Lost in the mountains

[OldBroad44]

Shortly after moving to Oregon I was a young broad toodling around in the coastal mountains happily lost on logging roads in a camper with two dogs. "Happily lost" means there was a comfy bed and sleeping bag and all my winter camping and emergency gear and food and water in the rig, and I had nowhere I needed to be for days. I even had a map that showed a couple of the logging roads. Had started across mountains to see if I could get to Alsea on logging roads. According to map, no, there were no logging roads or any roads that went across the mountains. But map didn't know about most of logging roads I had been on for the last couple of hours . It was a maze in there. However, I could just pull over and spend the night anywhere anytime I got tired of driving. I was also wearing a Colt 4" .357 mag concealed on left side. Always carried on left side when driving in case I needed to pick up a hitch hiker.

Early spring in Oregon. Had started drizzling. Dusk. Three guys came walking along road toward me. Got out with the Chow/Spitz cross dog who was seriously protective (but low key and discreet). (The husky looked ferocious but was a cream puff.) Guys had been out riding around in jeep. Jeep had broken down and they had been walking for hours. And were more hours from home if they had to walk. And were damn cold. And were now wet. Yes they would be happy to accept a lift back to civilization, and even knew where that was. Gave the dog the signal to allow passengers, and put two guys in back and one in passenger seat.

After a while guy in front started saying things. And dog got between me and him. Danger. I pulled over and stopped rig. Took a look at guy. His body was shaking violently. He was speaking but incoherent. Hypothermia! Got guys to strip him and wrap him with warm dry blankets from my MN gear and put him in sleeping bag. He was coherent and not shaking by the time I got guys home. The other guys had been far from comfy when I picked them up. But not hypothermic.

 

[P7M13]

Shortly after moving to Oregon I was a young broad toodling around in the coastal mountains happily lost on logging roads in a camper with two dogs. "Happily lost" means there was a comfy bed and sleeping bag and all my winter camping and emergency gear and food and water in the rig, and I had nowhere I needed to be for days. I even had a map that showed a couple of the logging roads. Had started across mountains to see if I could get to Alsea on logging roads. According to map, no, there were no logging roads or any roads that went across the mountains. But map didn't know about most of logging roads I had been on for the last couple of hours . It was a maze in there. However, I could just pull over and spend the night anywhere anytime I got tired of driving. I was also wearing a Colt 4" .357 mag concealed on left side. Always carried on left side when driving in case I needed to pick up a hitch hiker.

Early spring in Oregon. Had started drizzling. Dusk. Three guys came walking along road toward me. Got out with the Chow/Spitz cross dog who was seriously protective (but low key and discreet). (The husky looked ferocious but was a cream puff.) Guys had been out riding around in jeep. Jeep had broken down and they had been walking for hours. And were more hours from home if they had to walk. And were damn cold. And were now wet. Yes they would be happy to accept a lift back to civilization, and even knew where that was. Gave the dog the signal to allow passengers, and put two guys in back and one in passenger seat.

After a while guy in front started saying things. And dog got between me and him. Danger. I pulled over and stopped rig. Took a look at guy. His body was shaking violently. He was speaking but incoherent. Hypothermia! Got guys to strip him and wrap him with warm dry blankets from my MN gear and put him in sleeping bag. He was coherent and not shaking by the time I got guys home. The other guys had been far from comfy when I picked them up. But not hypothermic.

Serendipity that you came along.

 

[OldBroad44]

Serendipity that you came along.

That's for sure. I had been on those logging roads all day and never seen another vehicle or person. Not obvious the two sturdier guys could have got the other guy back home once he developed hypothermia. They were all lightly dressed, no packs or gear. Young guys. Early 20s I'd say. Very familiar with the mountain and the maze of logging roads. Just assumed they could joyride around the mountain top in their heated jeep and be home by dinner. No need to take gear. Probably felt immortal and invulnerable to bad luck. Most of us do when young until reality intervenes. With a little luck we survive and learn.

An odd thing was there was no sign of hypochondria in anybody when I pulled over and first talked with guys. None were shaking. All were coherent. (As was my norm with potential hitchhikers, I had pulled over about ten yards short of guys so it was obvious that I was stopping and they and I had a chance to look each other over as I and dog approached. They had not waved or signalled or put out a thumb. I just stopped camper, got out with dog, walked up, and said "Would you guys like a lift somewhere?"

I think the guy who developed classic signs of hypothermia only after riding a few minutes in the passenger seat must have been so chilled circulation to his exterior flesh and extremities was already constricted and they were chilled, but his body core and brain were still warm enough to be functional. But when he sat in passenger seat , not only was he no longer generating heat from exercise, but the warm air from heater caused his circulation to outer flesh and extremities to open up, and chilled blood dropped average temperature drastically enough so brain temp dropped too low to be functional. Just my speculation. Whatever the mechanism, my experience suggests that it is wise to stay with anyone who has been chilled while they are rewarming . If victim's brain goes haywire temporarily during rewarming he/she could walk out of cabin naked and run off or do something else suboptimal. Part of why hypothermia is so dangerous is it screws up brain. And it messes up victims temperature sensing and regulating so they often remove clothes, leaving a trail of shoes, socks, mittens, and other clothes on the path leading to the body.

 

[P7M13]

That's for sure. I had been on those logging roads all day and never seen another vehicle or person. Not obvious the two sturdier guys could have got the other guy back home once he developed hypothermia. They were all lightly dressed, no packs or gear. Young guys. Early 20s I'd say. Very familiar with the mountain and the maze of logging roads. Just assumed they could joyride around the mountain top in their heated jeep and be home by dinner. No need to take gear. Probably felt immortal and invulnerable to bad luck. Most of us do when young until reality intervenes. With a little luck we survive and learn.

An odd thing was there was no sign of hypochondria in anybody when I pulled over and first talked with guys. None were shaking. All were coherent. (As was my norm with potential hitchhikers, I had pulled over about ten yards short of guys so it was obvious that I was stopping and they and I had a chance to look each other over as I and dog approached. They had not waved or signalled or put out a thumb. I just stopped camper, got out with dog, walked up, and said "Would you guys like a lift somewhere?"

I think the guy who developed classic signs of hypothermia only after riding a few minutes in the passenger seat must have been so chilled circulation to his exterior flesh and extremities was already constricted and they were chilled, but his body core and brain were still warm enough to be functional. But when he sat in passenger seat , not only was he no longer generating heat from exercise, but the warm air from heater caused his circulation to outer flesh and extremities to open up, and chilled blood dropped average temperature drastically enough so brain temp dropped too low to be functional. Just my speculation. Whatever the mechanism, my experience suggests that it is wise to stay with anyone who has been chilled while they are rewarming . If victim's brain goes haywire temporarily during rewarming he/she could walk out of cabin naked and run off or do something else suboptimal. Part of why hypothermia is so dangerous is it screws up brain. And it messes up victims temperature sensing and regulating so they often remove clothes, leaving a trail of shoes, socks, mittens, and other clothes on the path leading to the body.

I went hypothermic like that twice after long motorcycle rides in freezing temperatures, full body shakes but without the cognitive crash.
Learned to use dynamic tension to keep my body heat up and move it around to my extremities.

 

[orygun]

I went hypothermic like that twice after long motorcycle rides in freezing temperatures, full body shakes but without the cognitive crash.
Learned to use dynamic tension to keep my body heat up and move it around to my extremities.

I once bought a Sunday Oregonian about 4 in the morning on my way back from Sand Lake to use as a windblock under my leather jacket. I was in full shivers by the time I hit Sunset Highway and I still had 45 minutes to go.
That shower felt better than any other shower, ever!

 

[osprey]

I sold my 4 wheeler after a couple hypothermic events. Grip heaters and good foot wear keep the digits which usually get cold first from giving the early warning. By the time I realized my core temp was dropping I had a miserable rides back to camp in bad conditions. Thank god for a warm wall tent and sleeping bag.

 

[Fibonaccisnipe]

The answer to your question could be so many things.

They don't trust anyone, possibly thought you were part of an ambush.
They don't care , locals only, you got yourself in-you get yourself out.
They were doing something illegal, don't need anyone getting a good look at them/their vehicle. Did you feel like they were trying to get away after you saw them?
Maybe just plain ignorant " oh look ,mortimer, a fellow merry-maker enjoying his day" .
There's probably more scenarios to boot.

Exactly my point

 

[aziz]

Years ago down in AZ in what is now undoubtedly a gated community north of Pinnacle Peak a couple friends and I started wondering around the desert, not paying a ton of attention, but it was spring and we were 20ish. Anyway, time to find the car, which is right over . . . no? Maybe over there? Nope again. We hadn't gone more than a couple hundred yards from the car, but there were just enough dips and rises in the terrain that we walked within less than 50 yards of the car 4 or 5 times before we found it. It's a lot easier to get turned around than most people realise!

perhaps ON X or a GPS and set a waypoint at the vehicle

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

perhaps ON X or a GPS and set a waypoint at the vehicle

By "years ago" I mean like 40+, so not much of an option at the time

 

[Nosferatu]

By "years ago" I mean like 40+, so not much of an option at the time

What are you talking about? History and mapping didn't start until Google came about!

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

What are you talking about? History and mapping didn't start until Google came about!

 

[Bobbygun]

By "years ago" I mean like 40+, so not much of an option at the time

Oh man. Those early GPSs were a little finicky. About all you could do is mark a waypoint where you parked your rig, then tried to get back to it. Very little in the way of mapping. I remember setting a waypoint in the Ochocos, only to spend 30 minutes walking up and down a road trying to find my pickup. I think I was a little hasty when I set the waypoint, not waiting long enough for the GPS to really lock in on my location. My pickup turned out to be about 1/4 mile away.

 

[echo1]

Not exactly a lost story. Back in "68, when the holidays fell on the DAY, instead of the default Monday, every once in a great while you'd get a 5 day slot of off time. Well, me and my backpacking buds decided on a new destination, "Thousand Lakes Primitive Area", northwest of Lassen NP.
DAY 1: So we load up my buds sister's '65 split- window VW bus and head out after school. By the time we got out of the Bay Area & crossed the valley it was dark, so we frog gigged our way to the Serria foothills.
DAY 2: When we got to the "Lava Tubes", on the west approach to Lassen, we stopped and had frog legs for breakfast. We continued on to Hat Greek, world renown for trout fishing. Turned west at Hat Creek ranger station and head the 20 miles of forest service roads to the primitive area. It was August (?), they'd been heavily logging and a couple of saddles we went through had 18" of dust. Anyway, we get to the trailhead, marker sign confirms what our map said, Maggee Lake, the 2nd biggest in the primitive area, 2.5 miles, 2 miles of it straight up through broken shale, 3 steps up, slide back 2 steps, plus it was over 100* at 10am. Took most of the morning and part of the afternoon to get there. We didn't really think about it, but the wilderness area was on a high plateau and snow melt were the lakes only water supply. First lake Maggee, MUD hole. Decide to press on. The next "lake", Everett, another mile was the biggest (on our chart), We got there, it's a pond, 2 feet deep for a hundred yards. To say the least we got skunked on the trout action.
DAY 3: Hike back to the bus in a couple hours, load up and head out. A half mile from the trail head we went through one of the dusty saddles. In the middle of the deepest part, the bus quit, stopped dead. My 3 buds were all mechanics, 2 worked at a Flying A service station. They poke at it for a few hours then decide we have to move the dead bus off the logging road or risk getting bulldozed by a logging truck the next day, Monday. Took 6 hours to dig our way off the road on to the shoulder, make camp.
DAY 4: Next morning we draw straws to see who's going with the owner and hike out. I lose and get to trek 20 miles to the ranger station. Takes all morning to get to the station. The rangers BIL has a jeep and can fetch us after work. BIL shows up in a '43 Willys about 6, takes a couple hours to tow us to the little Hat Creek store. Spend the night in the parking lot.
DAY 5: The "mechanics" decide it's the points & condenser and have to hitch hike 30 miles to an auto parts store in Burney. Of course, it takes the owner and another bud all day there and back. Replace said parts...NO beno. Make the call to "DAD", he can't get there until day after tomorrow.
DAY 6: Fish Hat Creek, catch some pan size.
DAY 7: Dad shows up late in the morning, tows us to a Burney service station. It's over a hunnerd degrees, the weathered mechanic, at least 90 years old in long sleaved coveralls and quilted painter's hat with no brim, pops the deck lid, stands back and says: "You boys been up in the red dirt", whips out a screwdriver and grounds the positive generator terminal to the core, makes a little spark and fires right up. He said the red dirt has a lot of iron in it and reversed the polarity on the 6-volt system. Took 5 minutes, charged us $2 bucks. Pointed the bus west and headed for Freekmont, 12 hours out at VW bus speed. That's when I decided to learn VWs, PAX

 

[OldBroad44]

They actually work reasonably well, if your climbing partner isn't a space blanket hog. Ask me how I know...

Okay. How do you know?

 

[sobo]

Okay. How do you know?

OK, OB, this story is going to take a little while to type it up. And I'm headed out on yet another date in an hour, so it'll be a little while... maybe tomorrow morning... or tomorrow afternoon... or so...