It is all moot for Kim. People who know what and how to
hike out, who know where they are (maybe with a compass and
topo map, maybe with a GPS), who have the equipment and
supplies are not as likely to get themselves and their
family in such dire straits.


"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
| Jim Macklin wrote:
|
| Well, we, as trained pilots, should have studied
survival
| and always have some minimum supplies, so walking out
might
| be an option, but sitting it out with the supplies when
a
| flight plan has been filed and S&R was known to be
coming is
| the best option.
| But was anybody looking that they knew about, were they
| close to the route they should have been on? His body
| warmth in the car, a group huddle is warmer than just
the
| mother and two small children.
|
| The miracle is that they all did not die. The mother
breast
| fed her children, but that would materially shorten her
life
| due to the use of water and calories.
|
| It was foolish to not have some goose down clothing and
| blankets in stuff sacks, they take very little room and
are
| very warm. Some survival foods, jerky, canned milk,
water,
| maybe some chocolate bars, nuts, fruit, even a small
cooler
| with food for the trip would have made a difference.
| Calling the AAA to get a road report and maps. Every
state
| has a road department or police that will tell you about
| road closings and weather. The things that they could
have
| done before hand is a long list, any one or two might
have
| made the difference.
|
| A simple call to a friend someplace, with a request that
| they call out the police if you don't call them by 10 PM
| tonight would get S&R looking. Haven't checked, but
auto
| clubs and car rental agencies could offer "drive plans"
as a
| service.
|
| Yes, all are things that should have been done. However,
I still am not
| convinced that the blanket advice to stay with the
vehicle is correct.
| With proper clothing (not tennis shoes), I can easily
walk 10 miles a
| day in pretty rough terrain (I do it hunting most every
year) and I can
| walk 50 miles a day on roads or level terrain. If I was
less than 50
| miles from civilization, I think I have a good chance of
getting help
| faster than waiting for rescue, especially in a case like
this where
| nobody knows where I am.
|
| I agree that if it is likely that someone knows where you
are and that
| you are overdue, then staying with the vehicle makes a lot
of sense.
| The trouble with general advice is that it often is
useless
| specifically. :-)
|
|
| Matt