Utah man survives for three weeks in Alaskan wilderness

[majorhavoc]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/11/us/man-s ... index.html

This is why it's important to have backup gear and contingency survival plans. If you think that in a stressful situation all your gear's going to work perfectly and you'll make all the right decisions, you're in for a world of hurt. Expect things to go wrong.

[MacWa77ace]

Is that one of those prefab sheds, who new they were made from non fire resistant plastic?
Why do they need so much bracing and internal support on an arch, maybe trade the support costs for a less flammable and more solid roofing material.
Was there a second building that burned?

[raptor]

Being a tropical sea level creature I cannot even imagine the conditions and all of the risks here. That said cold and conditions like these clearly are quickly life threatening and hazardous. I do however have an office in Gillette, WY and go there in the winter for work. They get little snow but -5F & 20 knots of wind is not unusual. I have great respect for the dangers of wind chill there. Still the risks I see in Gillette. WY are a magnitude less than this guy faced.

For the record I do not consider plastic a proper building material in the mild climate of South LA/MS. I will withhold comment other than to go back to the old axiom of have a Plan A AND a Plan B.

His Plan B seemed to be rely on luck & skill.

BTW I feel very sorry for his dog. It had no choice.

[NT2C]

Being a tropical sea level creature I cannot even imagine the conditions and all of the risks here. That said cold and conditions like these clearly are quickly life threatening and hazardous. I do however have an office in Gillette, WY and go there in the winter for work. They get little snow but -5F & 20 knots of wind is not unusual. I have great respect for the dangers of wind chill there. Still the risks I see in Gillette. WY are a magnitude less than this guy faced.

For the record I do not consider plastic a proper building material in the mild climate of South LA/MS. I will withhold comment other than to go back to the old axiom of have a Plan A AND a Plan B.

His no Plan B seemed to be rely on luck & skill.

BTW I feel very sorry for his dog. It had no choice.

This guy didn't even have a decent Plan A, forget Plan B. His only comms was "a crappy cell phone"? The walls and roof were nothing more than plastic tarps and he considered that to be sufficient? He did not know his surrounding area well enough to know what might be safe to walk on? This guy was a lucky idiot, period.

[MPMalloy]

Being a tropical sea level creature I cannot even imagine the conditions and all of the risks here. That said cold and conditions like these clearly are quickly life threatening and hazardous. I do however have an office in Gillette, WY and go there in the winter for work. They get little snow but -5F & 20 knots of wind is not unusual. I have great respect for the dangers of wind chill there. Still the risks I see in Gillette. WY are a magnitude less than this guy faced.

For the record I do not consider plastic a proper building material in the mild climate of South LA/MS. I will withhold comment other than to go back to the old axiom of have a Plan A AND a Plan B.

His no Plan B seemed to be rely on luck & skill.

BTW I feel very sorry for his dog. It had no choice.

This guy didn't even have a decent Plan A, forget Plan B. His only comms was "a crappy cell phone"? The walls and roof were nothing more than plastic tarps and he considered that to be sufficient? He did not know his surrounding area well enough to know what might be safe to walk on? This guy was a lucky idiot, period.

I am sorry to hear this happened but really, a plastic roof???

This guy's luck was incredible. He had some level of skill, but he luck to be alive.

No reliable comms. I can't believe that.

[TacAir]

The Moon may be a harsh mistress, but Alaska weather is lethal.

We call this kind of folks "end of the roaders' - typically wind up going nuts and killing others before they off them selves.

In this case, the dumb ass falls into the realm of idiots like Christopher Johnson McCandless - the dead bus guy.

Happily for him, I only had to pay for his rescue and not his funeral....as happens every summer on the Stampede Trail.

[majorhavoc]

Sometimes I really think we need a Darwin Award thread.

[NT2C]

Sometimes I really think we need a Darwin Award thread.

If you'll pardon the pun, it's been done to death on too many sites already. We need our own award, something for surviving against the odds and without proper preparation. I'm thinking of a figure of a zed made of copper that's gone green, chained to an appropriately sized beat-up wooden pallet, maybe garnished with barbed wire or razor wire to denote second and third awards. We can call it the Zeddy McZedface.

Do the presentations in public with the press and media invited (open bar will get them there the first few times we award it). Get ZS mentioned on the evening news a few times and we'd probably pick up quite a few new members.

[boskone]

Do the presentations in public with the press and media invited (open bar will get them there the first few times we award it). Get ZS mentioned on the evening news a few times and we'd probably pick up quite a few new members.

Maybe just some zombie-head shaped challenge coins? They could have some text like "Lucky dumbass of the year" at the top, and the year at the bottom.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Do the presentations in public with the press and media invited (open bar will get them there the first few times we award it). Get ZS mentioned on the evening news a few times and we'd probably pick up quite a few new members.

Maybe just some zombie-head shaped challenge coins? They could have some text like "Lucky dumbass of the year" at the top, and the year at the bottom.

We may want to do something like a "Lucky dumbass of the month" award too.

Make the "Lucky Dumbass of the year" the big end of the year awards show like the Oscars or the Golden Globes and hand out the Zeddy McZedfaces there.

[raptor]

Do the presentations in public with the press and media invited (open bar will get them there the first few times we award it). Get ZS mentioned on the evening news a few times and we'd probably pick up quite a few new members.

Maybe just some zombie-head shaped challenge coins? They could have some text like "Lucky dumbass of the year" at the top, and the year at the bottom.

We may want to do something like a "Lucky dumbass of the month" award too.

Make the "Lucky Dumbass of the year" the big end of the year awards show like the Oscars or the Golden Globes and hand out the Zeddy McZedfaces there.

Actually I like the thought of a Lucky Dumbass thread.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

A "Lucky Dumbass" thread would work for me as well, Raptor.

We could use it as a sort of 'what not to do in *insert situation type* ' lesson thread.

[majorhavoc]

A "Lucky Dumbass" thread would work for me as well, Raptor.

We could use it as a sort of 'what not to do in *insert situation type* ' lesson thread.

That's a great idea! Might I propose this as the first example?

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=122939

[boskone]

A "Lucky Dumbass" thread would work for me as well, Raptor.

We could use it as a sort of 'what not to do in *insert situation type* ' lesson thread.

I think you have a point, that a body of "how not to survive" info might be useful. Maybe a "Survival by accident" forum, so there's a direct and easy correlation between "person did X" and "here's what person should have done"?

[MPMalloy]

A "Lucky Dumbass" thread would work for me as well, Raptor.

We could use it as a sort of 'what not to do in *insert situation type* ' lesson thread.

That's a great idea! Might I propose this as the first example?

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=122939

Excellent choice, my good man.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

A "Lucky Dumbass" thread would work for me as well, Raptor.

We could use it as a sort of 'what not to do in *insert situation type* ' lesson thread.

I think you have a point, that a body of "how not to survive" info might be useful. Maybe a "Survival by accident" forum, so there's a direct and easy correlation between "person did X" and "here's what person should have done"?

Good idea, Boskone.

Even if it's just a stickied thread in this sub forum, I think it still may be of help.

[RoneKiln]

Do the presentations in public with the press and media invited (open bar will get them there the first few times we award it). Get ZS mentioned on the evening news a few times and we'd probably pick up quite a few new members.

Maybe just some zombie-head shaped challenge coins? They could have some text like "Lucky dumbass of the year" at the top, and the year at the bottom.

You'd only need one. I have too much junk kicking around already so you can just give me the same one every year. Can we please leave the media out of it though? It's fun to tell the stories myself, but not so fun for everyone immediately recognizing me as a dumbass.

[NT2C]

Do the presentations in public with the press and media invited (open bar will get them there the first few times we award it). Get ZS mentioned on the evening news a few times and we'd probably pick up quite a few new members.

Maybe just some zombie-head shaped challenge coins? They could have some text like "Lucky dumbass of the year" at the top, and the year at the bottom.

You'd only need one. I have too much junk kicking around already so you can just give me the same one every year. Can we please leave the media out of it though? It's fun to tell the stories myself, but not so fun for everyone immediately recognizing me as a dumbass.

If we leave the media out of it then what's your plan for attracting corporate sponsorship?

[RoneKiln]

If we leave the media out of it then what's your plan for attracting corporate sponsorship?

My current corporate sponsor will keep sponsoring me on an hourly basis so long as i keep showing up regularly and working smart.

Given the heavy emphasis on safety in my current industry, media coverage would likely lose me my current sponsor.

[raptor]

Done!

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=123797

[00dlez]

Came to late to toss out my own suggestion... Zed Man Walking