It seems like there have been a number of stories about lost or stranded hikers in the past month and I suppose as the weather warms up we’ll be seeing even more. Springtime, in particular, can be more dangerous than other times of the year for a few reasons:

• Weather changes quickly in the spring. I find it funny that almost everyone, no matter where they live, thinks their area has the craziest weather in the country. Yep, in the springtime you may have a hot day followed by a cool one or a sunny day followed by thunderstorms or even snow showers. That’s spring - the weather is changing.
• For many of us who skip camping and hiking trips in the cold winter months our outdoor skills tend to be dulled a little while after living indoors. The same goes for physical stamina as well - spring may not be the best time to attempt that summit you couldn’t quite reach at the end of last summer due to exhaustion. Get a few moderate hikes under your belt before you attempt the tough stuff this year.
• Trails and campgrounds may still be wet even if it hasn’t rained in days. Snow melt and general spring sogginess can happen well into June so be prepared.

That last tip is particularly applicable to the group of friends who found themselves stranded in a flooded Beegam Gorge near Platina, CA. After the guys realized they were stuck they did all the right things and a helicopter found them just one day after they failed to return from their trip.

My favorite part of the story comes at the end when the helicopter pilot offers the group a choice: be airlifted to safety but leave their dog behind OR take a GPS to help them navigate out of the gorge themselves. The dog’s owner decides they’ll take their chances with the GPS (bravo!) but in the end they are able to give the dog a sedative so he too can take the helicopter ride out.

Now that’s a happy ending

Related posts:

1. Unprepared for hiking trip? You could get the bill for a rescue.
2. Packing a pulk for winter camping
3. 2008 Camping Gift Guide
4. Proof that winter camping can be fun
5. Urban camping for deals

Tags: california, rescue, safety, spring

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 7:34 am and is filed under camping, hiking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.