Backpackers found safe!

“So far, 2 of 3 groups of missing hikers have been found safe. The ones they have found were the ones near Yosemite and the ones near Mt. Whitney. The ones near Yosemite were making coffee when the helicopter showed up. No word yet on the ones bound for Rae Lake out of Fresno....”

“did they find the guy who found the ice age man?”

“who was lost? I haven't heard anything. I guess what I get for not watching this board huh?”

“Sorry, I had posted some stuff about missing hikers on my trip report thread. A storm dumped several feet of snow in the Sierras - very unusual for this time of year - and several groups of hikers got stranded. We were camped about 12 miles east of the group that is still missing.”

“Thanks GhoulderMan. Wow, I think I heard about the unusual snowfall in the news. Hope they find the other group(s)

Temperatures are already pretty cold though up in the mtns. right? So lets hope they were prepared for cold weather.”

“When we were up there, it wasn't really that cold (at 11,000') - maybe 30 or so. Forecasts were for lows of 18, so 30 seemed pretty warm to us....”

“News report I heard/read was that it was going to get to zero, and people were in blizzard conditions.”

“Third of 3 groups found - everybody's OK!”

“That's good to know... they must have been relieved to get out of there!”

“The climbers weren't so lucky, however...http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2004/10/21/build/nation/86-elcap.inc”

“Yeah, from what I've been reading, those 2 guys weren't well-prepared. There were several other climbers on the face at the time, and they all ended up OK.”

“The national news showed a video with the two Japanese climbers hanging on rope tonight. What a tough way to go...”

“Snow Nymph said something on another thread--Changing seasons, maybe--about a lost solo hiker. She got an e-mail from the forest service because it was near where she had her permit for at the same time, I guess. I haven't heard any news about him or her.

Looks like the groups all hunkered down and rationed their food and waited it out. Smart hikers! I wonder if any visit TT.”

“but if your a hiker and prepared for freezing temps around 30-10...should be ok for some time at 0-below, most dumb ones don't make it that far back..

E-mail from FS
"Ma'am" this is the forest service, are you lost in the woods?? awaiting your response to our automatic e-mail system."”

“This turned into an interesting series of stories, as it appears that the 3 groups (although now it also appears there's a pair of hikers missing in Sequoia, age 70 and 66) did everything right. It has made me think about any other gear or food I would bring in the future on an autumn hike. I've been getting really good at packing the exact amount of food I'll need, but now I'm thinking, if there's a chance of getting snowed in, I should bring a little more. Also, with 3+ feet of snow, I'm thinking that bringing a shovel along might not be a bad idea. Less of an issue if it's already winter, with skis along....

No mention of who's paying for the rescues yet....
last edited: 10/22/04 8:44:25 AM”

“This reminds me that I need to read the book I just bought 98.6 Degrees, The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin. I don't suppose simply owning the book is good enough.”

“Take it with you on the trail! It'll give you something to read for a couple days, then you can burn it to keep warm!”

“cool title, if nothing else.

i generally carry a couple of meals worth of extra food, especially in the winter.”

“It's an interesting choice, roam. These groups were on foot, of course (those rocky trails are rough on the skis), and simply couldn't get anywhere because of the deep snow. But in winter, at least when I go, I'm on skis, so even in deep snow I can move - maybe not easily, but I'm not stuck. So would you bring the added weight of extra meals then? I dunno - have to think about it....”

“I would and do bring extra food in the winter. Skis wouldn't help you much if you broke a leg and couldn't move. With the extra food you have given a SAR team more time to find you.”

“Good point, zombie....”

“Oops.”

“You have to teach that cat to log off in the future.
lol”

“It's probably overkill to some, but I ALWAYS bring at least one day's extra food (usually two), a few of those chemical-warmer packets, & my shovel when in the mtns in winter. I figure my gear is a lot heavier than summer anyway, a couple extra lbs isn't going to kill me, but extreme cold & starving might!”

“I thought that whenever you go backpacking you are supposed to bring 1 extra day's worth of food "just in case" something happens?”

“I used to do that, pink. But now I figure, if you're stuck somewhere, you don't need nearly the calories you would if you were on the move. So not bringing extra food might mean A) lighter pack; and B) still enough food if something happens and you're stuck. But I have an open mind about such things....”

“I bring extra protein bars, planned as two a day for snacks, but seldom do I eat both. This makes me rethink some, too. I love fall trips.
I always carry a very lightweight space blanket. Before I got my 0-degree bag, I would throw it over my 20-degree bag in the cold.
FYI, once I put my sleeping bag in the space blanket, and my bag was wet at the feet in the morning. Definitely not the thing to do in a snow storm. Normally, I just lay it over the bag and it makes me much warmer.”

“The 70- and 66-year-old were found safe in Sequoia - another happy ending!!”