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Hiker lost for a month in New Zealand

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    • It seems strange that she would hole up for a month when by most accounts it was a few days walk out. Perhaps her partner was the real hiker of the team and when he was gone perhaps the best thing for her to do was sit tight?
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • IMScotty wrote:

      It seems strange that she would hole up for a month when by most accounts it was a few days walk out. Perhaps her partner was the real hiker of the team and when he was gone perhaps the best thing for her to do was sit tight?
      Waist deep snow, no snowshoes. The hut has a radio but she didn't read English.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Rasty wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      It seems strange that she would hole up for a month when by most accounts it was a few days walk out. Perhaps her partner was the real hiker of the team and when he was gone perhaps the best thing for her to do was sit tight?
      Waist deep snow, no snowshoes. The hut has a radio but she didn't read English.
      Ah, that explains it.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • JimBlue wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      It seems strange that she would hole up for a month when by most accounts it was a few days walk out. Perhaps her partner was the real hiker of the team and when he was gone perhaps the best thing for her to do was sit tight?
      Waist deep snow, no snowshoes. The hut has a radio but she didn't read English.
      Ah, that explains it.
      I wonder if she at least tried to figure out the radio?
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Rasty wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      It seems strange that she would hole up for a month when by most accounts it was a few days walk out. Perhaps her partner was the real hiker of the team and when he was gone perhaps the best thing for her to do was sit tight?
      Waist deep snow, no snowshoes. The hut has a radio but she didn't read English.
      Ah, that explains it.
      I wonder if she at least tried to figure out the radio?

      I would have at least tried. If there was a fine for 'not authorized user' I would argue about it later.

      For amateur radio in the US, there is a phrase in Part 97, the regulations we have for use of the amateur frequencies, has a part that basically says 'in an emergency, by any means necessary'. So if I'm out somewhere, and the only radio to call for help with transmitts on frequencies outside my allotted freqs, I can use it anyway. If I was fined, I would certainly challenge any such fine. Saving lives comes first.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • IMScotty wrote:

      It seems strange that she would hole up for a month when by most accounts it was a few days walk out. Perhaps her partner was the real hiker of the team and when he was gone perhaps the best thing for her to do was sit tight?
      Most of us are raised on, "if anything goes wrong, sit tight and wait for rescue." Many of us never get to the point of recognizing that it's a fine idea for eleven-year-old boy scouts, who are traveling in a big group, probably within a few hundred yards of a campground, and will be missed within the hour. (Or similarly, for victims of plane crashes, shipwrecks, etc., where massive searches will be launched quickly.) Not so great advice for solo hikers or small groups straying far of the beaten path.

      I made sure to tell my daughter about escape routes any time I took her hiking. That was often just, 'remember that for this whole hike, going down will take you to the river, and going downstream will take you to a town.' In most of the world, that's a pretty good general assumption. Even if you're terrible with maps, it'll get you somewhere.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      It seems strange that she would hole up for a month when by most accounts it was a few days walk out. Perhaps her partner was the real hiker of the team and when he was gone perhaps the best thing for her to do was sit tight?
      Most of us are raised on, "if anything goes wrong, sit tight and wait for rescue." Many of us never get to the point of recognizing that it's a fine idea for eleven-year-old boy scouts, who are traveling in a big group, probably within a few hundred yards of a campground, and will be missed within the hour. (Or similarly, for victims of plane crashes, shipwrecks, etc., where massive searches will be launched quickly.) Not so great advice for solo hikers or small groups straying far of the beaten path.
      I made sure to tell my daughter about escape routes any time I took her hiking. That was often just, 'remember that for this whole hike, going down will take you to the river, and going downstream will take you to a town.' In most of the world, that's a pretty good general assumption. Even if you're terrible with maps, it'll get you somewhere.
      This actually got me into trouble on a big planned group trip. We were out in Algonquin on the fourth day I was looking at the map and planning exit strategies if something were to go terribly wrong, I also noticed I was getting sick, the next day I was verbalizing this strategy to one of the adults "as a what if?" and he spread that thru the group and it caused a lot of concern. I didn't realize they were using water from the river and popping the gallon with iodine tabs. Soon as switched back to the filter I felt a lot better. Won't do that again.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup: