Bushwalk Australia

ollster wrote:IThis particular topic always raises the hackles on this forum. If you'd done a search (and rescue? har har) first you'd understand what to expect. I'm willing to believe you didn't request the heli, but still, you may have been able to do more to solve the situation without reverting to calling 000 for something so mundane.

Exactly.
To me it sounds like they panicked, and the operator caught up on that and wasn't prepared to take chances. And for something that a little knowledge and commonsense would have dealt with. Some ignorance is not, in my opinion, excusable.

Also, 4pm in December in Tasmania is not 'night'. There's still 5 hours of usable light. You could just about hop out from Mt Fortescue in that time.

G'day young tassiehiker, well done in looking after you mate life is so full of learning experiences and at the grand old age of 20 years it is all in front of you and remember everyone is an expert after the event so dont be too worried with what they said ,of course they were never young nor inexperienced, they were all born bushwalking experts who have never made a mistake
corvus

well put, corvus. i've certainly got a few stories myself from my youthful forays. one thing for sure is that i would not recommend posting any misadventures on this forum unless you enjoy being judged from on high, which is a pity because an objective assessment of how certain situations occur, how they might be avoided and what could have been done might be of benefit to all. we all have the desire for challenge and adventure in the bush in common and we ought to keep that in mind

ignavus davus wrote: you should have made a rational decision to camp overnight where you were (or close by on flat ground) and reassess the situation in the morning. I have known many walkers to sprain ankles and become stranded for a couple of days before they could walk again. I hope you had enough spare food to last an extra day or two for if this was needed.

Does this advice include the instance of day walks? I, for one, don't carry camping gear or two days worth of food for a 4 hour return walk.

corvus wrote:G'day young tassiehiker, well done in looking after you mate life is so full of learning experiences and at the grand old age of 20 years it is all in front of you and remember everyone is an expert after the event so dont be too worried with what they said ,of course they were never young nor inexperienced, they were all born bushwalking experts who have never made a mistake
corvus

+1

sthughes wrote:

corvus wrote:G'day young tassiehiker, well done in looking after you mate life is so full of learning experiences and at the grand old age of 20 years it is all in front of you and remember everyone is an expert after the event so dont be too worried with what they said ,of course they were never young nor inexperienced, they were all born bushwalking experts who have never made a mistake
corvus

+1

If no one critiqued, questioned, or gave advice then we'd all be ignorant and not learn of other's experience. These instances HAVE to be questioned Corvus and sthughes - at least to get the story straight (as we can see the opening post left out some key details). Isn't that bleedingly obvious?

Strider wrote:

ignavus davus wrote: you should have made a rational decision to camp overnight where you were (or close by on flat ground) and reassess the situation in the morning. I have known many walkers to sprain ankles and become stranded for a couple of days before they could walk again. I hope you had enough spare food to last an extra day or two for if this was needed.

Does this advice include the instance of day walks? I, for one, don't carry camping gear or two days worth of food for a 4 hour return walk.

not many folk do... but a shock blanket, raincoat, small fuel stove, cup and a few rations - maybe.... but then is it really safer to camp semi-equipped in Tassie if you are inexperienced at minimal camping etc???
Also - if you take off your boot it may not go back on after swelling.

ollster wrote:If no one critiqued, questioned, or gave advice then we'd all be ignorant and not learn of other's experience. These instances HAVE to be questioned Corvus and sthughes - at least to get the story straight (as we can see the opening post left out some key details). Isn't that bleedingly obvious?

I reckon tassiehiker has already learned plenty by the whole ordeal, non-constructive criticism like suggesting he stick to Playstation is hardly going to help. There is probably more to be learned by people telling their stories here than there is by sticking the boot into them, and hence discouraging them and others from posting their embarrassing mistakes.

I have no issues with helpful criticism like your first post Ollster, or questioning the details of how it all unfolded.

sthughes wrote:non-constructive criticism like suggesting he stick to Playstation

I'd forgotten about that one... yeah, fair point.

Are you building up to sharing an embarassing mistake hughesy (or Corv?)

Nuts wrote:Are you building up to sharing an embarassing mistake hughesy (or Corv?)

You think they're trying to soften the audience?

For the record, I've never been lost or stranded, but I have been separated from the rest of the group. It was hilarious because I could hear them looking for me (doing a grid search, no less) and I was exactly on the route we had agreed. Unfortunately I'd managed to walk above and around them somehow while they were taking a break and ended up about a km or so across the other side of the valley. Funny stuff...

ollster wrote: It was hilarious because I could hear them looking for me (doing a grid search, no less) ...

You were crouching low and keeping quiet?

Nuts wrote:

ollster wrote: It was hilarious because I could hear them looking for me (doing a grid search, no less) ...

You were crouching low and keeping quiet?

Only way I could get some ****ing peace!

Strider wrote:Does this advice include the instance of day walks? I, for one, don't carry camping gear or two days worth of food for a 4 hour return walk.

That's a good question, I've occasionally wonder if people carry survival food. But how much food do you need to "survive". I carry two or three energy bars tucked away in the bottom of my day pack should I every end up stranded overnight. So when I finally do have the need, I can eat my ancient energy bar and die of food poisoning instead of dying of starvation.

ollster wrote:For the record, I've never been lost or stranded, but I have been separated from the rest of the group. It was hilarious because I could hear them looking for me (doing a grid search, no less) and I was exactly on the route we had agreed. Unfortunately I'd managed to walk above and around them somehow while they were taking a break and ended up about a km or so across the other side of the valley. Funny stuff...

yea.. It was real funny after searching for an hour and seriously contemplating whether we sent a party off to call for search and rescue.

Hi

Um? The things you stumble across when researching a wilderness wander that had piqued my interest on another thread. Then I find some people have been head kicking the young, and factually incorrect as well with some of their comments.

It is never easy call to make when troubling emergency services and I for one believe that we should support people, especially the young, when they have to make a judgement call, not make the "playstation" hogwash and such garbage comments. In all very disappointing standard of medical-related comments (did not realise that we had so many qualified medical doctors on the site) posters should be of an age to support the young, not trash them.

The fact that 000 chose the means of assistance suggests that they had their concerns. There is standard filtering of calls and obviously they made a decision based on safety first, which they should do. What needs to be considered is a coronal inquest recently was highly critical of a glib 000 operator whose inactions resulted in a young person dying from dehydration. I can see we have a few posters that are equally a glib and disinterested in young lives.

Anyway congratulations to the young hiker and I hope that when you are faced with the uncertainty of a medical condition you not dissuade from been proactive in seeking help by the comments made by some. Hopefully, 000 might be able to assist in establishing the severity of the condition and at the end of the day it is their call what they do.

Regards

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