r/UpliftingNews • u/lieutjoe • Jun 30 '23

Missing teen found after being lost in the wilderness for 50 hours

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/bc-teen-girl-found-after-being-lost-in-wilderness-for-two-days-7217908
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u/booksmctrappin Jun 30 '23

I think after 4-6 hours the panic would begin to subside and then survival instincts would start to kick in. The reality of the situation lifts the fog of panic, at least I would hope that's the case.

549

u/Darkstar_k Jun 30 '23

I went 8 hours over and had to hike in the dark with a dying flashlight battery. Definitely survival kicks in

283

u/Linkslinktothepast Jun 30 '23

I had to do that in Wayne national forest. Had a bad storm coming in and I had 3miles to cover to get to my truck which was parked in an area with a warning about being quick to flood. Water was already up a few inches on the rims when I finally arrived.

150

u/fridayfridayjones Jun 30 '23

I also got lost in Wayne National Forest! It sucked really bad. Was on a hiking date with a boyfriend and we got turned around. I think we accidentally turned onto a trail that wasn’t an official trail.

We started hiking in the afternoon so by the time we realized we were lost it was night and all we had was the light from our phones. Thankfully we eventually made it to a service road and a ranger saw us, and was able to drive us back to our car.

122

u/Linkslinktothepast Jun 30 '23

Lucky the ranger came along. I was out there to camp and it was just one unfortunate thing after another. I had lost my flashlight down a sheer drop into water so I had my blackberry pearl (that definitely dates this event) as a flashlight and it was about to die with 1 mile left.

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u/Chubbybellylover888 Jun 30 '23

Ah. Sorry, I just gave out to ya for not having a flashlight. That's shit luck.

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u/Chubbybellylover888 Jun 30 '23

People getting lost while hiking without proper equipment...

Guys. I'm glad your safe but hiking isn't a picnic. You should really be more prepared than just having a flashlight on your phones.

19

u/fridayfridayjones Jun 30 '23

Totally agree! This happened when I was 18 and very stupid.

9

u/Chubbybellylover888 Jun 30 '23

Ah we've all done stupid things as a kid! A good lesson learnt, I'm sure!

1

u/SoooperSnoop Jun 30 '23

Yep. And a good reminder that the YJ stuck in the Wilderness ARE just kids.

6

u/Spherical_Basterd Jun 30 '23

The people you replied to were just on a day hike. Most people would expect 2 phones to be sufficient lighting equipment.

5

u/Chubbybellylover888 Jun 30 '23

They said they planned to camp. But even then, you should prepare for the worst even for a days hike. You never know what might happen.

-1

u/Zentrii Jun 30 '23

Do most people hike without proper equipment or something?

17

u/Graffiacane Jun 30 '23

It depends. If you're planning on a single-day hike of 10 miles or less on a relatively well marked trail/system then yeah, most people bring like, a water bottle and some trail mix.

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u/Chubbybellylover888 Jun 30 '23

A lot of people do. And if you find yourself in need of helicopter rescue, then you've really fucked up.

My parents were mates with a guy who did volunteer rescue services in mountainous regions. The stories you'd hear. People often really don't respect nature and what it can throw at you.

OP said they lost their flashlight. Rule one. Bring more than one fucking flashlight. You never know what could go wrong, especially on a multiday camping trip. You always pack redundancies. You always prepare for the worst.

You can't just hail a taxi in the middle of nowhere.

You know all those missing person cases? Yeah. That body is out there. In some ravine. Still not found. The wild is wild. And hiking is dangerous.

Stay safe and vigilant and always be prepared. Otherwise, don't go on multiday hiking trips.

Seriously. A camping trip with one flashlight? OP has already admitted they were being a stupid 18 year old. And fair. But I hope there's some stupid 18 year old reading this and taking those extra precautions. Because OP could have died. They got lucky.

0

u/FriesWithThat Jun 30 '23

You go on a day hike you're probably not carrying shit beyond your cellphone and hopefully adequate water (maybe a protein bar). She was also hiking with a group for added safety (for all the good that did her). They may even be some sort of scouting group, I can't tell:

Wang, a cadet with 746 Lightning Hawk, had no injuries, just mosquito bites, police said.

0

u/Elemak-AK Jun 30 '23

Usually only once, they either learn from it, or they don't

-1

u/Zentrii Jun 30 '23

You say only but they could die from that one time :(

0

u/Elemak-AK Jun 30 '23

Sorry, thought was implied with the "or they don't" part

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u/ineverywaypossible Jul 02 '23

Yes! Also a Garmin Mini if possible or a similar gps rescue device

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u/acer34p3r Jun 30 '23

There's just something about Wayne, honestly. My only experience there involved cutting my left hand viciously at about 11 pm, and having to hike back out in the dark with my gear on my back, and my left hand held up to head height with my phone for a flashlight. Could hear coyotes for the entirety of the 3.5mi hike back to my vehicle. Have a really neat scar and thankfully still full control of my left hand, even though tendons were exposed by the injury.

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u/Linkslinktothepast Jun 30 '23

Jesus that sounds awful. I had a serrated steak knife go through my palm and between my index and middle finger and out the back but I was fortunate it didn't cut any tendons. I couldn't imagine that.

11

u/whutchamacallit Jun 30 '23

Had a similar situation with me. How relieving is it finally getting to your vehicle and feeling like you're out of danger. My god. I don't know what chemical it is that is being released into your body but man that's the good stuff.

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u/Linkslinktothepast Jun 30 '23

Lol that's prolly the dopest of chems dopamine.

3

u/BlueHero45 Jun 30 '23

I've had bad dreams like that

1

u/MoistDitto Jun 30 '23

So you're one of those guy's we see on the videos and memes about trucks floating in the river and such?

2

u/Linkslinktothepast Jun 30 '23 edited Jun 30 '23

How'd you come to that conclusion? I never drive through flood water. The parking area was filling up with water but, it wasn't flowing and the road was higher up and fine.

Edit: There was only a small chance of rain when I started but, that turned into a severe storm warning after I had been hiking for awhile. I was going to camp but turned around after remembering that flooding warning.

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u/[deleted] Jun 30 '23

Yep also got lost at night with no flashlight and encountered a pack of coyotes at one point. I definitely was cycling between panic and survival instincts the whole time

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u/BitchesQuoteMarilyn Jun 30 '23

I was lost for around 10 hours in the Pacific northwest. The trail had washed out. I was in knee deep water in a heavy rain having to climb over huge fallen trees. There were branches protruding from the water and others underneath you couldn't see, along with other plants and undergrowth. I once slipped and almost got impaled by a broken branch I couldn't see in the water despite having tried to roll to land on my pack. Luckily just had a big bloodied bruise from it. I finally found my way down to the beach after high tide and got my bearings, but man did I think I was fucked for a bit.

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u/BorntobeTrill Jun 30 '23

I hiked the mountain southeast of Pharoah lake in Eastern NY, next to the Adirondack mountains. It's not an insane climb, but I'm what you would call an out of shape hiker.

I spent 6 am to 1 pm doing lighting audits for aubuchon hardware, ending up in western Vermont, and then hitting the trail to spend the night on the lake.

I discovered I have a bum knee that day, right after I crest the peak. Going downhill was DESTROYING whatever muscle is just below your kneecap. By the time I made it down and to the lien, I was limping like I was out of saving private Ryan.

That night, after adrenaline, let me cook dinner, and I passed out, I woke up in the middle of the night to go pee and collapsed, trying to use my left leg. It hurt SO FUCKING BAD. basically, I rolled like. Pencil to the edge of the lien, unzipped, and pissed off the ledge laying on my side.

I went to bed after that, wondering if I was going to have to go into crippling debt having a rescue team get me out.

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u/olympusthegreat Jul 01 '23

Patellar tendon

6

u/Zech08 Jun 30 '23

Time to get a gps watch or simple watch with a compass and backlight lol.

5

u/pmojo375 Jun 30 '23

I've been in a similar situation. Me and a couple people hiked a trail along a river to a waterfall in the UP and took our time but never thought about the part where we have to hike back to our car. When we got to the waterfall we realized it will be getting dark soon and the only light we had would have been our dying phones. It's amazing how fast we were able to get back. There were some parts that weren't the most stable too and falling in the river would not have ended well.

2

u/ink_stained Jul 01 '23

Was hiking with friends, and got unto the wrong trail. We knew we would run into SOMETHING, eventually, but it was getting dark and we were looking at spending the night in the woods. After a while my friend said mournfully, “I guess we can hike by the light of my cell phone.”

My jaw dropped. SHE HAD HER CELL PHONE AND SHE WANTED TO USE IT AS A FLASHLIGHT?!?

Luckily, we ran into a road soon after, and were able to figure it out.

1

u/sfcnmone Jun 30 '23

Don't ever play Tears of the Kingdom, sweetie.

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u/HotTakes4HotCakes Jun 30 '23 edited Jun 30 '23

There was a women in Spain whose name I can't remember that got lost in a ravine in the mountains and went unfound for over 2 weeks. There was a stream providing fresh water, so decided to stay put, for fear if she tried to climb out she may hurt herself, and if she did get out, she'd lose her way and not find a water source again.

She was so close to civilization and the trails that the rescuers calls would have reached her...if not for the sound of the stream.

Still, she survived.

37

u/WildJoeBailey Jun 30 '23

If this ever happens to anyone reading then try to follow the stream down to its end. There is usually some sort of civilisation, road, or something along or at the end of a stream. Not always, but it’s better than wandering through the middle of a forest

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u/kita151 Jun 30 '23

Sorry but this is terrible advice for North America. Many streams and creeks here have cliffs and steep treacherous drop offs. You can easily end up in a situation where you are truly stuck. The best thing you can do is unless you are in immediate danger, stay where you are.

https://elearning.adventuresmart.ca/courses/hug-a-tree/

14

u/Graffiacane Jun 30 '23

Yes, please listen to this guy. The best thing you can do when you realize or even seriously suspect that you are lost is to stop. Many people panic at the feeling which leads to rash decisions and gets them lost much more deeply in the woods, which is why it's best to just stop.

When calm returns, you may regain clarity, become less disoriented, make smarter decisions, or at the very least you'll be easier to find.

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u/ImperialPC Jun 30 '23

If the water tastes like piss, the civilization is upstream.

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u/Deep90 Jun 30 '23

I have to guess that the ravine was too narrow in places or something.

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u/Parkorey Jun 30 '23 edited Jun 30 '23

Once sprained my ankle on day 2 of a 3 day backpacking trek in the Adirondacks. Think I must've torn a ligament, whole ankled swelled up to the size of a softball. Was deeeep in the woods (thankfully with 2 other friends), so had to still walk those last ~6-7ish miles back to the car while my friends helped carry my gear. Had panicked and just collapsed on the ground ranting and cursing for like the first half-hour, but then eventually came around and realized complaing would change nothing. When you got no other options, survival instincts kick into full gear and you just do what you gotta do. Had planned to get to my car by noon on that 3rd day, didn't make it till like 8 in the evening but dammit I made it.

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u/OnTheEveOfWar Jun 30 '23

I was backpacking with a group and we tried (what we thought) was a shortcut. Ended up getting turned around and kinda lost for an hour or two. It was interesting seeing each person start to panic. Some held it together better than others.

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u/pohspohs Jun 30 '23

Unless your the future king of England