Bad week (3 deaths in Tassie & the missing hiker near Thredbo) or I’m just paying more attention these days?
There seems to be a large amount of people (probably post Covid effect) who are day tripping to the Parks and doing hikes, with zero outdoor knowledge, skills or experience.
Similar to tourists attending the beach, without knowing how to swim or understanding rips.
It’s getting worse and worse as more and more people venture out of the city.
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Acatenango in a couple hours!
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Idiots
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I watched the Westpac rescue chopper getting someone out of Cradle Mountain on the weekend. Hundreds of people hiking the park and its fairly rough terrain.
There as a 60yo man who died out there about a week ago. I suspect a heart attack, but that’s pure guesswork.
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Did the Main Ridge circuit from Guthega multi-day hike over a decade ago and the amount of underprepaired walkers doing the Main Ridge as if it was some sort of suburban park walk was eye-opening.
Just wearing t-shirts & shorts with a bottle of water.
Nevermind its an alpine area, with weather conditions both ways unpredictable, it can get farking hot up there with very little shade.
Surprised there aren’t more people in the news getting in trouble.
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Spot on.
When I first started seeing my partner. She’d never been hiking other than up You yangs.
I remember taking her for a 9km short hike, and she thought it was hilarious and complete overkill that I brought my 20L Day pack…. Because she does 9km around the suburbs before work.
She drank all her water within few kms, then had an allergic reaction to something.
Thankfully I brought plenty of extra water (including chlorine tablets) and had a first aid kit with antihistamines! You can guess what I bought her for her birthday! Daypack!
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Two female bush walkers were rock climbing near the Summit track but did not leave enough time to get back before nightfall Saturday night. rescued at 12.40am
Another walker was airlifted from Western Arthurs yesterday and taken to Hobart (medical episode).
an Acquaintance I know goes in and helps out with SES requests when they need ground support.
A lot of people go bushwalking unprepared, no extra food, water or warm clothing, weather can change quickly in Tassie highlands I’ve been caught in snow when been sunny day hours earlier.
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Definitely when I’m hiking alone, I’ll pack with the thought ‘if I break my ankle and I’m stuck out there all night…… what will I need?’
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Yeah, I saw them doing a decent hover and land around Hansons Peak on Saturday. No idea what for, but wasn’t a joy flight.
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Ain’t that the truth. I did some day hiking there a few years back. 16 degrees and cloudy with occasional showers was the forecast, in the middle of summer. I was hoping to climb the summit track but decided not to on account of the weather, all the warnings said not to try unless it was perfect.
Absolutely foul weather rolled in in the early afternoon. Blowing a gale and hailing sideways, I think the temp dropped to 3 or 4 degrees. I had thermals and layers on, and waterproofs (though I didn’t get the waterproof trousers on fast enough), but jeez, I don’t think I’ve been that cold in my life, and I had to hike a couple of hours in it when it was almost to the point I couldn’t see.
Gave me a very healthy respect for the weather down there.
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I pack my PFD the same way while kayaking.
I did have a boatie say I should have got an EPIRB instead of a PLB. My counter was that if ■■■■ goes pear shaped an EPIRB that runs for 48 hours floating away in my kayak isnt even worth the box it came in. At least a PLB is small enough I have it strapped to my PFD and the antenna will point up if I’m treading water. And if you’re not getting picked up in the 24 hour run time you’re probably dead anyway.
I survived Acatenango/Fuego.
From top of Acatenango:
From outside my A-frame, shortly before starting the summit death march:
Summit, looking at Volcán Agua shortly before dawn:
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They found the hiker alive, who was lost on the Hannels Spur Track in Kosciuszko National Park.
He’d left some breadcrumbs for searchers with his hiking poles & rubbish in one location and then firepit & camera with message on it, in another spot.
Sounds like found by another hiking group up on Main Ridge.
Mentioned he survived on some muesli bars found at Opera House hut & looks like the track has some water sources nearby as he would’ve had to last thru some hot days.
Sounds like a brute of a track compared to those east of Main Ridge.
Interesting the inaccuracy of some news reports mentioning Blue Lake.
The helicopter co-ords show the group to be around Carruthers peak on main ridge, so it’s more likely confused with the significantly smaller Club Lake.
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fantastic.
From the reports, the hikers who found him were on the track that runs between Blue Lake and Club Lake. From Carruthers Peak or anywhere along that ridge if he had of sat down he would almost have been able to see the carpark at Charlottes Pass or at least be in plain view of any planes or choppers looking. Seems that they were searching a bit to the west.
Used to camp at Club Lake on Melbourne Cup weekend back in the day when there was still snow around at that time of year, as that was when the road was snow plowed and opened up.
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Does the Bushranger Bay trail count as a hike? Anyway, I did it this morning with Mrs Dons1984. Beautiful walk.
Only negative was the brown snake that slivered past us on the track. Would be good if there were some signs warning city slickers like me of these sort of hazards.
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I’ll give you a tip and save the authorities putting up endless eyesore signs that everyone ignores anyway. It is Australia and whenever you go outdoors do not be surprised if you see a snake.
Sorry not trying to be a smartarse but how many signs do you want? I was riding on a rail trail the other day and I was warned that a snake was on the track about 500m to a km away. Of course for the next two or three kilometres (as people are poor at judging distances) I didn’t enjoy the ride so much not wanting to ride over a snake and of course the snake was probably just moving across the track when the first group came on it and told me. Most snakes if they hear you coming just get out of the way except the ones at Wilsons Prom who couldn’t be arsed moving because they see so many people.
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