Missing hiker's body found in 'rugged, heavy wooded' spot south of Appalachian Trail

[Nanatuk]

Lots of discussion about having a map and compass, but The chance of someone orienting themselves from a park map that they pull from their pocket only if they get lost is pretty remote. You've got to have that map out and checking your location at every landmark and intersection.

[Slo-go'en]

Lots of discussion about having a map and compass, but The chance of someone orienting themselves from a park map that they pull from their pocket only if they get lost is pretty remote. You've got to have that map out and checking your location at every landmark and intersection.

If you have a basic free park map and come to an intersection and are unsure which way to go, having that map will help ensure you go in the correct direction. But if you wait until you are already lost to pull out the map, then yeah, it probably wouldn't do you much good.

[HooKooDooKu]

If you have a basic free park map and come to an intersection and are unsure which way to go, having that map will help ensure you go in the correct direction. But if you wait until you are already lost to pull out the map, then yeah, it probably wouldn't do you much good.

The "FREE" maps are just the basic road maps that show all the roads and some of the sights in the park.

The map you need is the Back Country Trail Map and cost $1. Even better is the $3 waterproof version if you can find it.

[MuddyWaters]

You can print trail map out from computer for cost of sheet of paper. 11x17 reccomended

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...Bca45FjsFZLxAU

[Slo-go'en]

You can print trail map out from computer for cost of sheet of paper. 11x17 reccomended

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...Bca45FjsFZLxAU

That takes a certain amount of pre-planning. Often these type of hikes are spur of the moment things. And if you didn't bother to go to the visitor center first, you wouldn't have known about any maps to begin with.

[HooKooDooKu]

You can print trail map out from computer for cost of sheet of paper. 11x17 reccomended

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...Bca45FjsFZLxAU

And while a physical piece of paper is best, you can simply download the PDF of the map to your smart phone while you have service.
https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/maps.htm
(MuddyWater's link is strait to the PDF from a Google search, this is the park service map page)

[blue indian]

I thought you could trace phones without service. Guthooks app tracks you without service so couldnt a smarthphone be traced without the user making calls?

[nsherry61]

I thought you could trace phones without service. Guthooks app tracks you without service so couldnt a smarthphone be traced without the user making calls?

Only if the phone's gps is turned on and an app is running that is recording a track.

[CalebJ]

In that case the phone is receiving GPS data from satellites. It's not pushing anything out for tracking, and very likely not storing that data even if the user has an app like guthooks or other GPS software open unless they were intentionally recording their track.

[blue indian]

In that case the phone is receiving GPS data from satellites. It's not pushing anything out for tracking, and very likely not storing that data even if the user has an app like guthooks or other GPS software open unless they were intentionally recording their track.

Ahh...I see

[Captain Blue]

Guthooks app tracks you without service so couldnt a smarthphone be traced without the user making calls?

How do you get Guthooks app to track a hike? All it ever does for me is tell me where I am at the moment and the distance away various points are.

[Crossup]

These kind of situations always surprise me when I see Naked and Afraid contestants surviving long term 50 deg temps. Yes, I know the N&A not an accurate indication and who know what we dont see that goes on to make it possible. But my point is more that I have a hard time imagining not being able to cope with the weather and deprivations(yes water is the critical factor) for a week...but of course in this case we have no idea how long she did survive or what did happen.
Am I wrong to feel a resourceful and determined person could not expect to survive that area/weather/duration for a week?
Not that I see any reason other than injury/illness that one could stay lost that long there if still mobile.

[scrabbler]

These kind of situations always surprise me when I see Naked and Afraid contestants surviving long term 50 deg temps. Yes, I know the N&A not an accurate indication and who know what we dont see that goes on to make it possible. But my point is more that I have a hard time imagining not being able to cope with the weather and deprivations(yes water is the critical factor) for a week...but of course in this case we have no idea how long she did survive or what did happen.
Am I wrong to feel a resourceful and determined person could not expect to survive that area/weather/duration for a week?
Not that I see any reason other than injury/illness that one could stay lost that long there if still mobile.

I think you're wrong. Go out for a day hike with no gear, only a plastic poncho. In rainy/foggy and 40/50 degree weather. Go do it for a week, and post your trip report. Would love to see how you go about it.

[Emerson Bigills]

I have been in stage one hypothermia twice. Both times, I was fortunate to have a planned ride out and a warm night indoors. Without a tent and dry sleeping bag, I don't think I would have survived one night in either situation. Both times, the temps were probably not lower than 45 degrees, but rainy.

[Heliotrope]

These kind of situations always surprise me when I see Naked and Afraid contestants surviving long term 50 deg temps. Yes, I know the N&A not an accurate indication and who know what we dont see that goes on to make it possible. But my point is more that I have a hard time imagining not being able to cope with the weather and deprivations(yes water is the critical factor) for a week...but of course in this case we have no idea how long she did survive or what did happen.
Am I wrong to feel a resourceful and determined person could not expect to survive that area/weather/duration for a week?
Not that I see any reason other than injury/illness that one could stay lost that long there if still mobile.

Resourceful, determined, prepared, possession of the necessary skills, experienced? Or taken by surprise, minimal experience, no survival skills, none of the 10 essentials, overwhelmed by panic and fear?


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[scope]

Signage? I don't know what it looks like there, but most of what I've seen is rather "demure", like its supposed to fit in better with the natural scenery. When something like this happens, maybe its time to say "screw the scenery" and put something up that makes it rather obvious. Mostly only for clear day-hiking areas. I understand you can't do that everywhere, but seems like this would be the place for big obnoxious signage.

[TNhiker]

so are you suggesting big flashing neon signs?


i think the signs that are up there are sufficient enough........

[scope]

What is sufficient? I don't know what they look like up there, but no, not flashing neon. I'm sure what she passed would be obvious to most of us, but it wasn't to her apparently. There have been more intrusive things done to prevent deaths like this.

[HooKooDooKu]

Signage? I don't know what it looks like there, but most of what I've seen is rather "demure", like its supposed to fit in better with the natural scenery. When something like this happens, maybe its time to say "screw the scenery" and put something up that makes it rather obvious. Mostly only for clear day-hiking areas. I understand you can't do that everywhere, but seems like this would be the place for big obnoxious signage.

This is the current signage:

Parking1.png

There's two signs because at this intersection, the trail that continues strait (shown in the distance) becomes the Bypass trail (Forney Ridge turns right to the parking lot).

As I mentioned in a previous post, the signs are somewhat hidden by a tree until you're almost on top of them. So I could easily see a tired hiker focused on the ground in front of them might miss the 1st sign. But as you can see from the image, the 2nd sign sticks out a little more over the trail, and so you should at least see it out of the corner of your eye as you pass and realize you just passed an intersection sign.

And of course the trial to the right isn't hidden. But as a part of the trail restoration that has been done here, there is a "step" right in the middle of the intersection you can not see in this image. This step consists of small logs on all four sides with the space inside the logs filled with gravel. So again, I can see a tired hiker focused on the ground might not see beyond the "log" on the right side of this step and miss the intersection.

BTW: The part of the sign pointing to the parking lot is about 2' to 2.5' long (so these signs are NOT tiny).

[MuddyWaters]

There is no substitute for knowing where you are going, and paying attention.

If you pass 1 trail to right going, you pass 1 to left coming back

If she made it to AT and turned onto it to left.....well, she should have known she had to turn RIGHT to get back to CD . The truth has to be..she didnt have a clue. Or visibility was poor.

I walk by many trail signs, limited field of vision on one side. I do pay closer attention when its important though.