Let's Look at Some of the Details

• He left the passenger window half rolled down with his wallet in the car. 

• The plan was to run about 20 miles in North Cascades National Park with his dog Freddy and then return home. 

• In his own words, “I am an ultra runner, I'm not a hiker. I don't put on backpacks and go out for multiple-day trips. I don't know how to fish. I want to finish a course as fast as I can and come back home. So I had no shirt. I had a pair of shorts, I had Freddy and a dog pan. These were the only items in my small backpack.”

• He had set out for the Chilliwack River Trail by way of the Copper Ridge Trail, traversing over the river by cable car. However, his outdated map did not account for the wildfires in 2021 and 2022 which took out parts of the trail. 

• "When I got out there, the trail was no longer there," he said. "I was curious to know what happened to this trail and my curiosity kind of kept me going.”

• On the second day, his phone died, but it was on day three when he realized things had become serious. 

 

Let's Walk Through the Series of Errors We Can Learn From

1. Leaving your wallet in the car.  Trailheads are notorious for car break-ins.  A window half rolled down with a wallet in the car is huge temptation. 

2. A 20-mile run in the north Cascades is not the same as a 20-mile run around Lake Washington or some other safe and suburban environment.  Different environmental conditions require different preparations. 

3. Any trip into the mountains and forests contains the possibility of changing weather, accidents, and mistakes.  Preparation always includes the Ten Essentials at a minimum. 

4. Any map you bring with you, or GPS map must represent the latest trail.  As noted the trail had changed due to fires. 

5. Upon finding the trail didn't match the map, with no compass, GPS tracker or other means to find your way back to the trailhead, the correct thing to do is turn around and go back.  It's very easy to get lost in thick forests. 

6. Things became serious on day one when he became lost. Not day three. 

7. He was last seen on the trail on July 31st but not reported missing until August 3rd. 

8. "I was curious to know what happened to this trail and my curiosity kind of kept me going.”

​

This man was lost for 30 days, despite extensive search efforts.  He was finally found by pure happenstance by a volunteer trail maintenance team. 

​

How This Should Have Gone

• Starting with #7, we see that he didn't follow the rule of notifying someone where he would be and when he expected to be back.  This delayed the search and rescue by three days in which he became even more lost than on the first day.

 

• Leaving your wallet in your car (#1) with the window rolled halfway down.  Most experienced hikers use the "Hiker's Wallet", their driver's license, credit card, and health insurance card in a Ziploc snack bag, which they carry with them on the trail.  The windows are all rolled up even on hot days and everything is locked. 

 

• Numbers 2 and 3.  Foresight, preparation, and appreciation of nature's laws are drilled into first-year Boy Scouts for a reason.  They prevent or at least mitigate situations like this. A small day pack with the Ten Essentials even for a short run or walk in the mountains is standard operating procedure.  And reading this article couldn't hurt (Hiking and Backpacking Advice for All | Amputee Outdoors)

 

• ​Number #4 is easy to understand how it could happen.  I've got maps lying around that date back to the 90's.  However, I use them for reference and not on the trail.  Spending some time doing a little research on WTA.org or AllTrails would have given him insight into conditions that could have prevented a possibly bad situation from becoming a reality. 

 

• #5 and #8 overlap each other. With no way to locate yourself in the mountains and forests, (big, navigational landmarks are hard to find when the trees block your view of everything), curiosity is dangerous.  In the tamed and civilized world in which we spend most of our time, getting lost simply means we don't know where we are in a maze of places that can provide food, shelter, and a charger for our phones. In the forest, we are lost in a maze of trees that provide none of that. Once you realize you're lost, you stop, turn around, and retrace your steps.  It helps if you take your time on the trail to notice unique trees, rocks, or other mini landmarks that remind you of the path you took. 

 

• Finally, #6.  Things are serious as soon as you realize you're lost.  Leave your pride in the car and rationally acknowledge that when you have no idea where you are in the forest, things are serious and you need to utilize the most important tool we humans have: our brain. 

 

I sincerely hope this man learned from this experience and with that learning ventures out into the mountains again to enjoy their majesty and beauty.  This time, properly prepared. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​

​