Lost Hiker Wells area

[Riosacandaga]

Heard there was an overdue hiker in the Wells area, presume the NLP trail. DEC was out in force and the state Huey was parked at the school. Anyone hear how they made out ?

[redhawk]

No

But now I know why all the DEC and ranger trucks were parked by the Firehouse here. i thought maybe they were having a convention.

Hawk

[OpenSpace]

I was hiking part on the NPT this weekend b/w Benson and Canary Pond (I parked right next to the lost hiker's car) and spoke with a few of the Rangers who were searching for him. The last Ranger I spoke with today (~1:30 PM) said that he was found near the Sacandaga River and that he had lost the trail and needed assistance getting out. About 20 minutes later, I saw the helicopter flying overhead presumably to airlift him out.

Was this person found? I'm not clear from the posts here that the hiker was found and I didn't see it on the news.

I'm a novice and I'm hoping to travel the NPT, especially in that vicinity, so I would be encouraged to hear that there is so much support for hikers there. Although noone plans on getting lost.

[redhawk]

There is plenty of support for hikers on the NPT and ijn the Adirondacks.

As long as one follows certain guidelines to insure that if they are overdue, someone knows to search for them, and that they have posted an itinerary and do not deviate from it to make it easier to be found.

My understanding is that the hiker was found.

Hawk

I just called Johnson Outdoors about my compass that I have barely used in many years since I bought it and they will replace it for free because there is a bubble in it. I am reading up on finding my way in the wilderness, especially now that I read about a lost hiker on the NPT. I'm also not going out alone. A few friends who know their way are coming along.

[sp_nyp]

one of my compasses got a bubble in it this year too... how does that happen?

is there a way to get rid of the bubble - maybe by freezing or boiling the thing?

[redhawk]

The hiker was found camped by Rock lake Outlet.

How anyone could get lost there is beyond me. All you have to do is follow the Outlet upstream to Rock lake and then the NPT. It requires not having a compass, map, GPS, sense of direction of a brain to get lost there.

Sorry, I'm so critical but this is caused by lack of common sense and complete lack of any kind of navigational skills. So why would someone be out there alone, bushwhacking under those conditions?

Hawk

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by sp_nyp

how does that happen?

is there a way to get rid of the bubble - maybe by freezing or boiling the thing?

I was told that changes in pressure (most commonly from fast altitude changes) can cause them.

[Bill I.]

Originally Posted by redhawk

The hiker was found camped by Rock lake Outlet.

How anyone could get lost there is beyond me. All you have to do is follow the Outlet upstream to Rock lake and then the NPT. It requires not having a compass, map, GPS, sense of direction of a brain to get lost there.

Sorry, I'm so critical but this is caused by lack of common sense and complete lack of any kind of navigational skills. So why would someone be out there alone, bushwhacking under those conditions?

Hawk

Sounds like a graduate of the David Boomhower School of Wilderness Navigation.

[DRIFTER]

Originally Posted by wildriver

Sounds like a graduate of the David Boomhower School of Wilderness Navigation.

Was that the person they found about 15 years ago with the wrong size boots and very close to his food stash, yet starved to death. If so, I read the lost posters on the way into the Plains at that time and heard what happened to him later......

[Riosacandaga]

Originally Posted by wildriver

Sounds like a graduate of the David Boomhower School of Wilderness Navigation.

Closer than you imagine... he had been there for 6 days waiting for someone to come find him. He was "rescued" and flown out by helicopter. I don't know if he was physically incapable of walking, BUT whether he was or not, the collective is paying for his flight.

[Hitched Hiker]

Originally Posted by sp_nyp

one of my compasses got a bubble in it this year too... how does that happen?

is there a way to get rid of the bubble - maybe by freezing or boiling the thing?

there might also be a crack in the bezel somewhere of the compass. the mineral spirits leak out very slowly. You won't find the crack or see the spirits evaporating. This can happen from being tossed around in packs, dropped, happened in shipping, hitting little rickie in the head with your compass, etc etc.

Those folks at Johnson Outdoors sure are nice!

[ken999]

Originally Posted by Riosacandaga

Closer than you imagine... he had been there for 6 days waiting for someone to come find him. He was "rescued" and flown out by helicopter. I don't know if he was physically incapable of walking, BUT whether he was or not, the collective is paying for his flight.

He had to get flown out of THERE??...lol...

See...they had to go and move the damn gate...probably could have made it out on his own if it weren't for the extra 1.4 miles...

[chairrock]

Originally Posted by Hitched Hiker

, hitting little rickie in the head with your compass, etc etc.

:

Hey Red! But did Lil Rickie like it? How have you been?

[Bill I.]

Originally Posted by DRIFTER

Was that the person they found about 15 years ago with the wrong size boots and very close to his food stash, yet starved to death. If so, I read the lost posters on the way into the Plains at that time and heard what happened to him later......

Boomhower was the guy who was hiking the NPT, realized at Cedar Lakes that he was running low on food, and thought that the Colvin Brook-Sucker Brook Trail was a shortcut to Route 30. Apparently his only maps showed the NPT corridor, but not the surrounding areas. So he had no clue what the CB-SB Trail was like, had a miserable time, and lost the trail just past the height of land. He set up camp and stayed put, expecting searchers to come along any day.

There was a SAR effort, but Boomhower's last known location was the Cedar Lakes... so that was where DEC looked. A friend of mine was on that search, and says he recommended searching the Colvin Brook area, but the ranger wanted to focus on the area north of Cedar Lakes.

Meanwhile, Boomhower was camped out at the headwaters of Sucker Brook with no food and declining strength. And no idea where he was. He was there for several months until he finally collapsed and died.

Hunters found his body that fall. He was ridiculously close to the trail, and only about 3 or 4 miles from Lewey Lake. The terrain up there is not too rugged, with nice open hardwoods for the most part. It just goes to show that being "lost" is probably 98% a state of mind and lack of preparedness.

There is a good account in the new book, At the Mercy of the Mountains.

[Little Rickie]

Originally Posted by Hitched Hiker

hitting little rickie in the head with your compass, etc etc.

Hay, long time no insult. Where have you been? This place is getting to PC. We need a little fire to heat this place up.

So little Miss flamer can you do better than this.

Hey Red! But did Lil Rickie like it?

No way I can ans. that.

[redhawk]

Originally Posted by wildriver

Boomhower was the guy who was hiking the NPT, realized at Cedar Lakes that he was running low on food, and thought that the Colvin Brook-Sucker Brook Trail was a shortcut to Route 30. Apparently his only maps showed the NPT corridor, but not the surrounding areas. So he had no clue what the CB-SB Trail was like, had a miserable time, and lost the trail just past the height of land. He set up camp and stayed put, expecting searchers to come along any day.

There was a SAR effort, but Boomhower's last known location was the Cedar Lakes... so that was where DEC looked. A friend of mine was on that search, and says he recommended searching the Colvin Brook area, but the ranger wanted to focus on the area north of Cedar Lakes.

Meanwhile, Boomhower was camped out at the headwaters of Sucker Brook with no food and declining strength. And no idea where he was. He was there for several months until he finally collapsed and died.

Hunters found his body that fall. He was ridiculously close to the trail, and only about 3 or 4 miles from Lewey Lake. The terrain up there is not too rugged, with nice open hardwoods for the most part. It just goes to show that being "lost" is probably 98% a state of mind and lack of preparedness.

There is a good account in the new book, At the Mercy of the Mountains.

Some accounts say that he could see the plane that was searching for him every morning. He was also carrying a GALLON of white gas (for his lantern)which makes one wonder why he didn't make a smoke fire since it was also rather wet according to his notes.

He carried a lantern and fuel, but not enough food.

Hopefully, forums like this will educate the inexperienced people so that they are better prepared. Which is one of the reason we should always be stressing caution and preparedness. People just don't realize how easy it is to get lost and how dangerous it can be with just a change in conditions.

Hawk

[Jason]

So, you are telling me that this Boomhower guy was not at all injured, had plenty of fuel, and still managed to camp out and die after a period of months?!?!?

Heck, live on boiled water and pine needles and drag your sorry ass out of there...a few miles for a day or two and he would have ended up somewhere with more foot traffic (or even car traffic for that matter). Why wouldn't he have gone back to the trail junction to park his ass right in the middle of the main thoroughfare?

I'm sure this case has some strong lessons in what to do and not to do, but this sounds like the type of survival scenario where some sort of mental delusion set in. If he had died in a few short days, I could understand how we could point to all kinds of items and decisions that would have aided him, but this story sounds purely ludicrous! He didn't succumb to the elements after 12 hours of panicky bad decisions; he simply shifted his perceptions so acutely that he was incapable of doing anything!

[DRIFTER]

........I think it would make a real interesting thread if someone wrote out a, " I'm lost ", scenario complete with weather conditions, [ cloudy being best], area lost in, and what if anything the person would have with them! Then have everyone chime in on what they would do to either get themselves out or wait for a rescue? Could be educational even for people who are confident about getting themselves out, you can always pick up a little something.......I won't be around for a few days, so anyone's more then welcome to pick up on it or I'll consider it when I get back. What are your thoughts on such a thread?