On Aug. 25, 76-year-old Doris Anderson ventured into the Wallowa Mountains with her husband Harold. What she had expected to be a short bow-hunting trip turned into a harrowing 13-day quest for food and water.
Wilderness survival kitBe sure to tell someone where you are going and when you plan on returning. Map and compass: Keep map in a plastic bag to prevent it from getting wet. Be familiar with your compass before you get out of the car. It will help you find where you are going if you accidentally get off the trail. Water: Bring at least one liter for every 3-4 hours. It’s worth carrying a little extra weight to have enough water. First aid kit: Includes Band-Aids, mole skin for blisters, pain killers, iodine tablets to purify water, waterproof matches, hand warmers, a space blanket or trash bags to stay dry if it starts raining. Space blankets help to trap your body warmth when don’t have the proper clothing. Film canisters: A great container to hold Gatorade powder and brown sugar. These two things can help boost your blood sugar level when fatigue has set in. Super glue: You never know what you are going to need it for. It can help re-sole your shoe or provide as a patch for an open wound. Flashlight: Don’t be caught without one. It will make your hike much easier if you don’t have to walk in the dark. Cotton balls with Vaseline: Store in a film canister to keep dry. These provide an easy way to start a fire. Rope: What can’t you do with rope. You can use it to stop bleeding or make a splint. Rope can also be used to build a make-shift shelter for the night. Whistle: It’s one of the most important things you can bring. If you get separated from your friends or just completely lost, a whistle can be used to signal to people in an area or the search party looking for you. Sunscreen: Even when it is cloudy you can get burned. Other handy items: Waterproof shell: You never know what to expect when you get to a peak. It is always nice to have something to protect you from the elements. A hat or beanie: This is essential because you lose the majority of your heat through your head. |
The trouble started when the Andersons’ sport-utility vehicle got stuck on a dirt road. The couple decided to hike out to the main road to get help, but Doris Anderson soon grew tired. Her husband told her to return to their SUV while he walked on.
They both encountered problems shortly after they set off on their respective journeys: Harold Anderson broke his wrist and hurt his leg during the hike; Doris Anderson walked in the wrong direction and never found her way back.
At a glanceTake the class Winter 2008 registration begins next week. If you want to learn more about surviving in the wilderness, consider signing up for wilderness survival (PEOL 285) with Michael Strong. The class will be offered Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 to 5:50 p.m. For more information about the Outdoor Pursuits Program, visit www.uoregon.edu/~opp |
The couple was saved, he on Aug. 27 and she on Sept. 6, by Baker County Sheriffs and Oregon State police. But according to Bob Harrison at Eugene Mountain Rescue, the Andersons could have been found much sooner had they been more prepared.
Harrison said Doris Anderson is one of many people who have wandered in the Oregon wilderness and gotten lost due to poor navigation skills. That’s why navigation devices such as maps, compasses, global positioning systems and even “a basic knowledge of the position of the sun” are tools included in a list wilderness experts call the “10 essentials.”
Whether there really are 10 essential items people need before they venture into the wilderness is up in the air, Harrison said. Recent leaps in technology have added items like the GPS and the cell phone to the list, and some items are only useful in one or two seasons during the year.
Michael Strong, head of the Outdoor Pursuits Program at the University, believes essentials can be organized into four categories rather than in a neat list of 10.
The first category, Strong said, “is items to help you find your way. That could include a map, compass, GPS, and a light source like a flashlight or a headlight.”
Strong said one of the most important things hikers can do to prevent getting lost is to know how to read a map. In his wilderness survival class, Strong teaches his students how to read topographical maps and how to apply that knowledge to hiking trips.
“A lot of people just don’t pay attention to where they’re going, and that’s why they get in trouble,” Strong said.
Hikers often must use common sense when they think they may have lost their way, Harrison said. In September 2005, he recalled, a man hiked a half mile north from the main road to Hand Lake, rested there for a while, and decided to turn around – but instead of doubling back and walking south, he accidentally continued north.
“After you walk north for three days and still aren’t back, you should be thinking ‘I should’ve been there by now,’” Harrison said.
Mushroom hunters are also likely to get lost because “they’re looking at the ground,” Harrison said. “If you walk for a while and don’t look up, it’s really easy to become disoriented.”
Strong said hikers in the Northwest should also learn the basics of hypothermia prevention.
“It can be very wet, cold and windy here, and those things are the most instrumental in causing hypothermia,” Strong said.
If weather conditions are likely to be cold and wet, dress appropriately, Strong said. Cotton won’t keep hikers warm when it’s raining, but wool and synthetics will. It’s also important to bring a structure, such as a tent, that will act as an impervious barrier from the elements.
Even those who are less outdoorsy can make a hiking adventure infinitely safer by simply telling someone where they are going, said Harrison.
“If you tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back, they’ll know to call for help if you’re not back after a couple days,” he said.
Such a simple step may have saved the Kim family, who took a wrong turn on their way to San Francisco after a weekend in Portland last Thanksgiving.
“It was also late in the evening, so it was dark,” said Strong. “They probably felt a lot of pressure to reach their destination.”
The Kims’ story cannot just be attributed to poor decision-making, though; much of their situation was founded on sheer bad luck, said Harrison.
“The last thing they needed was for it to start snowing, and then it started snowing,” Harrison said. “It’s proof that Murphy’s Law exists.”
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