Hang in There

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/worst_case_scenarios/4331486.html?page=3


Rule 3:
Hang in There

On Saturday, Nov. 18, 2007, Daryl Jané left his cottage on Bainbridge Island in Washington State to head for an overnight event 190 miles away. He had planned to be back the next day. Instead he became the prisoner of a tremendous late autumn snowstorm. [Wonder if he was listening to the weather, on the radio?] Jané was driving on a forest service road [If he'd heard a forecast, might have stayed on the main roads?] as the snow began to pile up. He became stuck 35 miles from his destination when the tires of his '93 Jeep Cherokee sank into deep snow.

In the car, Jané had a near-full gallon of water, some food for the evening, a Wal-Mart sleeping bag and a Seahawks jacket with a fleece liner. [At least he has some supplies. Better than most.] He was certain he'd be rescued the next day, but no one came. He knew he shouldn't leave the shelter of his vehicle to look for help, so he stayed with the Jeep and, as the days passed, settled into a survival routine. [Did he have a cell phone? Was he within cell service?] He slept in fits and starts so he could keep brushing the snow off his door and the roof in case a search helicopter came looking for him. (In fact, the local sheriff had called off the search after the fifth day, convinced Jané was not in the area.) [Hmm. Sounds like the first day is the day to do all your signalling.]

After eight days, Jané was seriously dehydrated. He was literally buried in frozen water, but he knew that it would do him more harm than good. "I had read somewhere not to eat snow if you were stuck," he says. He was correct: It lowers the core temperature of the body, which then must expend precious energy to keep warm. Yet his head ached, his teeth felt fuzzy, and his tongue and lips were cracked- he had to find water or die. Eventually, he wrote a goodbye note to his family and friends and set out with his empty gallon jug to search for water.

Jané struggled through the 5-foot-deep snow until he noticed a depression. He dug through it with a cup, and discovered water. He drank an entire gallon. "It was the greatest feeling," he says, still recalling the first sip vividly. "I could feel that water going through my body. It was like I was the Tin Man being oiled." Once he got back to his Jeep he put away his pen and goodbye note. The water he found kept him alive and gave him hope as the snow continued to fall day after day. [Hope he also filled the galon jug to take back to the truck.]

In the end, Jané was stuck for 14 days before a local snowmobile club found him. He had lost 10 pounds but had suffered from neither frostbite nor hypothermia. [Maybe those snowmobilers will run the length of the forest road next time it snows?]


John Leach, the former RAF instructor, "Unfortunately, people in his situation die all the time, but they don't have to," Leach says. "He didn't have food, but that's not a problem for two weeks-you can live without it. [Food is calories. Calories is heat. Lack of food is a problem.] Fluid is the issue, but he found water." [And probably got diarrhea, but that's treatable.] What really saved Jané, Leach says, is that he adapted to his environment; he understood that he was in trouble and changed his behavior. "Being aware of your surroundings and recognizing the threats means your brain is working on solutions," Leach says, "and that gives you an edge." [How about listening to the radio, and staying on main roads when it's likely to snow? Why don't people stay out of trouble in the first palce?] That awareness starts your brain modeling a plan to keep yourself alive and help in your own rescue, instead of remaining in denial about the problem or simply panicking.

Steve Leslie, a 20-year veteran of Washington State-based Olympic Mountain Rescue, has seen countless people get lost or stranded in the woods. He sees longterm wilderness survival as a challenge of maintenance. "Basically it's housekeeping- your chances of survival go way up if you maintain a good shelter, find water and, if you have any food, parcel it out." [Christopher Young, list owner of Practical Survival 3, sees survival as staying out of trouble when possible.]

Jané created a survival routine and stuck to it: He avoided desperate actions and stayed with his vehicle, kept the roof clear to increase the odds of being found and, most important, never gave up. By facing reality-he was stuck and might be there a long time-and adapting to it, Jané set himself up for the slow, disciplined work of long-term survival.