Snowmobiler stranded in freezing Idaho ravine wrote goodbye notes
Long story short, guy went out for a ride in a remote area and wrecked in a ravine. He survived the plunge, but nearly died over the next few days because he hadn't taken any water, survival or self-rescue equipment with him.
The money quote from the story is this one:
"When you're an extreme snowmobiler and you get lost, you're usually dead," Barry Sadler told KECI-TV. "You're going places where people won't go -- where people shouldn't go."
The 54-year-old Mullan, Idaho, man said part of his extreme mindset was to ride without survival gear or water.
Some people are alive today because Darwin was apparently asleep or in the can when their moment came. Barry Sadler (not the former Greet Beret) is clearly one of them.
Sadler suffered some broken bones in his hands and had frostbite.
Two sheriff's deputies involved in the search scolded Sadler for riding by himself and without survival gear, an avalanche beacon or a satellite locator.
Gee, all that's missing here is for Red Forman to walk in and call him a dumbass.
I do hope he foots the bill for the rescue effort.
ReplyDelete+1 ProudHillbilly
ReplyDeleteDarwin missed his chance.
In a normal winter here, in the same situation, his body wouldn't have been found before the wolves started scattering the bones.
ReplyDeleteImpressive, in a head-scratching kinda way, that he can be that stupid and still survive through no effort of his own.
ReplyDeleteIf you can afford a good snowmobile, you can afford a $250 personal EPIRB.
ReplyDeleteYou have one in your plane don't you?
Had to get the dig in :>)
The locators built into some modern radios work, but are not quite as reliable as a waterproof / shockproof EPIRB one. A good example of one is ACR's PLB-375.
Aircraft owners, though typically much smarter than the average snowmobiler, don't get a choice. FAA mandates that we have ELTs in the aircraft that automatically trigger in the event of an impact or really hard landing. (Not that I've triggered one, BTW, but I can recall at least two landings that likely came close.)
DeleteI've lived in Idaho most of the time since 1971, and I had to look it up to see where Mullan is. The nearby town of Wallace I remembered, it was known for itsmany cathouses when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteI spent a day in Wallace one time...got trapped there by a sudden July snowstorm (!!!) while on a motorcycle trip. Several of the locals in a bar I was in thought that was quite amusing, leading me to tell them to "laugh it up, because when the snow goes away, I'm outta here, but you people actually live here."
DeleteHe's better off than this guy: http://wlns.com/2015/01/14/base-jumper-dies-after-jumping-from-tv-news-tower/
ReplyDeleteOooh. Missed that one. Definitely a blog post coming, especially with all of the other numb-nut posters in the comment section defending him. Let them try that here.
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