The secret is to not put yourself in such a situation.
That’s good advice.
On the other hand, our country would never have come to pass with highly risk adverse people. Donner Pass tragedy wasn’t necessary, but it happened at great loss. But the American spirit did not die. “Well that was then, this is now.”
That’s true too. There are millions of hikes taken with great challenges, and the hikers survive, sometimes injured, and only they can say if it was worth it. Most hikers I know are of the “don’t do anything stupid.... be prepared... know their limitations, etc.” But I have seen some stupid “hikers” on the trails.
Being stupid is not the way to go out of this world. If a tree falls on you unexpectedly and tragically kills you, you can hardly be blamed that if you weren’t in the woods, this never would have happened. True that, but .... everyone “has a number [of days to live]”, there is nothing one can do to change it. Live free or die.