what not to do. The family obviously hadn't spent much time outside of the city playing in the woods, too bad because now 2 children are fatherless. I hope others will learn from this but the blame game seems to be more important, like it's Mapquest's fault or somebody else's. It boggles my mind that folks these days just can't accept the responsibility for there own actions.

 

What would you have done differently?
Being one who has always pushed the limits of every vehicle I've owned, 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive, has afforded me the knowledge of what I could and could not do in differing conditions. Isn't that what you should do, so you don't get caught with your pants down? I don't like finding out the hard way so I do it on purpose. Not sure how much effort he put into trying to get his vehicle unstuck turned around or what not. Digging out the vehicle out down to the gravel would have been a good place to start, along with plowing snow in the direction you're headed if the snow was deep enough to prevent movement until you can get momentum again. If I was stuck so bad that I couldn't get out and decided to walk back out the way I came I would never leave the road unless I knew for a fact where I was going, even then it's almost always better to stay on the road. Dropping clothing along the way to let other's know of your path, that I do not understand at all. Plenty of branches to make directional arrows in the direction your going or dig an arrow in the mud or snow. My eldest son and I do this when hunting to let the other know which trail we have taken at forks in trails.

 

Welcome back Brokor! Good to see you back online. Maybe God be with you in your service to our country. Take care man.

 

What would I have done different? Same as most have posted. Stay with the vehicle, use the trees for fire, have a preparedness kit in the vehicle, and by the way, Do not go into the mountains in a Saab. That's like trying to do mud boggin' with a beetle. Just isn't too smart.

Too bad he died, though I have to admit, it is just another person who couldn't see the forest for the trees. I mean, you wouldn't go to snake country without a weapon right? As the boyscouts say, Be prepared. If kids know this, there is no excuse why an adult shouldn't.

I guess he figured it was supposed to be a Virtual wilderness he was travelling into. Hope the family finds a wiser head of household for the next time. And if you have guessed it, I'm not going to go boohooey over one lone traveler lost in the woods. As far as I see it, the gene pool didn't take that big a hit anyway.

Just my 'dude you are so stupid' thoughts.

 

Well I nearly always have a decent BOB in my vehicles just for local travel and when I head out for any kind of trip further than the nearest town with stores (about 20 miles) then I make sure to have a full BOB, extra food and water/fluids and so on in the vehicle as well as often upgradeing my 'trunk gun' to one of the more preferable ones and make sure there is extra ammo.

So given this fact what would I have done differently? First off if I dont know the area then I stay to main roads/highways that are on the map and so would most likely not have been on that road. If I was there and got stuck I would have most likely been able to pull it out with the come along and ropes and such that stay in the vehicle. If all else had failed and couldnt avoid getting stuck or get out on my own and there was no cell service to call for help, then I would have broke out the BOB and the family could have a reasonably comfortable camping trip with a nice big camp fire of green wood and such to attract attention. If help didnt arive in the first day or two then food would start to get a little slim so make sure had on some of the extra warm cloths from the BOB and go see what meat could shoot close by to suplement what came along. If no one came after a few days and or I knew where to head to to get help within say 20-30 miles then take minimal escentials from the BOB and head for help, if help was within 5-10 miles this might well happen on the first or second day if I knew for SURE where I was headed and how to get there.

I dont see that it would be much more than an inconvenience for me simply because I make it a point to be paranoid enouph to be over prepaired when away from home. I have to say though that unless I could find a tree standing well away from all the others (or clear others away from it) I dont think I would be looking to start any standing pine trees on fire simply because Murphy likes to screw with me to much and I could see the whole area in flames and being forced to try to out run a forest fire.

 

Sounds about right to me RH. Seems that the monkeys are about being prepared because life can throw you twists and turns that will harm you. Somethings you can't run from. You are in a forest, there is a lightning strike that hits a tree, the tree falls on you and crushes you. Point. Nothing could prepare you for that.

Though if you know you are going somewhere cold and you don't want to be cold, common sense tells you to take along a big jacket to keep warm. We here exercise a preparedness mindset and seem to exercise a bit more common sense than the average jack or jill. I think it is more in our character than something we just thought of. After all, isn't it said that birds of a feather and all that.

Seems that those with common sense in a world gone mad do tend to stick together. Or maybe it's because we are all insane, paranoid, gun nuts.

 

Well, I am not a city boy, so I cannot speculate on what I would do if I was like Kim. But I can say what I would have done. I would not be in the mountains, in winter, in a CAR. I would have a map of the area, and a compass. I would use said map during the trip, so that IF I got stuck in BFE and could not get unstuck(unlikely), I would know where I was, and how to get to the nearest help. I would have a pack with a few day's food and the essentials for surviving in the terrain and weather encountered. I would be able to wait a minimum of three days to be found, which would likely be enough, since I would be on the route I informed others I would take. If not found when food got slim, I would be able to walk cross country or back along the roads, using the map and compass I thought to bring along, and the snowshoes I manufactured from available materials, and follow the easiest path to help. I would arrive at that help's location fully clothed, and very likely with some type of foraged food in my belly, if the trip took more than a few hours. But then ,I have spent a lot of time in the woods, and would view the entire situation as more of a refresher course, than a disaster.