Missing family

**Aurelius95** · 12-19-2007, 04:35 PM

I was reading Foxnews this afternoon and read an article about a father and his three kids who disappeared (apparently lost) while searching for a Christmas tree in Northern California.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317428,00.html

EDIT: Here's a longer article on the same story:

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/577983.html

Resume Thread:

There isn't much to this article, but I assume they got lost in the woods and were surprised by a snow storm. Growing up in Upstate NY, from November to April, we were taught to always have a hat, gloves, blankets, warm jacket and boots, just in case the car broke down. Anytime the family was going somewhere remote, or for a long drive to a destination, Dad always made sure each of us would be warm if we broke down.

Now that I'm grown, I'm thankful for that teaching, and want to take it a step further, by have other supplies than just warm clothing.

**Sarge47** · 12-19-2007, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by Aurelius95

I was reading Foxnews this afternoon and read an article about a father and his three kids who disappeared (apparently lost) while searching for a Christmas tree in Northern California.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317428,00.html

EDIT: Here's a longer article on the same story:

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/577983.html

Resume Thread:

There isn't much to this article, but I assume they got lost in the woods and were surprised by a snow storm. Growing up in Upstate NY, from November to April, we were taught to always have a hat, gloves, blankets, warm jacket and boots, just in case the car broke down. Anytime the family was going somewhere remote, or for a long drive to a destination, Dad always made sure each of us would be warm if we broke down.

Now that I'm grown, I'm thankful for that teaching, and want to take it a step further, by have other supplies than just warm clothing.

It just came over Fox's "breaking news" that all three were found alive, but severly hypothermic. No real details yet.

**mbarnatl** · 12-19-2007, 07:51 PM

They had little water, no food... no survival kit... not even a map and compass. A hour hike for an xmas tree turned into a 4 day survival adventure. Lucky people to survive. I see people on trails all the time with just a bottle of water and maybe some snack food. No survival kits. All it takes is one little event that will put you in a survival situation.

**dilligaf2u2** · 12-23-2007, 03:04 PM

I love reading about people that do dumb things and live to tell about it.

It seems most people need to learn from the school of hard knocks.

It is surprising how little you need to carry to survive 4 or 6 days stranded out in the wilds.

I have gear in both the car and truck. It takes up so little room. It is as simple as an ER bar, a pot and a way to make fire. If I am going to walk out of sight of my truck, a comps is checked. If it is going to be cold? Winter clothing and a couple warm blankets are along. A single milk crate of gear and I will be able to deal with the worst of weather, at least for the amount of time it would take for someone to come find me.

Don

**canid** · 12-31-2007, 02:53 AM

for the record, these people must have been in opver their heads just tree-hunting. there is nowhere in butte county i couldn't walk to in a day, and it's an extremely dificult place to get seriously lost. only the open ranchland in those hills at the height of summer offer anything too harrowing.

for clarification, it would have been a three hour hike back to chico [just aim downhill untill the trees thin out then you can see the mall] and only an hour hike back to paradise, magalia or cohasset if they where better orriented. this even accounting for the pace of the children if they where motivated. a full day if you account for snow walking for the mile or two to get below the snowline.

**Smok** · 12-31-2007, 03:46 AM

But they went up hill . They stayed in a creek in a covert how worm can you make that even with a fire ??

**canid** · 12-31-2007, 04:15 AM

what would have helped warm them would be walking, given the circumstances. you never want to seek shelter from the cold in the bottom of a cold sink. a fire would heat the interior of a snow drift [an insulative composite with a relatively stable aggregate of heat conduction] more efficiently than a culvert [a thermal conductive material with a high specific heat]. the real problem would be either finding additional insulation to hunker down or realizing that a faithful following of any watershed in the region would bring them down within a couple of miles below the pines and into the open oak hills [the area is valley-oak savahna just a few hundred feet below paradise] and to a clear view of chico [literaly the mall].

what realy matters is that this father did not know and did not seem to apply what i like to call 'applied practical reasoning capacity' [the term i use for the skill most people call common sense and so few people use]. either problem could have been solved the first evening or at least before noon on the second day. you truely do have to be prepared to look for solutions. this should have been a mild inconvenience, not an ordeal.

**Beo** · 01-07-2008, 11:28 AM

I agree with Canid, the father was a dummy, next year buy your tree idiot.
It doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes responsible parents.

**trax** · 01-07-2008, 05:13 PM

First off...yeah Daddy wasn't too bright being as ill prepared as he was (and yet he's allowed to carry a saw, a potentially very dangerous instrument)

Second...anyone can get lost, disoriented, whatever..especially someone not familiar with the environment (which Daddy Dominguez was not)

Third...ok, I didn't bother reading the piece on them being found...taking shelter in a culvert? Makes it kind of hard for searchers to find you for starters, you've got a saw, cut down some trees dude! Build a lean to and burn the rest. Oh well, I'm glad they're ok, but I keep hearing the theme music for Gilligan's Island...

**Beo** · 01-08-2008, 12:33 PM

More like the theme music from "Lost" with with a picture of the city reaching up over the tree tops. But I am glad they are ok.

**Rick** · 01-08-2008, 02:31 PM

I'm not gonna be so harsh on the guy. From our perspective, he made some dumb mistakes but any of us could do something just as silly if we are taken out of our element. You could drop me in a jungle some place, in the middle of a major city, or somewhere there are animals I've never been up against and I'm sure I'd do something just as stupid. Might even get myself killed in the process. At least he got them out alive (or the son did).

Just a couple hour drive to hack down a Christmas tree for the family holidays. What could go wrong? I'll bet a LOT of folks could get themselves into the same situation.

**Beo** · 01-08-2008, 04:01 PM

Very True Rick and well put, but i tend to think I'd fair alot better in those situations, but then again I prep for all outings, just glad they're ok.

**Rick** · 01-08-2008, 04:40 PM

Would you survive that well during an IRS audit? A prostate exam? How about the wife wanting to know about that phone number on your cell phone? All outings,huh?