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11-24-2017, 03:22 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-24-2017, 03:36 AM by Tobi.)
It's so good she and the dogs were found. Two days and nights is a long time to spend in the wilderness without shelter or food. She is very lucky not to have succumbed to hypothermia. That can easily happen even with people who spend most of their time outside.
Also they were very lucky not to have caught the attention of bears etc.
It is so easy to get disoriented and lost if you wander off-trail in a large unfamiliar woodland. It happened to me once (damp and chilly yes, but not British Columbia!)
I always think how important it is for people to have basic education in wilderness survival, and to carry a little back-pack whenever on a walk, with a couple of lightweight tools like a good robust knife, some paracord, a compass, maybe a lightweight tarp, a ziplock bag with dry tinder/pine resin, a lighter, a pack of freeze dried rations....etc....and a bottle of fresh water. If that becomes an ingrained habit it is easy to do.
Even the smallest things a person can do to better their situation when lost in the wilderness can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
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You are right about how easy it is to get lost. I am sure you knew where you were when you started out.
There could have been some weather issues like fog or rain. BC is like that. A survival pack like you described would have really helped. If she could have got a smoky fire going they would have found her sooner and she would have been warmer. I think she found a sheltered spot, but this time of the year it gets cold at night and she could have developed hypothermia. The dogs would have helped, but they had no food. They were lucky they were found in time.
When I did hiking I always registered my hike, stuck to the trail and had more supplies than I needed. I made sure I had food for days longer than I planned. Because I stated when I would return, if I didn't fill out the card at the return location they would have come looking very quickly. There had wooden boxes set up at the beginning of trails. You filled out a card stating your plans. When you ended your hike even if it was from a different trail you filled out another card. I am sure there is better technology now, but it worked.
Of course they knew she was missing fairly quickly, but it is a big area to search.
I would think a phone with GPS would be good, but the battery would run out. Maybe we need solar powered phone chargers.
I know they make light weight paper thin thermal blankets. Folded up in the package they are the size of a scone, but they are water proof and hold heat in. Once opened they will never fit back into the package and they make crinkling sounds. I took one camping once and my friends were not happy. I crinkled all night long. I wouldn't know, I was toasty warm and sound asleep.
Catherine