View Full Version : Failed Thru Attempt (non-AT)
LostInNC
09-23-2010, 10:22
Hi everyone, first time posting on here.
I set out this weekend on a thru-attempt on the Knobstone Trail in Indiana (58 miles). This was my first attempt at thru-hiking any trail. I planned the trip, thinking it would be nice cool fall weather. Ha...was I wrong... Record highs of about 95 degrees.
Anyway, I cached water at points along the trail because this is a DRY trail. I started out not realizing how much H2O I really needed. I set up camp about 10 miles in, and while cooking my dinner knocked my last remaining water out of my bottle. After dinner I saw that there were 2 ponds indicated on the map about a half-mile up the trail and just due west of the trail. So I took off in hopes to fill up my bottles, so I could make it to my cache the next morning. I got to the point on the trail where I headed due west. I went through monsterous under brush and thickets. Finally made it to a clearing where I though the ponds were...and they no longer existed and were all dried up.
At that point I started to panic, as it was getting dark and I had no H2O. To try and make this short...I was lost and it was now dark. Luckily I had my cell phone and spent 2 hours on the phone with a 911 dispatcher as a conservation officer was driving around with sirens on trying to locate me. Luckily, I made it out alive, and decided to end my trip.
I'm disappointed I failed...but I'm ready to try again and be a little more prepared.
Anyway, I wanted to know others thoughts, and see if you have had to cut short on a trip because of the heat....or if you have gotten lost and had to be rescued in any attempt you have tried??
kayak karl
09-23-2010, 10:59
three years ago this month i tried the Batona Trail in NJ (52 miles) and failed because of the heat that week and other reasons. i joined these sights. worked on gear and went out again and again. you will learn more by hiking then you will from the computer screen.
don't be disappointed, most don't even try.
KK
Replan and have another go!
BobTheBuilder
09-23-2010, 11:33
Never got lost and had to be rescued, but I have cut section hikes short due to the heat. Sometimes it just happens. Strenuous exercise in hot weather with no real way to cool off can drain anybody. It's better to bail because you feel sick than to push on and suffer heat stroke.
Buzz Saw
09-23-2010, 11:33
I'm sure you ultra lite and anti tech people will think it's over kill, but for around 5ozs. I take my GPS. You don't have to have it on all of the time just long enough to waypoint your camp when you take one of those off track excursions. If you don't get lost leave it off, but when you do your home free. Cell phones don't always work, but most of the time you can get a fix.
Lost, sounds like you learned some really valuable lessons.
Water management in hot dry seasons requires a bit more thought than in winter or rainy seasons.
First-don't put all your water in one container. Use containers that are more durable as well. I sometimes carry a small flask that I tuck in with my emergency items. It is enough to get me down the trail to the next water and has helped keep me from panic a couple of times. It is used as a last resort only.
Second-rethink how you use the water you carry. Washing up is something you only do near a water source. Food that requires adding water is less of a weight savings when you have to carry all your water anyway. You might as well carry some of your water weight as fresh food. I have rationalized a plastic jar of Dole peaches in this way--mmm. You might want to rethink how much cooking you really want to do as well.
Third-carry some rehydration tabs or mixes. Even powdered Gatorade or the like will help your body use water more efficiently. Mix half strength in only one water container.
And remember to 'camel up' when you get the chance.
Finding water in dry seasons is a 'dark art'. You might want to read up on survival techniques for water finding, just to ease your mind in the future.
topshelf
09-23-2010, 11:42
this is why we dont thru-hike the AT without ever hiking. It doesn't matter you didn't complete it, just learn and improve
levidoug
09-23-2010, 11:51
You didn't fail, you learned about limits. You now have a goal
and just HYOH.
levidoug
I remember on the PCT I stopped at a gross little spring to get water. I thought the sping was a big disappointiment so I only picked up one liter. I continued on for another 4 hours hoping to find a pond. I didn't find the pond. I made camp and made dinner with one of my food items that didn't require any additional water. I was very thirsty and dehydrated. I figured if I missed the pond I had 8 miles to go to the next water. My plan was to get up early and hike there in the cool of the morning.
It was an uncomfortable night. I had a headache. But I didn't think it was worthy of calling for a rescue. I knew I wouldn't die.
Turned out I found the water I missed only a quarter mile away. I was very happy. But I could have made it the 8 miles in the morning.
The lesson I learned was to take the gross water when water is scarce. You can always dump it out later.
No offense but I think people are too quick to call for rescue when really they can survive with some discomfort for quite a while longer.
I hope you try your thru-hike again.
Tennessee Viking
09-23-2010, 12:17
All you can do is learn from your previous attempt.
Just carry extra water if you can. Or plan more caches. And carry gatorade mix. Attempt a thru-hike in such areas at cooler temperatures and during the wet seasons.
4eyedbuzzard
09-23-2010, 12:21
Chalk it up to a learning experience.
And wandering around off trail (especially in thick brush) when the sun is going down is rarely a good idea.
As others said, learn from the experience.
I'm parinoid about water and I carry TOO much, but I was totally unprepared for this summer's heat. At the end of the 3rd day of a section hike in 90+ degree heat I had a bad case of heat exhaustion. I drank a ton of water but my body lost a lot of sodium, potassium, etc. I had muscle cramps, passing-out, chills, heavy sweating and so on. By pure luck a couple of hikers saw I was in bad trouble and gave me a powder mix of vitamins and minerals, mixed in water. In about 10-15 minutes I felt ok. I learned my lesson and have added this mineral mix to my gear!
Even us ole-timers who think we know everything can learn from each experience. BTW- this weekend I'm attending an AT Thru-hike planning session sponsored by our local chapter of the AMC (even though I know all there is to know :rolleyes:- yeah right!).
Hmm, first post with such a story...
this is why we dont thru-hike the AT without ever hiking. It doesn't matter you didn't complete it, just learn and improve
Lots of people successfully thru-hike the AT without ever hiking before.
Hmm, first post with such a story...
Kinda what I was thinking.
That electrolyte/hyponatremia thing is a real killer. I remember one time my boyfriend, who likes hot weather, decided he would do a solo overnighter to do some brush cutting on this infamous hot, dry ridge in the backcountry.
I decided to go meet him at the time he expected to return to his car. I brought cold drinks and fruit and snacks. When he emerged he was never so happy to see me and the drinks and snacks. He likes to say I saved his life.
It turned out he had plenty of water but kept drinking and drinking and feeling worse and worse and weaker. He feared he might not make it out. He did some crazy harrowing thing to get off the ridge and felt as though he barely made it out alive. He was really worried about how he was going to drive his car home in his condition. And then there I was with drinks and snacks!
It turned out the only food he had brought with him were cliff bars. After that he made sure to always have salty food with him on every trip because if all you have is sugary stuff and water and it's hot and you're sweating, you are going to get in trouble.
I got hyponatremia on the PCT as well. I had to force myself to stop drinking water until I could get a refill and make some salty soup. I suppose I could have made the salty soup before getting the refill, but I figured it was only 4 miles and I could make it.
I still get the electrolyte thing wrong occasionally, but I try to carry drinks with me that will help and/or salty foods. At least I've gotten it wrong often enough I can tell when it's happening and fix it before it gets bad.
Ironbelly
09-23-2010, 14:33
And that is exactly why I carry more water than the average Joe. True, alot of times I am carrying needless weight. But I do it because I hate running out of water, especially in the summer heat. I always have the capability to carry 4 liters, sometimes 5 if it is a known dry area. I always start a trip with 4 liters on me, and as I see the water source situations I will scale back my daily carry appropiately but never have less than 3L on me at any given time.
This past July 4th weekend here in CT I went on a 9 mile day hike, it turned out to be the hottest and most humid day of the year. On this particular hike I brought 5L with me. Now, yall are probally saying this guy is a freakin nut job, but hear me out lol.
I am not sure why I decided to bring 5L, normally I would just bring my 3L camelbak and still have plenty left over at the end of the day. But this day I drank every single drop of my water and ran out of water with about 1/4 mile to go. I was very happy I brought 5L because it ended up being ungodly hot!
Running out of water sucks, period. In the summer, in can be deadly. All of the sayings that you can go roughly a week without water and a month without food are almost total BS. You can easily die in 1 day , or even a few hours without water depending on conditions and your activity level. If your huddled under a tree in the shade not moving, then sure you can make it quite a while without water.
I feel alot better overall if I am well hydrated. So carrying a few lbs extra weight is ok by me. Also, it gives me backup water for my dog if she needs it.
I still get the electrolyte thing wrong occasionally, but I try to carry drinks with me that will help and/or salty foods. At least I've gotten it wrong often enough I can tell when it's happening and fix it before it gets bad.
I've been section hiking quite a few years and never experienced it until this summer when I got fed up with the heat and just went out anyway. I can tell when it's happening because it starts with "trigger finger" or cramping of my fingers, then it spreads to my arms. I've been using "ResurgenC" - works well for me.
tucker0104
09-23-2010, 14:52
I was lost in the wilderness area once on the art loeb trail. I had to blaze a trail until I got onto the right trail. It was pretty funny.
13th step
09-23-2010, 14:58
I can vouch that the Knobstone is a very, VERY dry trail, especially after August. It can be brutal, unless you know where to get the water. Have thru'd it more times than I can count without taking my shoes off. I always try to do it after several periods of rain, so that the streams will have some puddles left. I know of only two springs along the trail, which are hard to reach/find if you don't know the area very well, and of course the mentioned ponds.
Those ponds aren't dried up, you just didn't go far enough. If you crossed the forest road, you could have taken it (all downhill!) to the road access to those two ponds. There is also a firing range down there. Walk toward the gunshots! The road is a longer trip than the bushwhack, but is an easier walk.
Usually there are caches left at several of the road crossings, and if you are a seasoned hiker, can make it to each water source without the caches, even in dry weather. But you had better be prepared to walk a good 15 miles a day, or more. This trail reminds me of the roller coaster in Va, because it's all ups and downs, and next to no views. Fun stuff!
DC2.2GSR
09-23-2010, 15:38
i agree with the gps idea. i usually take mine and just leave it off. i turn it on once in a while just to add waypoints for the hell of it.
LostInNC
09-23-2010, 15:59
I can vouch that the Knobstone is a very, VERY dry trail, especially after August. It can be brutal, unless you know where to get the water. Have thru'd it more times than I can count without taking my shoes off. I always try to do it after several periods of rain, so that the streams will have some puddles left. I know of only two springs along the trail, which are hard to reach/find if you don't know the area very well, and of course the mentioned ponds.
Those ponds aren't dried up, you just didn't go far enough. If you crossed the forest road, you could have taken it (all downhill!) to the road access to those two ponds. There is also a firing range down there. Walk toward the gunshots! The road is a longer trip than the bushwhack, but is an easier walk.
Usually there are caches left at several of the road crossings, and if you are a seasoned hiker, can make it to each water source without the caches, even in dry weather. But you had better be prepared to walk a good 15 miles a day, or more. This trail reminds me of the roller coaster in Va, because it's all ups and downs, and next to no views. Fun stuff!
If you look on the Knobstone map at about Mile 10.2 there are 2 ponds due west of the trail. They do not exist. I double checked on Google Earth Maps, and you can see the clearing in which I found (but no water).
I know getting off the trail was a move that some would say was dumb...but when the decision came down to walk another 7 miles to my chache with no water, or find the ponds...my mind was made up.
As far as the rescue goes...maybe that's the wrong word... My wife called the county sherriffs office so they would send an officer out there to turn their sirens on so I could be led in the right direction. After a few hours they finally opened a gate to an old logging road on Pixley Knob and drove down it. At that point they were close enough for me to see the sirens shining through the woods in the distance.
Lesson learned, carry more than 96 oz of water for the day, if the weather is going to be over 90 degrees. Or don't hike in the heat at all because I like the cool or even cold weather anyway. :o
johnnybgood
09-23-2010, 17:16
Just mark this down as a learning experience and go have another try at it.
~ One question I had was did the area where you thought the ponds were show any topsoil moisture or do you believe that you simply didn't find the correct location.
What im saying is that normally a dried pond will retain dampness in the soil and by digging a 12" x 12" hole in the ground in several places , water might be found.
That's just food for thought ... ; WATER for thought. :)
13th step
09-24-2010, 00:17
If you look on the Knobstone map at about Mile 10.2 there are 2 ponds due west of the trail. They do not exist. I double checked on Google Earth Maps, and you can see the clearing in which I found (but no water).
I know getting off the trail was a move that some would say was dumb...but when the decision came down to walk another 7 miles to my chache with no water, or find the ponds...my mind was made up.
As far as the rescue goes...maybe that's the wrong word... My wife called the county sherriffs office so they would send an officer out there to turn their sirens on so I could be led in the right direction. After a few hours they finally opened a gate to an old logging road on Pixley Knob and drove down it. At that point they were close enough for me to see the sirens shining through the woods in the distance.
Lesson learned, carry more than 96 oz of water for the day, if the weather is going to be over 90 degrees. Or don't hike in the heat at all because I like the cool or even cold weather anyway. :o
Hmm, on my trail data/notes, at around 13 miles, maybe .25 miles past the dirt road, if you go east, you will get to Bowen lake, with the gun range. No more than .25 miles off trail, but I do believe it is east (right, going nobo). It isn't very far after the dirt road, and prior to that point you cross 160, where you can walk down the road to the lake. Trust me, those two ponds/lakes are still there. The earlier clearing you mention i have listed as a campsite. I think sometimes you can find water past there, but I have never looked much around that area. I have in one of my notes someone I ran into on the KT told me there was water that way, but I either didn't write down the directions, or didn't get them.
But the secret to hiking the KT: Do it in December. Man, it's awesome, especially if it has been raining. Water, and no leaves mean views! (Indiana views, but views nonetheless!)
13th step
09-24-2010, 00:19
Look at what I found: http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=989308&postcount=30
This is very similar to my notes, minor distance differences, though. Very good nfo here.
IronGutsTommy
09-24-2010, 01:04
wow i think thats the first time i ever heard someone suggest "walk towards the gunshots" haha
30 years old - 7 miles to water..............:confused:
Things (like ponds) don't always exist where we think they should....:eek:
Better luck next time....;)
I once ran out of water on an overnighter. It was supposed to be two nights, but the trail was severely overgrown, there was a lot of climbing and it was hot. Still, the biggest problem was that I failed to plan well enough. I carried 10 liters of water thinking that there's no way I could use that much water, but I finished that early the first morning. I was already well on the way back by that point, but arrived at my car with an incredible thirst.
I've learned to leave my pride at home. Unless I have really good water info, I will carry extra water. As I learned on the trip above, I will turn around if my water consumption is way higher than my plans can account for. I'm also with the above poster on carrying a gps. It's worth it if only for the breadcrumbs feature. Turn it on when going off the trail for helping get back to the trail.
Ironbelly
09-24-2010, 12:16
I once ran out of water on an overnighter. It was supposed to be two nights, but the trail was severely overgrown, there was a lot of climbing and it was hot. Still, the biggest problem was that I failed to plan well enough. I carried 10 liters of water thinking that there's no way I could use that much water, but I finished that early the first morning. I was already well on the way back by that point, but arrived at my car with an incredible thirst.
I've learned to leave my pride at home. Unless I have really good water info, I will carry extra water. As I learned on the trip above, I will turn around if my water consumption is way higher than my plans can account for. I'm also with the above poster on carrying a gps. It's worth it if only for the breadcrumbs feature. Turn it on when going off the trail for helping get back to the trail.
You carried 10 liters of water for an overnight? That seems crazy. Even if it is a dry area.
Never got lost and had to be rescued, but I have cut section hikes short due to the heat. Sometimes it just happens. Strenuous exercise in hot weather with no real way to cool off can drain anybody. It's better to bail because you feel sick than to push on and suffer heat stroke.
Hi Lost:
So far, I'm a day-hiker only. My principal hiking buddy and I both are losing weight and gaining condition (and most importantly, LOVING hiking). So we plan our day hikes, whenever possible, with bail-out options, especially if it's a hot day. We've had to bail for easier routes twice out of maybe ten times, and it bums you out a little, but I agree with Bob that it's much better than to get heat stroke or some other malady.
Each time we bailed it was the right call - both times water and heat were issues, plus relatively strenuous trail. In the end you feel smarter for making the right call, and we pretty well always are pleased we're making progress as hikers. We're both inclined to push our limits, but common sense has to kick in at the right time. Glad you got out safe and congratulate you on the attempt.
-Driver 8