[pct-l] Stumbled across PCT-L archives going back to 1996 / Here's message #11 http://www.backcountry.net/arch/pct/

[Will M]

Ha, I got lost in that same spot in 2004.  I think I did some weird extra
loop.  Thankfully I was doing my shakedown hike for the AT and had all of
my gear.  I discovered the next day that I ended up camping about 400 yards
from where I  originally started.  I remember having maps for the sky to
sea trail EXCEPT the first couple of miles weren't on my map.

Jalan Jalan

On Mon, Jan 15, 2018 at 4:54 PM, Paint YW <paintyourwagonhikes at gmail.com>
wrote:

> The format/structure in reading the hiking tale is a bit disconcerting, but
> the context and tempo is quite interesting and much appreciated. Kudos to
> the author for being willing to express in depth, details- of what turned
> out to be a harrowing experience, that contains lessons for survival that
> all of us can benefit from, no matter the time or place.
>
> Don't forget to take a few essentials with you when you are out for
> stroll... to get you through the night.
>
> Been there, done that. Rookie year. Oct., 2012, 2000-2200 hours. JMT,
> 10,000' - 11,000', on the way down from Whitney, lost the trail, no tent
> and no sleeping bag. 4 pairs of glowing eyes staring at me (big horn sheep)
> Later- Brrr. Built a shelter. Glad to see daylight.
>
> Thanks-
>
> Paint
>
> On Mon, Jan 15, 2018 at 3:08 PM, Catherine Middaugh <
> catherine.middaugh at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Wow does this bring back memories. I've gotten lost in Big Basin State
> > Park more times than I can count. And 1996 was a high rain year. Thanks
> for
> > the post.
> >
> > On Mon, Jan 15, 2018 at 7:24 AM, Paint YW <paintyourwagonhikes at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> ------------------------------
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> >> <http://www.backcountry.net/arch/pct/9612/threads.html#00011>][pct-l]
> my
> >> adventure
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >>    - *Subject*: [pct-l] my adventure
> >>    - *From*: POLITECAT at aol.com
> >>    - *Date*: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 04:36:52 -0500
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >>
> >> i have a story to share with you all.
> >> i learned a important lesson from this and i hope you will to.
> >>
> >> last weekend i got up early and headed to big basin california planning
> >> to do
> >> my training hike i thought i would hike the 10.6 mile trail because it
> >> was a
> >> tough one and good practice. so i loaded up my pack with the usuala
> >> things.
> >> my nylon pants in case of colder weather. my fleece jacket and my rain
> >> jacket. my lunch and snacks. (dried veggies gorp and power bar.) in  the
> >> bottom of my pack lives my survial bag i use it  mainly for weight. and
> >> about
> >> 3 gallons of water. oh ya my walkman some tapes a hiking book and my
> >> camera
> >> so i payed for my day parking and hoisted my pack on my back and off i
> >> went.
> >> they ask you have a tleast 6 hours to hike the trail and i had a little
> >> more
> >> in case but felt i would only take about 5 hours tops. the sky was an
> >> overcast greyish hue. a teasing mist would fall semi often but i was
> >> hiking
> >> pretty fast and it felt good.
> >> well the trail signs were visable and for the first 3 hours i was doing
> >> great
> >> i was booking. and then it happened. somewhere i lost the trail and
> ended
> >> up
> >> way far from the park headquarters. you see they had had a fire and
> trail
> >> signs and what not had ben destroyed so i got out my map and compass
> >> (from my
> >> survival kit) and choose a direction to lead back. it was later than i
> was
> >> happy about but i was confandant i would make it. so i hiked and climbed
> >> and
> >> skidded (did i mention it had been raining off and on for a week) so
> >> things
> >> were soaked and puddles and creeks were everywhere. at some point i met
> up
> >> with a biker. as he passed i asked him if he knew what trail we were on
> >> and
> >> how far from the main headquarters. he said wow it is way that way this
> is
> >> the >>>>>> trail and he gave me some directions to follow so i smiled
> >> thanked
> >> him and tromped on. almost running . there was only about 1.5 hours of
> >> good
> >> light left and i was still sure i would be ok and make it back soon. i
> had
> >> rivers to cross soaking my feet in freezing water and squishing my way
> >> onwards. so i reached a big main trail/road and followed the signs there
> >> and
> >>  ganced up at the deepening grey sky. soon i reached a cut off my road
> >> ended
> >> and broke off without any real trail signs and so i followed the most
> >> promentant trail which ended at a crossroads. there was a sign it had
> been
> >> placed against  a tree either knocked down before or burned. i searched
> >> for
> >> the orginal post marks in the ground so i could confirm the pointers but
> >> to
> >> no avail so i took the shortest trail or so i thought the arrow pointed
> >> straight ahead to a path of sorts it was overgrown and had a lot of
> debri
> >> on
> >> it but because i was racing agaist the clock i just went for it. the
> trail
> >> was sparatic disapearing and reappearing and yet it seemed well used. i
> >> was
> >> slightly iffy about it but grey was changing to black if i could find
> the
> >> trail a clear trail i could follow it even in the dark. but the farther
> >> in i
> >> got the smaller and less travable the traail became until it just
> >> disappeared.  by this time i had maybe about half and hour of light so i
> >> pulled out the map and saw that there should be a trail above me
> >> somewhere.
> >> it was longer than i wanted but at this point any trail was needed. so i
> >> began climbing around fallen trees through leaves and debri slipping and
> >> sliding on the wet leaves. i tried climbing up and when i reached a
> point
> >> that looked clear i found my way blocked by weeds and bushes rocks and
> >> more
> >> steep climbs. so i rethought my plan. i heaard a creek and knew the
> creek
> >> was
> >> heading towards the other main path and to the park rangers. so i
> changed
> >> directions following my compass reading towards the east. i slipped
> down a
> >> hill scraping my legs pretty bad and then had to climb another steep mud
> >> incased mountain my only hold was a razor sharp weed that as i slipped
> >> sliced
> >> my legs and hands although it did save me from falling. so i crossed a
> >> small
> >> creek and tried to follow it as well as keep my heading east. by this
> >> point
> >> it was a light black. and becuase i was under heavy trees even darker
> the
> >> shawdows had turned to intertwining cover. coating the ground with black
> >> . i
> >> was fighting my brains need to reach safty and my knowledge i waas
> staying
> >> somewhere near tonight. as i started off one more time i somehow ended
> up
> >> in
> >> a bog of mud so thick i must have looked like one of those old time
> >> comedians
> >> swaying left and right with out falling. my shoes would not come out
> and i
> >> struggled a few precious minutes and then one by one they popped out. so
> >>  when i reached safe ground i looked for a place to stop and set up a
> mini
> >> camp.  found a grove with good shelter some good  lookiing shelter and
> >> not to
> >> far from where i  ended. so in the mornig i could begin where i ended.
> >> instead of wandering amlessly in a circle. so i sat down opened my pack
> >> (by
> >> now i was cold tired hungry and shaking my head at my new adventure. so
> i
> >> pulled out my nylon pants my fleece jacket and my rain jacket. i put
> them
> >> on
> >> and then opened my survial bag. no flashlight. but a candle two clear
> >> plastic
> >> bags a space bag and a lighter. i also found some pitch wood my knife
> and
> >> my
> >> metal match. i had also for some strange reason put a water proof pack
> >> cover
> >> in my pack. hey great i thought ground sheet. so i started my adventure
> by
> >> tring to start a fire .i tried forever i found some semi dry wood rotted
> >> to
> >> bits some dead branches but everything was so wet and it was so dark i
> >> swear
> >> in a blink of an eye the sky became black as the bowels of hell. leaving
> >> my
> >> and my lighter alone. so i finally gave up on the fire. i burned some
> >> pages
> >> of my book warming my hands then i made my bed. i opened my bag took off
> >> my
> >> soaking shoes slipped in to the bag then put the plastic bag over it. i
> >> then
> >> buried my curled up legs and feet and some of my back in leaves and mud
> as
> >> much as i could find near my. i pulled the bag up and then although i
> was
> >> feeling sick to my stomach and shaking like a belly dancer over drive. i
> >> made
> >> myself eat my gorp nuts and choclates coconuts and raisins. i gagged a
> >> couple
> >> handfuls down and drank as much water   asi could then pulled the bag
> >> over my
> >> heaad. right before i covered my face i looked up at the sky laughed a
> >> little
> >> that i was sleeping out here and thinking all i need now is for it to
> >> rain.
> >> now i do not know about you all but if you have ever thried to sllep in
> a
> >> space bag and plastic bag it makes one feel kind of like a carton of
> jiffy
> >> pop every movemnet is crinkle crinkle and crunch crunch. but i did
> slumber
> >> for a while waking to the sound of ping ping plop plop. yes you guessed
> >> it it
> >> had started to rain so i thought quick and pulled out my other plastic
> bag
> >> opened it up poked a hole in the bottom corner near the seams and pulled
> >> it
> >> over my head placing my mouth through the hole. then i buried my body
> more
> >> snuggled down making sure the top bag was over the other bags so water
> >> would
> >> run off and not in the bags. sleeping was a impossiblaty. i was so cold
> >> and i
> >> wanted to stay aware of my body and i found that by every so often
> moving
> >> around (not alot just lighting the candle burning my book or scooping
> more
> >> leaves ) made me warmed and made me feel in control of me. it was so
> cold
> >> and
> >> so dark but i knew i would survive and make it out tomorrow. and soon
> the
> >> sky
> >> began to lighten and the rain slacked and i knew morning was almost upon
> >> me.
> >> i must have slept a hour or so for when i  awoke the sky was a oveercast
> >> grey
> >> of morning. so i packed up all my stuff the papers the bags (by the by
> >> those
> >> space bags are flimsy my tore half way through the night ) i was left
> with
> >> pices wrapping them around what ever was the coldest. so i ate some
> >> veggies
> >> and some gorp(yummy breakfast) i knew i had about 6 miles to the station
> >> and
> >> all day to find it so i wanted to try to find the trail i lost last
> night
> >> first i figured if i could not find it then head east. so i walked back
> >> sort
> >> of the way i came and somehow ended up finding the trail and followed it
> >> back
> >> to the main sign i took a different trail and low and behold three hours
> >> later just 24 after i started i was back to my car.  i reported in to
> the
> >> rangers and they yelled at me i did not tell anyone where i was going. i
> >> was
> >> hiking alone and they had no way to get a hold of my bosses. (it was
> there
> >> car in the lot) so i earned a bunch of lessons. next time tell rangers i
> >> am
> >> alone and where i am going. i went out today and bought silver nylon and
> >> am
> >> making my own bag same size better wear. and i am going to practice the
> >> fire
> >> thing.  so i hope you enjoyed my story and maybe learned never ever go
> any
> >> where with out your survial gear you never know what might happen.
> >>
> >> ps i do need to say that if i had not taken the survial class i would be
> >> dead. i would have had on cotton i would not have had any of the
> clothes i
> >> had with me or the survial gear. i am also proud of me becaus ei did not
> >> panic freak or cry i did not worry or afraid. i was calm and found humor
> >> in
> >> it. so i hope to talk with you all soon have a great weekend and smile.
> >> the
> >> world is a beautiful place.
> >> wendy aka polite cat at aol.com.
> >> or as i call myself now wendy the forest  queen goddess of the woods.
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
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