[pct-l] SOBO

Wed Mar 9 19:41:41 CST 2011

I remember a journal from last season that ended in sadness and
gloom,it read "going SoBo for time purposes"  I then thought to
myself,didnt the record get beat going NoBo? Did these people think
that SoBo meant walking downhill to mexico? On the other note,I boonie
crash all the time,it builds character,and scratches. As far as
getting lost in the US,go west till you hit water,north till you hit
backyard hockey rings,east till you get told to go back west,and south
till you hit beachside umbrella drinks,or mexican rebels depending on
your exact area. Hike On.

On 3/9/11, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:
> Good afternoon,
>
> I believe leaving the trail by following some drainage downhill will very
> rarely – and only coincidentally – be the best solution; and then only after
> one makes a thorough study of the options.  There are so many ancillary
> trails/roads meeting or crossing the PCT that it’s difficult to believe
> bailing off into the bush would be preferable to finding one of them.  An
> existing trail route may seem longer, but bushwhacking typically requires
> 2-5 times longer and is much more difficult and hazardous.
>
> If a hiker can’t find such a trail, or can’t/won’t undertake bushwhacking,
> it would probably be better to stay on the PCT until encountering a
> competent navigator who may be able to offer advice on the best route.
>
> Enjoy,
>
> Steel-Eye
>
> Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 2:00 PM, Austin Williams <austinwilliams123 at gmail.com
>> wrote:
>
>> With all due respect, I've done multiple back country bailouts and the
>> method does work.
>> Yes, you very often will run into waterfalls and dense brush (as I did),
>> but
>> the water does lead to civilisation in all but rare cases).
>>
>> The brush does get very dense (very often in fact), and you have to decide
>> how to proceed when you're in the situation.  And you likely *will* run
>> into
>> several waterfalls (as I did) and you have to make decisions there too.
>>
>> Also, when following the water you'll notice a canyon begining to form
>> around you.  You have to decide whether to stay with the water as the
>> canyon
>> walls grow higher and higher (usually a bad idea) or stay on the high
>> ground, keeping the sound of the rushing water within earshot and
>> continuing
>> to travel in the same direction as the water.
>>
>> Of course, if this isn't obvious to someone attempting a bailout... they
>> clearly aren't the kind of person that should be attempting a bailout.
>>
>> When you attempt a bailout you are taking your life into your own hands to
>> a
>> degree most people never even contemplate.  Depending on where you are
>> when
>> you decide to bailout, you can find yourself in situations where -- if you
>> were to die -- it would be extreamly unlikely that anyone would ever even
>> find your body.  It's something you have to consider before making that
>> decision.
>>
>> It's not a game or a walk in the park, that's for sure.  I remember in one
>> of my "waterfall situations" where I sat for several minutes thining about
>> the risk/rewards of chancing a climb down the waterfall.  I'm a fairly
>> decent rock climber  - that's the only reason I was even considering it.
>> After all was said and done, I decided to chance climbing down.  I made it
>> down without injury.  Someone else in my situation may have made a
>> different
>> choice... but so long as he kept following the water, he would have made
>> it
>> out too (though along a different path).
>>
>> Admittedley, following the water isn't a silver bullet.  But it's pretty
>> damn close.  There are situations where it can lead you astray.  In the
>> desert, for example, flows of water can thin out and dry up before they
>> reach a road or civilisation.  But from Kennedy Meadows North along the
>> PCT,
>> You'd be hard pressed to find a counter example to the rule of thumb.  And
>> if you do try it in the desert and it doesn't work, well... at least you
>> have access to water  :)
>>
>> Tortise mentions several good points.  But I want to point out that when
>> you
>> are lost you need to stop, sit down, and think.  You need to check in with
>> yourself and decide whether you are going to do a baliout (take your life
>> into your own hands) or wait to be rescued.  For most people, waiting to
>> be
>> rescued is the safer course.  For people with strong backcountry
>> navigational skills, primitive living/survival skills, and a strong sense
>> of
>> selfcnfidence and self-reliance.... doing a bailout may be an option they
>> consider.
>>
>> When I find myself off my map (whether on purpose or on accident), or
>> disoriented, or having long-since lost the trail due to snow or over
>> growth,
>> whatever.....  I just remind myself that I'm homosapien (animal), and that
>> homosapiens lived and walked about and navigated the world for hundreds of
>> thousands of years without streets and roadsigns.  I remind myself that -
>> believe it or not - it is possible (though more difficult) to get from
>> point
>> A to point B without a trail.
>> It is also possible to set a bearing and head towards it.  Some people are
>> confident doing that, others are not.
>>
>> Anyway, I digress.   *IF* you get lost and *IF* you decide to do a
>> bailout,
>> THEN following flowing water *IS* a great rule of thumb for finding your
>> way
>> to civilization.  It's not perfect, but then... if you expect it to be
>> then
>> you probably shouldn't attempting a bailout to begin with.
>>
>> Just my two cents.  I forget sometimes that most people never venture off
>> the trail, and so don't fully understand the dangers (and wonders) that
>> lie
>> beyond it.  For those of us that are comfortable off the trail, we can
>> sometimes forget that other people aren't.
>>
>> Austin Williams
>>
>> www.PlanYourHike.com <http://www.planyourhike.com/>
>> Info on PCT gear, resupply points, maps, movies, etc.
>>
>> "*Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a
>> fruit salad.*"
>> -Proverb
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 10:53 AM, Tortoise <Tortoise73 at charter.net> wrote:
>>
>> > It is dangerous advice to just find flowing water and then follow the
>> water
>> > downhill . . .
>> >
>> > 1) the stream may go down thru water falls and steep canyons or just
>> > thru
>> > dense brush that are very difficult to impossible to follow without a
>> trail.
>> > Maybe this is what got John Donovan.
>> >
>> > 2) talking to some of the outdoorsmen around here, one is better off
>> going
>> > uphill as there is likely logging roads there.
>> >
>> > 3) better go to a clearing where you can  be spotted from the air and
>> send
>> > out SOSes.
>> >
>> > 4) at least have area maps with potential bail out routes (roads, side
>> > trails to trailheads) shown. the WP guidebooks also contain road and
>> trail
>> > info for bailouts. Keep track of where you are on your maps/by your
>> > guidebooks.
>> >
>> > 5)  if not the above camp where you can be seen and stay put until
>> > others
>> > realize you are missing / or other travelers come across you. In fact
>> your
>> > first action should be to stop and think, let any panic subside, and
>> coolly
>> > consider your options.
>> >
>> > Tortoise
>> >
>> > <> Because truth matters.  <>
>> >
>> >
>> > On 03/08/11 10:05, Austin Williams wrote:
>> >
>> > If you decide not to bring one then make sure you know how to do a
>> > backcountry bail-out (in general, find flowing water, follow it forever
>> > until you find a road, follow road to civilisation.  Works everywhere
>> except
>> > Australia and remote parts of Canada and Russia).
>> >
>> > Tortoise
>> >
>> > <> Because truth matters.  <>
>> >
>> >
>> > On 03/08/11 10:05, Austin Williams wrote:
>> >
>> > If you decide not to bring one then make sure you know how to do a
>> > backcountry bail-out (in general, find flowing water, follow it forever
>> > until you find a road, follow road to civilisation.  Works everywhere
>> except
>> > Australia and remote parts of Canada and Russia).
>> >
>> >
>> >
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