Posted on 02/10/2005 7:56:58 PM PST by TheOtherOne
Mother, Daughter Recount Struggle to Survive Winter Ordeal on Colorado Mesa
Published: Feb 10, 2005 GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - Deborah Walker and her 18-year-old daughter had been lost for two nights in the snow, warding off death and worrying about her missing husband, when she sagged against a tree and thought, "God, don't let Camille see me die."
Not long afterward, on Jan. 11, rescuers found the pair. But Walker's 54-year-old husband, Dan, who had struck out alone to find help, is presumed dead.
The mother and daughter described their ordeal Wednesday to the Grand Junction Sentinel, a month after they set out on a backcountry snowshoe outing on the 10,500-foot high Grand Mesa.
The three planned a four-mile excursion with their dog, a blue heeler named Ed, and told another daughter, 17-year-old Elyse, they would be home that afternoon. With the wind covering their tracks - and noticing no other people around - the Walkers realized they were lost.
Leaving the dog with his wife and daughter, Dan Walker took off, saying he could reach help faster if he went alone. They communicated by walkie-talkies.
"We were in touch with him until 10 p.m. He said it was very hard to stay upright in the dark and said he thought he saw headlights, and we never heard from him again," Deborah Walker said.
They kept moving to stay warm. The daughter nearly broke down when they realized they were going in circles. "I grabbed her by the shoulders and said, 'Stop it! We can't afford emotion,'" Deborah Walker said.
They spent a "wicked, wicked" night huddled beneath a pine tree, blocking the wind with a coat and warming their heads against the dog. Before daylight, Camille Walker asked what her father's chances were.
"I took a long time before I told her, 'It doesn't look very good,'" her mother recalled.
They built a snow cave and spent a second night huddled inside with the dog, talking about the importance of staying alive for Elyse. By then, 8 feet of snow had fallen, and temperatures hovered in the 20s.
Early on the second morning, search teams found Walker and her daughter; the search for Dan Walker continued into the next week but no trace was found.
The family plans a memorial Saturday at Mesa Lakes Lodge on Grand Mesa, which served as headquarters for the search.
AP-ES-02-10-05 2201EST
Bummer that they had walkie-talkies but no other communication devices that could have got them rescued. The lesson here (once more) is always pack survival gear and never rely on the good graces of the weather.
One Garmin GPS unit (>$100) and a Topo map, would have prevented this.
That's a lot of snow, something you might see in the Sierra's, not likely on Grand Mesa even if it's 10 thousand feet above sea level. The total snow pack for the winter might approach that number, not one snow storm.
How about an 8 dollar compass - and telling someone where you were to be, and when you should be home.
Bummer for the teens to lose Dad
Sad thing,,seems they should have stayed together for warmth and dug in,,if I am ever lost, I won't let anyone leave to get help.
What about the dog?
Warm doggie, please stay.
Very sad. I agree, keep together, but I can understand what the dad was thinking. Sad ending.
You may think you're in the middle of nowhere, but many wilderness areas today have coverage by high-powered signals that will allow a cellphone to get a 911 call through.
The dog could have found the way back if they encouraged it to "go home". It would have followed the scent backward along the trail.
Sadly, it seems that these folks were totally unprepared. A little common sense could have prevented this situation.
Who needs gear?
No map. No compass. No matches. No sense.
Pity they didn't have a GPS receiver. They are a life saver in the mountains, on the ocean, and desert environs where it is very easy to become disoriented.
I agree. I think it is sad for people to be so critical of the dead. There was not some obvious malfeasence.
Powderhorn, on the side of Grand Mesa, averages 250 inches of snow, over 20 feet, a winter.
I agree. I think it is sad for people to be so critical of the dead. There was not some obvious malfeasance.
"The dog could have found the way back if they encouraged it to "go home".
I have a bitch retriever that does this all the time in any country. She follows an exact route past all inbound landmarks. Even still, it is damned foolish to go into big country unprepared for any length of time.
Well, they gave us one of those seat pac kits - a knife, some matches, a cut up 'chute....it was horrible - no hot tub, TV or munchies. I did smuggle in a small Am radio to listen to as I listened to everything freeze.
We did spend a lot of time up at Greeley (was in a ground FAC outfit on Ft Rich) on the ranges. But we did get a tent for that : )
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