Posted on 07/22/2021 8:03:44 AM PDT by SJackson
When I go wandering in the Arizona desert I have an iPad with the Gaia GPS app on it. There is a breadcrumb trail that allows me to backtrack, so I’ll never get lost. My iPhone also has the Gaia GPS app on it, so I also have a backup. And unlike a map, I always know exactly where I am.
Navy brat? ;-)
Just a guess, but I think it is likely he followed an animal trail because there was a lack of activity on the human trail.
Sounds like he was a bit naive thinking ‘Nature is Beautiful and the Forest is my Friend’.
1.25 miles is a long way into the woods.
LOL, yes...and so was my buddy. Funny, his father was a LCDR who was an administrator for the SERE training over at Cubi Point...and we both got lost!
Throw in a cheap, decent orienteering compass (or a military lensatic if you're ok with a little more bulk) as well. Then you have directional awareness as well as a fire starting magnifying lens. But as this story reinforces, and others have noted, the most important piece of survival gear is the right mental state.
“He’s an idiot.”
First time we took our boat out the inlet, we were so far out we could not see land. It was about 12 noon so the sun was right above us. We had no idea which way land was.
My girl took out her phone “Go home”, it pointed us in the right direction.
I’ve no doubt spotting a wee human in the trees is almost impossible. But I think you’d have a better chance on the ridge finding a clearing or clearcut area and probably have a better chance having smoke from a fire spotted.
Agree that he is real lucky he didn’t fall and die from a blow to the head.
You have work at it to avoid water in western Oregon, it is a rain forest after all, and in this article this manlet even talks about snow on the ground for Pete's sake. The stupid ass was literally walking on water. He also made the mistake of staying on a ridge with greater exposure to the elements and where there is likely to be little water and less food than in the valley bottoms.
He went into the woods with fishing gear yet he didn't fish for for food, He had a brain-fart of an idea and made a beanie cap out of his fishing bag: “I took the cover off my fishing creel, used a fillet knife to cut the creel pack and made a headcover” He cut up a good bag holding his vital fishing gear to make a beanie because every douche in Oregon needs a beanie.
We also know from that sentence that this goober also had a knife. How can you starve in western Oregon with a knife and fishing gear? This mental midget could have used the knife to dig in rotten logs for grubs to eat, dug in the dirt for roots and tubers, or, heaven forbid, there are rocks in thos mountains that when hit with the steel of a KNIFE throw sparks to start a fire.
As for getting lost the man has zero orientation skills. Rivers always flow downhill towards civilization. The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. So does the Moon. These things are obvious if you just sit still and think about them.
I am not even going to elaborate on the fact that he carried a magnifying glass around in his wallet for 40 years and it took him over a week to remember that he had it on him.
And a good sense of when "Don't do this...too many things can go wrong" should warn you off. Heading into the deep woods at 4 pm in early May is not a good idea. He should have listened to the little voice saying "don't go."
“I caught a couple of nice ones, kissed them on the snout and let them go...,”
“I figured, ‘Let’s take that road and see where it leads.’” It was 10 miles up a pretty steep road, but I got to the trailhead.” So he was in unfamiliar territory, to boot.
There have been high-profile cases of people dying in or near their cars in the region when lost.
Would not have helped if he did fish.
First parts of the story he would kiss the fish then release them back into the water.
Some people will never break protocol.
Get up high, and set fire to one of their precious trees. They’ll find you.
I got lost in the woods once. Kept firing 3 shots in the air till I ran out of arrows.
Actually in new territory the trick is to stop every few yards and look back. going back always looks different so you need to get familiar with that direction. Eons ago we did a lot of survival camping for fun. A little common sense, sense of direction and supplies-like was said above— makes all the difference.
“stop every few yards and look back”
That also helps spot the mountain lions, pumas, catamounts and cougars planning on having YOU for dinner.
Streams always flow downhill. Unless he managed to go over a mountain, the stream would have took him back to where he started.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PF-wDxP-_94
Looks like it took four days to find his car.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Levin_(actor)
“He went into the woods with fishing gear yet he didn’t fish for for food,”
He couldn’t fish, he ate the bait. ( grubs etc) sarc.
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