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  1. #1

    Default Missing hiker found - RIP

    I assume it's Otter, who's been missing since December I believe:
    http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articl...thslong-search

    Article says he was trying to complete his 3rd CDT thru.

    RIP!
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  2. #2
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    Default

    RIP Otter
    ....

  3. #3
    Registered User -Rush-'s Avatar
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    He had already done the CDT twice and was on his third attempt. I think it's safe to assume he died doing what he loved! RIP Otter.

    Olshansky would have completed the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail for the third time had he survived and finished the final stretch of the journey through New Mexico, his brother said.

  4. #4
    Registered User srvand02's Avatar
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    Met him twice out on the CDT that year. Once in Helena, where he and two other hikers helped me with a hitch, and another time right before the Wind River Range. He was a great guy.

  5. #5

    Default

    This tragedy is a good example of why carrying a SPOT or other PLB could save your life.
    May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.


    ~ Edward Abbey

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    Any more info out on circumstances?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #7
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    Sad to hear but yes, he died doing what he loved.

  8. #8

    Default

    He was trapped by heavy snow, took refuge in a isolated forest service campground, and slowly perished, leaving a diary of the whole thing. Little doubt that a SPOT type device would have saved his life.
    May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.


    ~ Edward Abbey

  9. #9

    Default

    Glad his family and friends will have some closure, gotta be hell not knowing. Rest peacefully "Otter"

  10. #10

    Default

    See you Otter. Great guy. Met him several times. He was so close to getting out of the most brutal stuff too. !0k in a NM snow storm. NM isn't the warm dry state many picture especially up near Chama Cumbres Pass. I can understand his reasoning why at that stage he prolly thought a PLB wasn't needed as he was so close to being home free. I'd like to read his journal. Anymore details Bearcreek would be appreciated.

  11. #11
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    Like others have stated already, at least he was doing what he loved. Rest Easy Otter.

    *Get wild! Live free! Be happy!*

  12. #12
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    There are worse ways to die, Fair winds, clear skies, RIP

  13. #13

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Fergi View Post
    There are worse ways to die, Fair winds, clear skies, RIP
    I doubt it. starving or freezing to death would be one of the worst...

  14. #14
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    Far worse ways to die. Dying of third degree burns over a period of weeks...pancreatic cancer...peritonitis...giglioblastoma...the list is, unfortunately, endless. People voluntarily starve themselves to death every day. Freezing doesn't take long, and once hypothermia sets in, you don't have any pain...just panic. But not the panic you get from drowning. That's another one that is worse, IMHO...drowning...buried alive in an avalanche...far worse ways of dying...

    Some years ago, a rural hospital near us gave a patient the wrong injection. He was in the ER for an upset tummy. The nurse grabbed a vial and gave him a shot of what she thought was an anti-nausea drug. It wasn't. It was a paralytic agent for intubation. In other words, the nurse shut off his diaphragm and he suffocated while fully conscious, unable to move or scream...far worse ways to die...just sayin...

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Secondmouse View Post
    I doubt it. starving or freezing to death would be one of the worst...
    Burning to death is my #1 Freezing isn't so bad, Ive had hypothermia you get warmish and calm at the end, its very peaceful.

  16. #16

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Fergi View Post
    Burning to death is my #1 Freezing isn't so bad, Ive had hypothermia you get warmish and calm at the end, its very peaceful.
    so you died???

  17. #17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ScareBear View Post
    Far worse ways to die. Dying of third degree burns over a period of weeks...pancreatic cancer...peritonitis...giglioblastoma...the list is, unfortunately, endless. People voluntarily starve themselves to death every day. Freezing doesn't take long, and once hypothermia sets in, you don't have any pain...just panic. But not the panic you get from drowning. That's another one that is worse, IMHO...drowning...buried alive in an avalanche...far worse ways of dying...

    Some years ago, a rural hospital near us gave a patient the wrong injection. He was in the ER for an upset tummy. The nurse grabbed a vial and gave him a shot of what she thought was an anti-nausea drug. It wasn't. It was a paralytic agent for intubation. In other words, the nurse shut off his diaphragm and he suffocated while fully conscious, unable to move or scream...far worse ways to die...just sayin...
    yeah, how did I know you'd be along to argue.

    just sayin...

  18. #18

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Joe View Post
    Sad to hear but yes, he died doing what he loved.
    Um, not so much. Otter died a horrible drawn-out death, after trying suicide at least twice. And all the while, he knew that he had screwed up royally. Very sad.

    https://www.outsideonline.com/2336896/snowbound

  19. #19
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Default

    Snowshoes.
    Skis.
    PLB.
    The Rockies. October. Seems so obvious after the fact.
    Wayne

  20. #20

    Default

    No doubt that Otter was super competent, maybe one of the best. But analyses of such deaths detail not one, but a series of errors and circumstances that lead to the death. He turned in his Spot so he could have more money for hiking food. He was not clear about his route in talking to his friends. He lacked snowshoes or skis, even though storms were somewhat likely. A search was done with aircraft rather than with snowmobiles (one plane flew right over him but didn't see him). The jurisdiction of N Mex and Colo authorities got in the way of an effective search. The search was called off when a bearded man was seen in town, and assumed to be him (it wasn't). Despite all that, he lived for several months under horrible circumstances (mostly just waiting in a concrete privy in below zero conditions). Terrible tragedy. He was definitely not doing what he loved. He didn't want to be there.

    Anyway, great article in Outside. Read it.

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