Comments on: Surviving Five Days on Mount Adams

By: Two Hikers Spend Unexpected Night in the Red Buttes Wilderness | Northern California Hiking Trails Blog

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:30:15 +0000

[...] Surviving Five Days on Mount Adams [...]

By: John Soares

John Soares — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:12:08 +0000

You are one very prepared and smart hiker. All of these suggestions are excellent, and I urge everyone to follow them.

I especially like the multiple copies of the topo map, something I’ve never thought of doing. Sometimes the wind can really be howling, and it can rip a map right out of your hands and whisk it into oblivion.

And your calculus of being able to handle the worst-case outcome of a hiking option is spot-on.

By: GariRae

GariRae — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:40:21 +0000

I hike and backpack alone 90% of the time. And, to do so safely, I carry lots of stuff that one wouldn’t ordinarily take, especially on dayhikes. I pack extra food and warm clothes (fleece, cap, gloves, and raingear) as if something will happen to delay me 24+ hous. Along with a small first aid kit, I always take my head lamp, candles, and lighter. I also let someone know where I am, and if going to a pretty deserted area, I check in with the closest ranger station. In addition, I ususally take multiple copies of a Topo print-out, just in case I lose one (most of time I end up giving away copies of my maps to other hikers I meet on trail who didn’t bring one.) Most importantly, I don’t take risks that I can’t handle. So, I ask myself: “What’s the worse that can happen if I do ‘x’?” This can be taking a cross-country route or climbing up slickrock or stream-crossing. If I can’t handle that worse-case outcome, then I don’t do ‘x’. Being over 55 years old, an honest reality-check of one’s capbilities is critical.

By: John Soares

John Soares — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:23:25 +0000

Hello Mary,

Thanks for sharing your personal story. There are always risks when we enter the wilderness – the potential danger we face in return for the beauty and peace we enjoy when we’re out there.

Your hiking-alone strategy of telling people where you are going, and hiking where other people are, is a good one. I’m especially careful when hiking alone to not do really dangerous stuff.

I checked out The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom on Amazon. It looks like a fantastic book with mostly five-star reviews. I put it in my shopping cart.

By: Mary F Marcina

Mary F Marcina — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:29:46 +0000

I admire Mamoyac’s will power on Mount Adams. It reminds me of the book that I just finished, “The Long Walk”, about a small group who walked from Siberia to India during World War Two. The beginning of the book is very depressing, but the walk itself is astonishing! Towards the end they even have an encounter of what they believe were yetis.
Most impressive though was their tenacity crossing the Gobi desert – going days without water – then crossing the Hymalayas in winter. It inspires us all to never give up!

By: Mary F Marcina

Mary F Marcina — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:11:53 +0000

My brother died on Mount Adams over twenty years ago climbing alone. If his friend had been there (who cancelled at the last minute), perhaps they both would have died, because ice fell down from above, and apparenty he died instantly from the fall.

I do hike alone often, but I always tell someone where I am going, and I like to choose routes where other people are as well. Even in the height of summer I usually bring all of my survival gear for that unexpected surprise.