Lost Denali Hiker calls in on cell phone, still lost....
Hm, which is it, still lost or found? Does Fox have it wrong?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,368581,00.html
Tin Man:
They've been found safe and sound.
The Fox story you sent along, which was posted several hours ago, was perfectly correct AT THE TIME it was posted.
"ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Two women missing for days in Denali National Park have been found and returned to park headquarters.
Park spokeswoman Kris Fister says the women were found Wednesday afternoon outside the park's boundaries on the northern side.
A helicopter picked up the two shortly before 5 p.m., about an hour after the mother of one of the women received a second phone call from her daughter..."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/18/den....ap/index.html
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
That's what I assumed, but if you follow Hopeful's news link, the date and time is after the foxnews story. And now I see cnn agrees they were found. Wish these news people could keep up.Originally Posted by Jack Tarlin
Bring on the bananas...
I'd like to hear some details on exactly what happened. Kind of odd, missing for 5 days on a one night hike, but everybody is okay and all of a sudden being able to make a cellphone call. Something doesn't add up, at least based on the current info.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
They ain't talkin'...at least not yet...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/...li_park_search
Denali Park rescue was dialed in: Outdoors | adn.com
Here's the scoop from the Anchorage Daily News. Seems that they just got off track, very easy to do in Denali - there are no trails and if they are down in the willow it's hard to see where you are going. Above the tree line, it's easy - you can see for miles, but down in the low growing bushes it's hard. Even above the bushes though, the area is sooooo big that it's very hard to see something as small as grizzly bear let alone a human!
Cell phone coverage is enormously spotty up there. Last summer when I drove up the Parks Highway from Anchorage I attempted to call my parents and drove 100 miles before my phone was able to connect. In Denali there is a cell coverage at the entrance to the park, but once you go in 10 miles there is no coverage. Where the girls were hiking is right along that edge of cell coverage.
The whole story seems to add up to me.
Trails Illustrated Map of Denali Nat'l Park: $9.95
Suunto A-10 Compass: $12.95
The knowledge of how to use the two together: Priceless
Glad these two were found.
I wonder if they would have been found sooner if they stopped as soon as they realized they were lost and used a whistle to call for help periodically?
Anyone wanna guess if they had a map and compass and knew how to use 'em?
Therre is probably a good reason for that Boy Scout motto "Be prepared."
Well, I'm glad they were found safe.
According to the reports they had a stove, and therefore obviously a fire starting source, and were melting snow for water. But they never made a signal fire(smoke) after becoming lost. So much for being "experienced" as quoted in the numerous reports. Sorry, this was what was honestly bugging me about the whole thing. Smoke is generally pretty easy to spot and would (edit: likely) have drawn rescue attention much earlier on in the search.
Again, glad they were found okay.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
Maybe once the park officials knew they were alright, and that they were within 5 miles of a road, they should have told them to walk to the road.
There could very well be lots we don't know from these news reports, but it sure sounds like a case of basic incompetence.
~~
Allen "Monkeywrench" Freeman
NOBO 3-18-09 - 9-27-09
blog.allenf.com
[email protected]
www.allenf.com
I bet they were smoochin
That's hot. But a fire would have worked better.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
Why not have both???
Talk about thread drift. From rescue to tundra munching...Why not have both???
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
brings to mind a certain soliloquy by katz in AWITW... during a whiteout near Albert Mtn. Bryson asks katz, "you got any better ideas?" and katz takes off from there, in a very imaginative fashion.Why not have both???
LOL
Anyhow, it is important when you are lost not to be in a hurry because people are expecting you.
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