A tragic story and learnings for the unprepared

[Sammy38]

This is a fairly recent story although it wasn't covered by the Australian news.

In April 2014 two young Dutch girls holidaying in Panama went for a hike on a maintained path to the top of the mountain range Near Boquete Panama. They did not return. A large scale search was undertaken but because they did not inform anyone of their intentions the searchers had no idea where to look.
Months later their remains were found in a river deep in the jungle. Information found in the girls phones and camera helped investigators to piece together the tragic story.
Apart from making a few early mistakes which saw them become lost the girls did exceptionally well to keep themselves alive in the jungle for over a week. Saving their phone battery power by turning them off and only back on to check for a signal, staying in an open area to be seen from the air and setting out help signals on the rocks, sadly that help was much too late.
There are lessons here for us all on letting people know your route and intentions and time lines and packing enough gear to be prepared for the unexpected. Also don't let your bravado override your common sense. If you are lost just turn around and go back the way you came until you are in familiar country.
This story was covered in depth from the time the girls went missing until their remains were found by American Journalist Jeremy Kryt. He even travelled to Panama hiring guides and walking the route to investigate the true story of what happened. I have included the link to the Daily Beast full story which I have found to be the most accurate. Also a Utube video link. there are other sites which cover the story and Utube videos as well. I watched a video of some men walking the same route taken by the girls in the rain. It looked horrendous!. It's not somewhere you would wander into by accident.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-lost- ... full-story

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lo ... ORM=VRDGAR

Having hiked in similar jungle terrain myself I found this story very interesting. I would be interested in others views on what went wrong given the few clues available.

[ChrisJHC]

Looks like a number of contributing factors, but the solution to all would have been a PLB.


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[wildwanderer]

I read the article. Sad story.

At the end it mentions that the hikers photos showed they had ventured to the other side of the mountainside onto a non-tourist local track crisscrossed by multiple trails, animal trails and small creeks (that if dry could be confused for trails).

Looking at the photos the jungle terrain is incredibly thick, once lost and without a working gps and map it would be dam tough to find a way out. In really thick terrain, if you have no aprox idea of your present location and direction to a landmark then even using a compass and map can be a real struggle.

It appears the lost hikers didn’t have anything. No map or, compass. Not unexpected on a walk that was supposed to take half a day return. There would have been a gps on their iPhone which could have pointed to a direction. But I’m unsure if they would have able to use this without installing a offline mapping or direction App.

It appears from the article that the hikers would have been fine if they had stuck to the regular trail. For some reason (and there is a lot of speculation about 3rd party interference) they ventured to the other side of the mountainside and from there were never seen again. Apprently there was no sign indicating the end of the tourist trail at the time they were lost, so maybe they just continued not realising they had reached the turn back point.

Weird that only bone fragments, a few articles of clothing, a backpack (With the iphone and cash inside) and a boot (with a foot still inside) were the only remains found.

Agree with ChrisJHC that the easiest solution is a PLB (in a lost or hiking accident situation). Doesn’t require navigation training just turn it on and you have a fair chance of being rescued. Best solution is a PLB and navigation training.(and carrying navigation aids with you)

[farefam]

I have found that I have little sense of direction when in the forest, especially if it's overcast. Having gotten myself badly lost once when traversing through thick bush, I now always carry a compass, a GPS, spare batteries, map and as a last resort a PLB. Yes it adds some weight, but it's cheap life insurance.

[Gadgetgeek]

I have found that I have little sense of direction when in the forest, especially if it's overcast. Having gotten myself badly lost once when traversing through thick bush, I now always carry a compass, a GPS, spare batteries, map and as a last resort a PLB. Yes it adds some weight, but it's cheap life insurance.

I think the key point there is that you have realized it. A great many don't know that we as humans have no innate ability to navigate, we need visual cues. I know some guys who seem to always know where they are, but its mostly due to 1. local knowledge of the area, and 2. a practiced skill in observing that nears the subconscious, and Sherlockian. Thus many believe they have a literal "sense of direction" but it is just not so.

[NathanaelB]

Looks like a number of contributing factors, but the solution to all would have been a PLB.

Are there any countries or regions where a PLB might actually be not just useless but dangerous because there's no one willing or able to respond to a distress beacon being activated once it's referred by Cospas-Sarsat to the nearest RCC?

[wildwanderer]

Looks like a number of contributing factors, but the solution to all would have been a PLB.

Are there any countries or regions where a PLB might actually be not just useless but dangerous because there's no one willing or able to respond to a distress beacon being activated once it's referred by Cospas-Sarsat to the nearest RCC?

Most likely warzones or countries that dont have functioning governments. i.e. If you activated a PLB in Syria or somalia I would not be expecting rescue anytime soon, but you might get a rocket to speed you to your final destination a bit quicker.

Most common OS destinations like South America, Nepal, Europe etc will have links to the global rescue organisations and be able to organise a rescue. Of course the responce in the french alps is likely to be much faster than say Boliva..

You can search for countries that belong to the global rescue network - http://www.cospas-sarsat.int/en/contact ... etails-all filter for SPOC (SAR Point of Contact). But again if there is a war or significant civil unrest going on, then a countries SAR service would be questionable even if they are listed with COSPAS-SARSAT.

[GPSGuided]

Given the devices are registered, they would know who you are and your nominated contact will be notified. At worst, your family may decide to or not to fund a rescue mission.

[Warin]

Are there any countries or regions where a PLB might actually be not just useless but dangerous because there's no one willing or able to respond to a distress beacon being activated once it's referred by Cospas-Sarsat to the nearest RCC?

Most likely warzones or countries that dont have functioning governments.

There are a number of countries that are so impoverished that they don't have an effective ambulance service. In those countries you would need to fund and resource a rescue. Not a question of a 'functioning government' but one of money.

[NathanaelB]

At worst, your family may decide to or not to fund a rescue mission.

I'm suddenly rethinking who I have listed as my next of kin / emergency contacts

[wildwanderer]

At worst, your family may decide to or not to fund a rescue mission.

I'm suddenly rethinking who I have listed as my next of kin / emergency contacts

Yeah I need to make sure my ex is not listed as next of kin.

She be like... yeah nah he's not out in bush... doesn't need rescuing..

[phenomenomenom]

A strange story indeed. The author, Jeremy Kry, ran another series about a year later. Here are links for anyone interested:

1) https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-a-ser ... -of-panama
2) https://www.thedailybeast.com/murderous ... -highlands
3) https://www.thedailybeast.com/tourist-t ... n-paradise
4) https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-lost- ... a-morgue-1
5) https://www.thedailybeast.com/lisanne-k ... -be-solved

Speculation and rumour abound, but there's very little concrete information...

[Warin]

As the 'unprepared' won't be reading these stories ... some of them will still win 'Darwin Awards'.

[Sammy38]

The last daytime photo from the girls camera tells the story. Kris has walked up a washaway because it looks like a definite track but it ends in thick scrub. She looks back at the camera.
The facial expression and body language says that this is not the way out.
In reality it would have been the way out if they had pushed back through to the top of the ridgeline and then followed the incline to the highest point which was where the previous photos where taken.
Orienteering is an art which is well worth learning. I have been bushed on flat ground in the Gidgee scrub in central Queensland and it is a lot harder to find your way out of that than in mountain country like the border ranges or lamington Plateau. Looking for a small depression in the ground that will give way to a wash away and then to a small stream which leads to a creek and then to a river and then to habitation is and easy way to salvation.
Adding to the problem was that the girls had only just arrived in the country and had not acclimatised from the cold in the Netherlands.
My wife and I hiked in Fiji last year it was 35 Degrees and 90% humidity much like in Panama.
We were fine coming from Queensland but some others from the US and UK had to drop out and go back, It was too much for them. They were in shorts and runners or sandals. We were well kitted out in our hiking gear and packs but our guides were in tee shirts shorts and thongs.It was comical but these guys live there and do the walk every day.

[gbagua]

You can read the whole story here for free without having to subscribe to the Daily Beast site.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMyst ... arance_of/