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Thread: Helping someone out....of the bush

  1. #1
    Cold Heartless Breed tsitenha's Avatar
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    Default Helping someone out....of the bush

    How many here have found and taken someone out of the bush (kidnapping doesn't count), when that party was lost, thristy, hungry, cold and at wits end?
    Bear Clan

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    this week a lot less...must be a hole in my pocket


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    Senior Member SARKY's Avatar
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    Twice, not including SAR. One of those time they weren't more than 100 feet from a main road but were walking parallel to it.
    I know what hunts you.

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    Senior Member Winter's Avatar
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    Never, but I'd be honored to. I was never in the finders party in S&R.
    I had a compass, but without a map, it's just a cool toy to show you where oceans and ice are.

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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    I haven't needed to help a misguided hiker out, but have helped with the assistance of my first aid kit a few times.
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    Like Crashdive123, I have never had the opportunity to lead them out, but was able to perform first aid on a head wound in the deep woods. I pointed them in the right direction though.
    --GiLLiGaNN--

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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    I have assisted in the wits-end part.

    I once left the AT to find police and have a nut-job taken off the trail in handcuffs, for his own proection and to protect the other hikers!

    It turned out he was wanted in GA on a murder warrant and figured the AT was a good place to hide.
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    Resident Wildman Wildthang's Avatar
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    I was hiking in the Talahena mountains in southern Oklahoma when I was around 30 years old, and had been hiking and camping for 2 days when I ran into a couple that were lost, out of food, and were fighting like cats and dogs. They had only been married for 2 months, and were just out hiking for the weekend. She said that she tried to tell him that they were getting lost long before they got to the location where I ran into them, but he just kept telling her that he doesn't get lost, and he could easily find his way back. When I found them, they had spent the night in the woods without a tent, sleeping bags, and not much food becaue they had only planned on a 1 day hike. They were out of water and both were in a very bad mood, and I heard them arguing with each other a good ways before I ran into them. I also smelled their campfire they had started the night before. When I found them, they were both sitting on rocks, and arguing like they hated each other.
    After I found them, I introduced myself, and ask them if they needed help. She explained loudly that they were totalally lost and have no idea where they were at, or how to get back to their car. I ask them ey knew what direction they hiked when they left their car. He said they had headed north from where they were parked. Then she promptly said they headed south from where they were parked, and they proceded to break out into a heated argument.
    I absolutely hate listening to people argue, so I yelled " shut to h*ll up " very loudly. They got real quiet and I told them that arguing will not help them, because I will leave and they can just stay lost if all they are going to do is yell at each other.
    I told them that if they wanted to follow me back to my point of origin, they were welcome to come along, and it was a little over a 2 day hike to get back, because obviously they didn't even know where they had parked their car. I told the guy that I will give them a snack, and a little water before we take off, and try to keep them from dehydrating if I can. There was very little water in the area we were at, so that concerned me some. I gave them each a granola bar, and a drink of water, and told them to stay behind me.
    We hiked most of the day and made camp a couple of hours before dark. I was using a tarp for a shelter, and there was barely enough room for 2 people under that tarp. I told the guy that his wife could sleep under the tarp, and that he would have to build himself a shelter for him, or both of them, however he wanted to do it.
    This guy was pretty much a lazy a$$ city boy, and at first, looked at me like I was crazy, and then said that he thought that him and his wife should get the tarp shelter, and I didn't need a shelter. I told him that he should be greatful that I found them, and I would sleep under the shelter I packed in whether you like it or not. Then he said, you just want to sleep with my wife! I told him, man you are nuts, and you need to realize that Iam trying to help you guys and I was only trying to be a gentleman and keep his wife as confortable as possible and that I ad no intentions of taking advantage of her with him right there in the same camp. I said OK then, you can both sleep outside or build yourselves a shelter and I dont care either way.
    I set up my shelter, built a campfire, and decided to just watch them and see what they do. They were trying to build a simple shelter and it was obvious they didn't have a clue. By this time I was at my witts end with this guy, so interacting with him was something I did not want to do. The guys wife was doing more than he was, but they were not doing well at the shelter building effort. Since there was some daylight left, I put on my backpack and told them I would be back, and went looking for extra food and water.
    I had an old .22 bolt action and was hoping to bag something with some meat on it! As I left them, they were starting to argue again, so I was glad to get a break from them. It seemed like he was the one that started all of the arguements, and I was beginning to really not like this guy at all. As far as I was concerned, she was beginning to see a side of him she never knew.
    After getting away from that guy for a while, I calmed down, and began foraging for anything I could find to feed those guys. I found about a pound of blackberries and did manage to shoot a little red squirrel, and was darned proud to have found it because food was pretty scarce in those woods.
    When I returned to the camp, she was sitting there crying, and her husband was gone. She said that he got mad and left. She said he told her that he wanted a divorce, and he would find his own way out of the woods. I thought about trying to go find the guy, but she told me that he left an hour ago, and it was getting dark. After I thought about it for a few minutes, I decided that i was not going to take off in the dark, to look for a guy that really pizzes me off, and probably would follow me back even if I found him.
    I cleaned the squirell, and cooked up some food for Debbie and I. She didn't eat much of the squirrel, so I gave her some beef jerky, and a bag of peanuts. After dinner we sat around and talked, and I realized that she was a very nice lady, and she was very cute to boot.
    I got out my flask of Wild Turkey that was a permanant part of my backpack, and we had a few sips and ended up having a great tme talking and getting to know each other. Around 9:00 a thunderstorm came through, and it began raining pretty hard. We crawled into the shelter and decided it was time to turn in. Since I only had one sleeping bag, I let her have it, and before I went to sleep, she told me to try to get in the sleeping bag with her because she felt terrible about hoggin my sleeping bag. We left the bag unzipped and I go half way in the bag with her and we fell asleep.
    I just knew her husband was going to come back and find us both in the same sleeping bag, but he never showed up because I am sure he was already lost again.
    We woke up early the next morning, had a snack and some instant coffee and began hiking back to my point of origin. We set up camp the next night, and had a real good time that night. Debbie and I were getting really close, and we seemed to have a lot in common. She told me that she had decided that her husband was not the kind of guy she wanted, and that he would get the divorce he asked for.
    By the time we got back to my truck, it was like we had been friends our entire life, and we decided to hook up as soon as she got her divorce under way. We called the local Ranger station and told them that her husband was still most likely out there, and was lost. I told them where we were when he took off, and which direction he went, and took her home to Fort Smith Arkansas. We exchanged phone numbers, and I went on my way.
    She called me about twice per week, and after about 2 months, she came to spend the weekend with me. We dated for 4 years and almost got married. They found her jackwagon husband 3 days later! He was dehydrated but alive!
    I have always wondered if I should have tried to go after him after he got mad and left camp. What would you have done?

  8. #8
    Senior Member Old GI's Avatar
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    Never brought someone out but, I oversaw numerous SAR missions, land and water, with successes (and some failures) during my county EM days.
    When Wealth is Lost, Nothing is Lost;
    When Health is Lost, Something is Lost;
    When Character is Lost, ALL IS LOST!!!!!!!

    Colonel Charles Hyatt circa 1880

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    Quote Originally Posted by tsitenha View Post
    How many here have found and taken someone out of the bush (kidnapping doesn't count), when that party was lost, thristy, hungry, cold and at wits end?

    I have done it Many, many, MANY times. It was always the same FOOL. I even got to do it last week on Kodiak Island. (Seems I am a very slow learner, obsessed with pushing my personal comfort envelope to the outer edge).

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Now that's funny I don't care who you are. Yeah, I can relate.
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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Gave directions to a hunter that was dragging a deer, but he headed off in the wrong direction, he was 1/4 mile from the location that he described.

    As he was screwing up our (BIL and I) hunt we put him in the truck, loaded his deer up and hauled him over to his buddy and his truck.....This was at noon, he had shot the deer at 8:00 AM........Took out his wallet and tossed in a $5 dollar bill, even though we had refused it....landed on the seat, and stuck...all sweated up...In side his wallet!

    Heading out to a saloon at about 8:00 PM during hunting season, came across a guy hiking down the road carrying a shotgun....pick him up and rode him back to his car 8 miles away.

    Now this area is divided up into 1 mile squares.....so you have to cross a road to leave a square....How in the heck do you get lost?.....although it would appears that someone had moved my truck a few times.....
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    Resident Wildman Wildthang's Avatar
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    Just think about the old days when SAR didn't exist, very few if any had compasses, GPS units didn't exist. Those people just stayed lost until they found their way out unless they got lucky enough to run into somebody that knew where they were! Back them you learned quick how not to get lost!
    When I started going off into the woods, I didn't own a compass, didn't have a map, and I got lost a few times. But I learned a lot from that!

  13. #13
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Daniel Boone is quoted as saying he was never lost but he did get turned around for about three days once.
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    I only helped people out of caves that took 2yr olds in with them

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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jake abraham View Post
    I only helped people out of caves that took 2yr olds in with them
    I guess they had been lost for awhile since when they went in nobody was pregnant in the group.
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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Now that would require night eyes. Get it? Nighteyes as in Daniel? I slay myself.
    Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.

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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Or braille.
    Can't Means Won't

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    Resident Wildman Wildthang's Avatar
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    Could it have been a blind date?

  19. #19
    Cold Heartless Breed tsitenha's Avatar
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    Just to relate one of my experiences.
    I was sitting at home just passing time when a “feeling” came over me (not that kind). I told my wife that I had to go up north and why I didn’t know, would she like to join me? Sure.
    My mother had passed away and this was our first Thanksgiving alone, our son was working and would not be with us for a few days.
    We got into our truck and off we went, about 45 minutes out I stopped at a out of the way trail and told my wife that this was it. What this close she said?
    I don’t know, but this is where I have to go, so we proceeded to saunter along a trail, towards a loop trail further in.
    My wife not really wanting to be there, sat at on a rocky outcropping at the head of the loop trail and told me to go and get it out of my system.
    I continued on, soon after I noticed a couple building what was supposed to be a debris shelter. They were working slowly and looked very tired, lethargic really. As I got nearer they noticed me, I asked them if they really wanted to spend the night there or were they “making due”.
    We have been walking all day, we didn’t realize that this trail was so long... we ran out of water hours ago. They were eyeing my water jug, now I never carried this large amount of water (this area has a lot of streams, rivers, creeks and what not) but this day I had 2 litres with me.
    Take what you need, sit down, and drink slowly in sips till you feel better, you need some food?
    Haven’t ate since noon was the reply, so out comes trail mix and some jerky.
    Would you like to go home tonight or keep practising shelter building? We would like to go home but we don’t know how long it will take and we decided to build something for the night. We are on the right trail, we know, we passed white marker rocks all day but haven’t found the end of the trail yet, tomorrow.
    Well if your Ok to follow me I can get you out, how long was the response. About half an hour, sure Ok would really like to get out, didn’t realize we had so little distance to go.
    We walked out some and came to the trail marker rock (white), see we are on the right trail she said.
    Well this trail has only 1 trail marker at the head of the LOOP and it seems that you have been walking in a circle all day.....
    We picked up my wife and headed out to the vehicles, would you like to have thanksgiving supper with us my wife asked.
    Yes was the reply, we headed to our house and ordered in Chinese food as we no idea that we would be feasting with someone. We really had a good time, now the kicker.
    The couple that I walked out this time was my cousin and her husband.
    Go figure, strange things happen under the northern lights. I guess Creator sent me out, I don’t know anything otherwise.
    Just one of those true stories.
    Bear Clan

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    this week a lot less...must be a hole in my pocket

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Whoa, that's someting, huh?.........I believe you were sent out as well........sometimes stuff works out like that.
    Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
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