Rule #1: Plan on sleeping over night. You never know what will happen.
Rule #2: Bring “survival food” – stuff with plenty of fat and salt.
Rule #3: Bring a lot more water than you think you can drink.
A few years ago, a group of my friends and I went for a “half day’s hike” on a marked trail. We got a slightly late start, and one of the guys needed to get back by a certain time, so we wanted to hurry it up a bit. The friend who suggested this trail we’ll call him Bill, had scouted the trail the week before and was kinda leading the rest of us.
Along the trail, Bill pointed out the peak we were heading towards, which was off to the left. As we progressed, the peak was always off to our left, and it seemed we were just walking around it. Between us and it was an innocent-looking ravine, and Bill suggested we could save some time and just cut across.
We trusted him, so we all descended down the slope, which was actually much steeper than it looked. About half way down, we realized we could not go back up, but we’d be fine on the way back since we’d be on the trail that lead away from the peak. Once we got to the bottom a dry riverbed, filled with 5-foot boulders and river rock, it was clear there was no way we’d be able to climb the other side, nor could we go back. By this time, 4 hours had pased, and we should have been to the peak and most of the way back to camp. After some discussion, we realized we just needed to head back to camp and try the trail another day.
We ate our snacks at that time, and I realized that my cell phone had no signal in the ravine. I had already finished half my two-liter water supply. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
The death march back to camp consisted of climbing over boulders or stumbling over river rocks constantly searching for a way out of the ravine. Time flew by, and the sun dropped like a rock. Progress was extremely slow, and I ran out of water early on.
About 6 hours into the return trip, I noticed my knees weakening. It didn’t take long and I was having a problem climbing and walking. My fingers were twitching, then my hands. My legs became rubber. Eventually, I could not walk. (I didn’t realize it at the time, but my body had run out of salt, so there was not enough conductivity in my system. My nerves were not able to carry the necessary signals to make my muscles work.) After a short rest, I was able to stand again and make it another fifty feet or so before I had to drop and rest. The sun went down, and we were traveling in the dark thank God for full moons. Finally, Bill found a good place to climb out of the ravine and was pretty sure camp was close once we got to the road at the top. During a break, I contemplated the fact that there seemed a good chance I would not make it back.
Climbing out, I could only go about five feet at a time, then a five minute rest. One boulder; five minute rest. Near the top, I had to rest for 15 minutes before I could stand. After finally reaching the road, it was only about a quarter mile to camp. I could only walk 30 feet at a time. I wasn’t the only one; one other shared my condition. A few of the others slowed to keep our pace and help us walk the remaining distance. Once we reached camp, we ate some canned corned beef hashed warmed on a rock by the fire. It’s the best meal I remember having, and I could walk like normal within minutes of eating.
So, even though it was a short hike we had planned on, it turned into 16 hours of Hell. No water, no food, and almost a night spent out in the open in shorts and t-shirt. I go everywhere over-prepared now.
Composing members:
0
Composing members:
0
