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Glad that passenger was looking at the scenery. I wonder how many trains had gone by prior to that one.

People give me shit but this is why I come prepared even for day hikes.

I carry my satellite phone, knife, fire starter, one dehydrated meal packet (4 servings per packet), and first aid kit on every hike at minimum. You don't pack your bag for if things go as expected, you pack as if things are going to go wrong.

Edit: Since this post has gotten some traction I'd like to add a couple things I forgot to mention. I also take ways to get purified water. For me that's either a lifestraw or a sawyer 1 gallon water filter. The choice usually depends on the length of the hike and how available water sources are.

I also have an emergency blanket in my first aid kit!

Murphy's law

Imo the more experienced hiker you are the more likely you actually bring shit with you in case you bite off more than you can chew

That's the Durango and Silverton. They're a slow-moving tourist train, and they often drop off adventurers. The Upper Animas River which she was on the other side of, is fast and lethal. If she had tried to cross it with broken limbs, she would have died.

The danger for her was that someone would have written her off as just someone waving to the train.

Source: I've been on the same train ride. People -do- wave to the train from the side. It's a fun train ride. Highly recommend it. Also, take a 4x4 tour up into the mountains above Silverton while you're at it.

Good thinking. What are you using for a sat phone? I’m thinking about getting one.

Yeah, but I'm sure she's waving at the train while she's laying down because she has a broke leg, or if she has found a way to stand while with a broke leg, I'm sure she looked very distressed.

The article said she had to pull her way out to the river bank to try to wave down trains, so I'm sure she is laying down, or sitting and looking very distressed while waiving.Also, very distressed people are usually waving with both hands side to side while yelling help.

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I have the garmin inreach mini2!

That’s the literal bare minimum I ever take into the wilderness with me. Survival blanket and water purification tabs are a must as well IMO

I forgot to mention my lifestraw or my 1 gallon sawyer water filtration system! I usually have on or the other depending on the type of hike.

She was South of the Colorado Trail Bridge. That's a very densely forested area, and the railway veers away from the river a little bit. She's damn lucky someone saw her. People move around a lot on that train.

I really hope she have insurance, that rescue could bankrupt her.

Wow, great list!

I live in Durango, which is nearby! So glad they found her - we hear about hikers getting lost ALL THE TIME down here.

I’ve been on that train a handful of times. Although people wave to the train as it passes, it would be easy to not see any onlookers as the scenery is simply distracting itself.

Sadly Silverton (when I initially visited) was diminishing and I mainly went to visit the Masonic lodge, which had since closed down.

And this is why you don't stand on cliff edges for photos.

People are dumb. She's lucky she was noticed.

After binging several seasons of I shouldn't be alive it became quite clear to me that 90% of the people on that show could have been rescued within 24 hours if they had a satellite phone, or even just a flare gun. Hell, something bright colored or shiny even.

Or you can swing the other way like my ex boyfriend did when we went on our first hike together, literally one of the easiest and most populated 14er in the entire state of Colorado. He brought 2 pounds of trail mix and 7 water bottles. And then we had to keep stopping because his backpack was so heavy. I'm all about being prepared, but there are limits.

A hiker who'd been missing what? Don't leave me hanging like that.

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Stainless wide mouth water bottle

Where do you get a sat phone?

I was about to ask where your PLB was but that's even better. People I hike with think I'm paranoid but I never hike without it.

I had a python hunter woman stop us as we were hiking on the Florida trail in the everglades and ask if we were thru hiking. I said no, just a section hike. She asked me why I was wearing a backpack. Bruh. I was carrying water, snacks, and a first aid kit for three people. Looking back I can't help but wonder her intentions for asking, I assumed at the time she was trying to shame me for being prepared.

Amazon. You need a special voice/data plan for it, though.

My brother probably would have been in one of those situations if he hadn't had his rescue beacon (with insurance). He fell and sprained his ankle a couple days out in the Grand Canyon. Had to be hellocoptered out of there. He's a very experienced hikers, but even experienced hikers can fall and break an ankle.

She fell trying to take pictures?!

The hiker herself was missing, as in she was lost / had disappeared. It's not that the hiker was missing someone or something.

Do insurance cover for selfie stupidity?

No seriously those kinds of falling to your death while taking photos type accidnets have increased so much that insurance companies must have rules for that nowdays surely...

how much does a helicopter transport cost in usa?

I worked at a national park as a 911 operator (public safety communications officer)..

The mindblowing fucking search and rescue i got while i worked there was this.

A sister wanted someone to check on her brother, he was supposed to go on the trail sleep in the woods at 1 camp, hike more sleep at 2 camp, then turn around and sleep at 1 camp, and be back out. He went there on a friday and was supposed to be out monday..she called us thursday saying she hasnt heard from him, so thats like 3 or 4 days she waited.

I let my rangers know and we assembled a team and i called in some back country hikers who were employees. The dude fell off a cliff and slid down and stopped on a small ledge, he had a survival book with him that saved his life.

He was drinking dew and had a pack of peanuts that he made last a week. He set a timer on his watch so he would yell every hour for help and he just laid there waiting. He was also using a mirror to try and shine at overhead planes when they passed.

For the less-serious hiker the iPhone 14 has a satellite SOS feature. Can’t call but can send an SMS.

I'm not familiar with the show. What would someone do with the shiny thing in that situation? Wave at a passing plane or something?

You’re also blazing by so you don’t have much of an opportunity to be looking at them and determining if they’re okay or in distress

It happens to the best of us.

That moment when you realize that the person waving at the train is actually desperately waving for help.

The two pounds of trail mix is for after the hike. All two pounds of it.

How do you know it was a selfie? That seems like quite an assumption.

I give her credit for getting out into nature, surviving a hellish fall, and dragging herself through a dense forest to safety.

My father had to be life flighted from one hospital to another due to heart issues over 15 years ago and that alone was 5 figures. Not sure of the exact amount as I was a teenager.

I need to get into hiking. Sounds fun as hell

When picking my families go bags I made sure we all bought some variant of orange or orange/red specifically for this reason. I was like “this isn’t about fashion it’s about survival.”

I truly hope that guy understands how lucky he was.

One day those people will thank you.

You're describing my purse and I get endless grief over it too

How much is her satellite phone just to have on standby?

> That's the Durango and Silverton. They're a slow-moving tourist train

Literally right above the comment you just made. C’mon man

Holy fuck I thought this was a joke...

Good for her

Important note that it’s not active yet. Should be next month IIRC.

I noticed you said water purification tabs. Any reason we (me personally) shouldn’t trust the lifestraw we have?

One of the reasons I’m super happy new iPhones will have satellite calling capability by the end of this year.

I’m not the commenter but I think with shiny things you can reflect sunlight at planes.

(Launching by the end of this year and requires a software update. An awesome feature I’m thankful for.)

iPhone 14s will have satellite functionality by the end of the year as well.

Because lifestraws are the McDonald’s of water filters. Sawyer squeeze, Katadyn, MSR, these are reputable brands that make excellent water filters.

japanese bullet tourist train /s

Lifestraw is fine.

Not just planes, can be used to signal any distance with open line of sight. If they see people off in the distance, it could be used for that as well.

It is usually just a weight and space savings thing. Tabs weigh practically nothing and you can keep them in your medkit without taking up much space. Life straws are a bit heavier and bulkier. The key is to make sure you have emergency backup for getting potable water.

My emergency kit has the normal stuff like bandages, pills, and ointments, but I also always keep a small gear repair kit, mini BIC, WP matches, and water treatment tabs in there at all times too. I plan to never use them unless shit really hits the fan.

Apple if you wait a month apparently.

> my satellite phone

This is my hang up. I'd love to have one but just don't have that money. I carry 1k calories in nuts and trail mix, a life straw, some water, a knife, 2 emergency blankets, a whistle, and a first aid kit. But none of that would be enough if I actually got lost.

Search and Rescue services themselves are free, they don't want people avoiding calling for help for fear of a hefty bill. As far as I know, the helicopter ride is the gray area where charges may start (depends on medical treatment during flight, whether it's equivalent to an ambulance ride, or something to that effect). If it is treated as equivalent to an ambulance then I imagine that her health insurance would kick in then in whatever capacity it handles ambulance rides.

I'm really not sure of all the details, but I do know that SAR itself is free (at least in my state, Colorado). Never hesitate to call if you need it!

The sooner you call in a life threatening situation, the less you'll have to worry about that medical helicopter gray area.

The whole point of telling someone when you'll be back is so they'll go to the authorities if you don't check in. I can't believe his sister waited so long.

Shelter and water are your two most urgent needs. Carrying food is not the worst idea, but in terms of usefulness in a survival situation, it is a secondary need. People who get stranded typically dont die from malnutrition. They die from dehydration or hypothermia.

My emergency kit that I carry in case I get stranded is a water filter, rain gear, and two mylar emergency blankets.

The opposite is true, in my experience. Experts pack their needs, beginners pack their fears.

Like the motorbiking saying:

"You dress for the crash, not for the ride"

100%

Overconfidence is a killer. You don't need it until you need it.

Life straw is great, I just don’t have one personally. Nothing against the thing.

Wow that’s a great point what is the wilderness emergency hand signal for help? With guns you shoot 3 times. Same with mirror or whistle you try to signal SOS. 3 short, 3 long, and 3 short.

But what the hell hand signal do you make to show emergency?! That is significantly different from hello happy to meet you i love you.

I’d recommend adding pepper spray and even a firearm as well. Yah never know.

Very well. Here you go: Durango train crew aids injured hiker

How do you wave for help!? I mean, everyone could be thinking the lady outside just loves trains and wave back at her..

It has been a while so I might have misremembered but waving your arms over your head means help, making an x means you require medical assistance, making a Y means yes, and making an N with one arm up and one down means no. So if it is a situation where rescuers are mistaken you can signal that you don't need help

Agreed, but with experience comes knowledge of what you actually do need and what you dont. Most people I know, myself included, trim fat from their kit as they get more experienced. Not the other way around.

Don't like to imagine what his bill was

Yeah, life straws are awesome. They filter out most things you care about, but it won't kill viruses, and no desalination. It's just not as versatile as good purification tabs. I'm not hiker, just someone that did 3 years of water purification projects in school. Personally I'd recommend carrying both, they don't take much space and I don't think anybody will ever say "damn I have too much clean water".

There is a reason the scout motto is "Be Prepared"

One of my first summers in the field really nailed home the message.

Picture this scenario, me and my partner wearing red. Heli-pilot drops us in a cirque that's about 1 mile across. No trees. No bush higher than 1 ft tall.

When heli pilot returns he circles for 10 minutes to find us. Gives up and lands. Waits for us to use the Garmin to text him our coordinates.

Luckily we were a 4-5 hour hike from main camp and had a fully charged Garmin and sat-phone. We would have been ok even if the clouds rolled in and we had to hike out.

But yep. Never heading out without a heli flag again.

Yeah. I don't mean you should pack everything possible, but the list posted here seems reasonable

That’s the biggest reason I upgraded. No need for an inreach now

The little SOS icon pops up on my phone when I’m in the mountains already. It’s not activated yet?

So the 99.9% filtration of bacteria LifeStraw claims is a lie? (Not saying you’re wrong I’m genuinely curious)

The Garmin inreach is about $500CAD.

In my opinion it's worth saving for if you're going out of service area.

I didn’t know that, that’s dope.

In my opinion it is too focused on food and fire. Shelter and water are more urgent needs. If it gets cold and wet at night, you can die in less than 24 hrs. If you dont have clean water, you can die in 72 hrs.

My dad is like that except he brings the same stuff but smaller and lighter versions. A lot of people don’t get it. They’ll get him bulky camping lights and stuff for Christmas but I know he’d really like the worlds smallest and lightest water purifier or some shit

LPT. TIL.

My dad always says "better to have it and not need it than need and not have it!"

My extremist take: there should be TSA-style checkpoints at every hiking park entrance to confirm you have the essential gear.

The Search and Rescue team must be annoyed with unprepared hikers... or grateful that the lost souls keep them in business.

While it’s great she is alive it’s actual insanity to the levels people go to take selfie or shit for social media.

I also second the in reach mini 2. Worked well on my 4 day trip in NH this year. I was able to pretty reliably send updates to my family although I wouldn't use it if you wanted to use the automatic tracking intervals because I don't think it has the battery for that on longer trips. I would just send updates when taking a break or if I were to need to change my route I set up a way to let them know and could send more frequent updates.

Hm. Fair point.

Yeah, I mean, we got one as a gift and I’m thankful to have it in our car and with us on hikes just in case. We’re never going to be very far from civilization, but safe drinking water becomes important so quickly that I feel pretty reassured having it. If it’s no good, I guess we’ll reevaluate.

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Cool, good tip.

Of course! Makes perfect sense. The tablets must take up no room at all.

Have you ever seen those USB arc lighters? That’s what I have.

Don't know if she took a scenic photo or a selfie but wikipedia has a sky-high article of selfie related injuries and deaths.

I imagine even just using two hands to wave would get someone’s attention, plus she was probably laying down and waving frantically

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this reminds me of the case of a motorist who got stranded in the middle of a snow storm and was spotted from a plane

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/alan-lee-phillips

And thats what I mean. Youd be better off with a poncho and a sawyer mini water filter. And that knowledge comes from experience, not anxiety.

Yep, to wave and get the attention of a rescue crew. Sometimes there is too much tree cover and that’s when something like a flare gun would be needed.

Unless you are going deep into the Backcountry for a few that is pretty decent. As long as you are telling people your plan you should only need to stabilize and hold tight where you are for a few nights at most. I only really use my satellite phone as a locator beacon and only on longer trips in more remote/ foreign places.

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I remember reading earlier this year about new device on the market that can turn any cell or tablet into a satellite phone (Android or iOS) Super cool and had me geeked out.

Found the link:

https://www.iridium.com/blog/how-to-turn-your-cell-phone-into-a-satellite-phone/

"Iridium GO! is a small, lightweight, and rugged satellite communicator that overcomes the limits of cellular networks...

...provides satellite connectivity, giving users the ability to make phone calls, send and receive texts, get weather updates, share and send photos and more, directly from their mobile phones or tablets.

...Additional key features include email access via custom email apps, GPS tracking and emergency alerts (SOS). It also works with a line of accessories (available separately), including an external antenna, a wall mount bracket, and an outdoor power cable for a more fixed-installation type use case."

I haven't checked out any reviews yet but I'de imagine actually getting a satellite signal is still a challenge of itself (sometimes) Trees, hills, mountains ect. I like that the additional features included a SOS alert.

Hello! You have made the mistake of writing "ect" instead of "etc."

"Ect" is a common misspelling of "etc," an abbreviated form of the Latin phrase "et cetera." Other abbreviated forms are etc., &c., &c, and et cet. The Latin translates as "et" to "and" + "cetera" to "the rest;" a literal translation to "and the rest" is the easiest way to remember how to use the phrase.

Check out the wikipedia entry if you want to learn more.

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I only do day hikes, but almost never have cell phone service on them!

Plus the ongoing fees. It certainly makes me nervous not to have one!

I never said it wasn't correct.

Could easily fit 2 more words in though, but oh well, atleast I had fun.

I am assuming she dropped/lost her phone when she fell down the cliff, seems like a smart watch could have come in handy in this situation, if her phone wasn’t so far away as to lose Bluetooth connection?

I honestly thought this was a r/NoSleep story

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And I'll do it again.

Thanks, good bot.

Same here, that's why it's important to share your plans in pretty good detail ahead of time. If anything happens it will only take maybe a day or 2 to be found on a day hike trail. One thing that works well with your phone is downloading maps as a backup. Depending on your phone/ the conditions you can still locate yourself via GPS without service and use an app like maps.me (free) or download on all trails( not free I think) to help with getting turned around. The only thing you wouldn't be able to do at that point is send out an sos but search and rescue would be sent by the person you told your plans to, just with a bit of a delay.

And the dude ended up being a serial killer?!? WTF

Lifestraws will work a few times and then get clogged up, especially when drinking from a not pristine water source. The flow rate is also horrible which makes it basically useless in any kind of survival/emergency situation. You’ll get a few sips of water, but you won’t be able to filter larger amounts needed for cooking or hiking between water sources.

It works, but only as much as it needs to, and doesn’t stand out in any way other than being the worst option with the best marketing.

I’ve been using the sawyer squeeze for years, it’s super versatile (can be a gravity filter, in-line filter, or thrown on top of a water bottle), it’s easy to clean (back flush) so that you maintain a good flow rate, it’s reliable, and best of all it’s not crazy expensive. I’ve probably put 300+ miles on it with 1000’s of gallons filtered through it.

Katadyn and MSR make similarly versatile filters, I’m just a sawyer squeeze guy.

I have, but I just stick to the mini BIC and WP matches for emergency fire since they are lighter, very reliable, and don't use batteries. I try to avoid batteries when possible, and the only emergency thing I have that is battery operated is my PLB (ACR ResQlink) which never needs to be plugged in.

I've never used a personal locator beacon but that would be my next best choice. They don't usually require a subscription.

On their website it still says "Available in November": https://www.apple.com/iphone-14/

The SOS icon means it can't reach your cell network, but it can reach A network to make emergency calls. Well, to be clear in my quick search it's not clear that it means it can reach a network, more simply that your network isn't available - but you can still try to make an emergency call.

Ah I see. Thanks for the info. That’s actually really misleading by Apple lol

I definitely thought I had the feature already

That’s a shitload of excess weight that’s completely not necessary when a simple lightweight, plastic nalgene will work.

It’s just a random redditors comment I wouldn’t take it too seriously. Although I’ll probably do a bit of research to see its effectiveness. But I’m pretty sure you can’t legally make a claim that it stops 99.9% of bacteria without it being true. If it was false then their operation would probably get shut down right?

Thanks for the comment. So in summary it sounds like the LifeStraw works but isn’t as efficient as you’d like in an actual survival situation?

Yeah their whole reputation is that it makes water safe, and I’m guessing they have to jump extra hurdles to be able to say that legally.

Yeah she was big dickin you. Which is funny bc honestly I bet a python hunter Florida woman probably does have pretty big dick energy

I’ve done 14 of the 14ers here in CO. All I ever bring is a 3L CamelBak, some snacks and maybe an extra shell jacket and even all that doesn’t get all used. Some people replace experience with gear and find themselves in sticky situations.

Tabs are really small and cheap. I have some in every backpack (backcountry or otherwise) I own just in case

Any recommendations on satellite phones?

Again, it’s the absolute bare minimum, if you were actually thirsty you’d be disappointed.

This is gonna be my "don't overpack" mantra

I love that show! We saw the value of wearing high vis clothing in the wilderness. But I found out that even brightly colored clothing can be hard to spot. My daughter and husband wanted to hike further up a desert ridge, so I sat on a rock and waited. No tree cover, I knew what direction they went, my daughter was wearing a hot pink shirt, and I still had trouble finding them!

All that matters is she’s alive, bankrupt or not lol.

She had no emergency supplies with her, or suitable clothing to spend the night outdoors.

Welp there you go, she almost recieved her dumbass Darwin award but luck pulled her out. Also what kind of dumbass falls off a cliff taking pictures, oh the kind that thinks standing on the edge of the cliff is ok. Dumbass.

If you go hiking for ANY length of time and don't take extra clothes and emergency supplies then your a dumbass and should have to get yourself out of the situation.

Waving both arms over your head is the recognized distress signal. Like how arms move when doing jumping jacks, but your arms cross at the top.

bro you left out the fact that 40 years later he was revealed to be a fUCKING SERIAL KILLER

he may already have one but my rechargeable water resistant ultralight headlamp is only one ounce if you need any ideas for this year

Especially because I can drink your piss to stay alive.

Not mine, I don’t care for the taste.

I use AllTrails and COTrex, you're right AllTrails is not free for maps. It's 29.99/yr. Always check for a local app, I don't even have an account made on COTrex and they still let me download topographic or satellite maps as a guest. Also without reminding me, I was just looking to see if they have paid features and realized I've never logged in and I poke around on it almost daily lol. Before I leave I just open it, find the area I want, find a trail, and do whatever I need. 10/10 on local trail apps at least for CO, I bet other places have something similar.

I send them to my fiance more than I need them myself. Even if he doesn't know exactly where I'm at on the trail, I figure at least if I go missing he'll have a map to show the authorities.

I pay $10/mo. I think you can turn the service off and on but I go on enough hikes where I leave it on all the time.

Ya that’s why a flare gun seems so important to me. Redundancy is important— flash light, shiny blanket, high vis clothes and a flare gun and a satellite phone

I forgot to mention my lifestraw or sawyer filter. I take one or the other with me at all times. My first aid kit has an emergency blanket in it.

It really is and there's so many levels you can do. From flat land to up the mountainside. From day hikes to backpacking trips!

It’s insane that she survived the cold of the last 2 days at altitude.

That train doesn’t run that often so it’s indeed good someone saw her. That’s why you should always bring emergency gear with you, not hike alone, and have a way to signal for help.

Durango Harold 😂

Dear lord

I do a lot of desert hiking. I mainly had in mind those that take a single water bottle for a long hike in 85-100 degree weather. I agree it's always a balance between taking what you absolutely must need and over packing. Risk management is a balance

He had insurance so he didn't have to pay for the rescue. Apparently the service he used covered the rescue and contacts your emergency contact. He is a very experienced hiker which is why he knew to have the service.

When you run out of water purification tablets you can boil water in a metal bottle, assuming that you can start a fire (Ferro rod, knife, wood) and there's a water supply. Cannot do this with a nalgene bottle.

Nope nope nope... There's no coddling in the wildernes

There’s a way to wave that signals you need help and aren’t just waving to say hello, one of those things parents should teach their kids, imagine if that passenger mistook them for just waving at the train

Edit: apparently she spent the daylight hours trying to get the attention of multiple trains and no one thought to help her, must have been rough to see the trains pass and no help come

Moral of the story: Don't hike alone

> The hiker described spending daylight hours trying to get the attention of passing trains

Looks like plenty of people saw her

If I didn't hike alone, I'd almost never get to go hiking. That said, I do usually take an InReach with me so I can call for help.

Good thing she was able to get her dumb ass out of the situation, right?

Yeah like I said, luck, had the rider not seen her she most likely would have died. Again DON'T GO HIKING IF YOU'R NOT PREPARED.

Place your thumb in palm, set other 4 fingers over thumb. Like a fist, but do not punch with this.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, wave both hands over your head and repeatedly make an X with your arms.

What service are you using cause I was going on a trip to Cuba and I wanted to get a satellite phone but it was 300 to $600 deposit and then there was a bare minimum amount to keep the service on and it was a lot more than what you're paying

Maybe have a sign for the recommended gear, but at the very least, I like the idea of requiring people to check in with their plans. Their planned route and how long they plan to be out. My husband likes hiking and he goes solo, and I do require him to have all the gear, but he also needs to give me a map of his route, and check in on his sat phone at every pre-established checkpoint, so I know where he is on his timeline. Would at least help if route planning were enforced to make S&R a lot faster.

Totally not the point of the story, but why are train names always so cool!? I'm naming my next son Durango & Silverton narrow Gage Diesel Engine No. 461

Or try to take dangerous selfies ffs

One hand up waving is completely different than two hands flailing in the air.

Considering a small bottle of iodine tablets lasts months I’d say you have a lot bigger things to worry about if you have to resort to boiling water out of a bottle because you ran out. I spend most of my time in the backwoods of CO and carrying a stainless steel water bottle is overkill. If I’m that lost in the woods that I run out of iodine then I’m just drinking the water regardless.

I LOVE this story! Humans being humane!