BLACKHAWK DOWN! Navigation & Hydration: Lessons Learned

[2ski]

Ditto. I for one am adding a few things to my pack list after reading this. Some meds, and pedialite depending on the terrain.

 

[Pilgrim]

Regarding my FIL's ailments:

I believe he had AMS in addition to whatever virus the Doc saw in his blood. As mentioned, he experienced similar conditions last year, but nowhere near this extreme. By time the condition had set in, we were at our destination so he was able to relax and let it pass. This time, he was here in Aurora for almost a week, but I guess another 4K+ ft elevation to the trailhead, plus over 8 miles in, his body was forced to react to such foreign conditions.

Regarding the DeLorme:

It's the DeLorme "InReach." http://www.inreachdelorme.com/
It features two-way S.O.S. comms among many other advantages over the SPOT.

Also, if you've seen a guy on here with the handle, "armyjoe," you now know him as MANCHOWDER. Rumor has it he has an odd, irregular affinity for "man chowder."

 

[Darren Best]

Hand sanitizer ............... use it use it use it. Most back country illnesses are self inflicted.

Ultima Replenisher is my favorite electrolyte replacement.

 

[Longstride12]

Thank you for sharing this experience with us. I will defiantly go into the back country more prepared next time after having read this. I think your execution after the situation turned emergency was phenomenal. I don't think it would hurt one bit to take some sort of life safety training (red cross or similar) and you were way ahead of the game in that department. There are many things you did better than I would have due to your knowledge and experience. Once again thank you for sharing, hopefully I'll learn from your experience so I don't make the same mistake on a future trip.

 

[IrishnId]

That story was almost identical to my archery elk hunt last year. My partner woke up vomiting and diarrhea with shakes and cramps. He wanted to call for an evac, but we had no way to communicate with the outside. I warmed him by fire, gave him water to sip and broke camps down while he rested and hydrated. I packed his camp into his pack and strapped it to my Highcamp. Hauled everything out while helping him shuffle down the trail. He ended up in the hospital for a few days with a virus. I thought for sure it was Giardia but was a nasty stomach bug as well. The spot sounds handy. Glad yer trip wasn't worse.

 

[Schleppy]

Ditto. I for one am adding a few things to my pack list after reading this. Some meds, and pedialite depending on the terrain.

Me too

 

[extreme minnesotan]

I greatly enjoyed reading this. It also made me think of different items I should consider packing. It is really making me think of taking some basic first aid training or other something of that nature. I never thought I needed a SPOT, or similar item, but this really made me think different. I defiantly gained some insight after reading this. I always think that will never happen to me, or that I am only a mile or two in. But in some instances only a mile in makes it very hard for someone to find you if you don't make it out at night.