News Link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02436.html

They got lost in bad weather and have been found!! Do people leave their house and assume the weather will just stay nice and sunny? This huge storm was forcasted in advance. Where are there navigation skills?? GPS?? They said they had gotten lost before while out hiking.

While I don't want to judge prematurely, it would appear that they are in need of a good lesson in wilderness navigation...

Cool it, guys!

There's a big difference between going up and coming down.

If you're climbing upwards... you KNOW where you're going to be... at the summit.

Going downwards in fog, whiteouts or dense forests is a different story. Theoretically - you could end up anywhere at the mountain's base.

Take note.

Bombchaser wrote:They got lost in bad weather and have been found!! Do people leave their house and assume the weather will just stay nice and sunny? This huge storm was forcasted in advance. Where are there navigation skills?? GPS?? They said they had gotten lost before while out hiking.

Doesn't this same thing happen on all PAC-NW volcanoes ???

Be grateful these folks weren't chased by killer bees, as happened to a man that had to be
rescued off a peak in the Phoenix, AZ area.

lcarreau wrote:

Bombchaser wrote:They got lost in bad weather and have been found!! Do people leave their house and assume the weather will just stay nice and sunny? This huge storm was forcasted in advance. Where are there navigation skills?? GPS?? They said they had gotten lost before while out hiking.

Doesn't this same thing happen on all PAC-NW volcanoes ???

Yup- every year on Shasta I think.

Bees?

You can plot a course in a gps and follow it exactly up and exactly back down....even in whiteout condition a p[erson can still find there way.....technology is amazing. Or a person could just look at the forecast and see there is a massive storm heading for the mountain and not climb it.

billisfree wrote:Cool it, guys!

There's a big difference between going up and coming down.

If you're climbing upwards... you KNOW where you're going to be... at the summit.

Going downwards in fog, whiteouts or dense forests is a different story. Theoretically - you could end up anywhere at the mountain's base.

Take note.

Or you could actually be prepared and have your USGS quad and a decent compass and know how to use them. There's no reason a whiteout should prevent you getting down safely when you're on a snowfield.

I agree with Bill. He led me on a successful St Helens summit in foul weather on 5/17/10. He was constantly checking GPS elevation/ coordinates. Sorry about slowing you down Bill. A few less Marathons before our next climb. We can sit back and laugh about the thunderstorm that just missed us. Thank's again.

tazz wrote:IMO GPS is backup only.

Yes. It's a backup and a toy. No substitute for knowing how to use a map.

tazz wrote:wait till he day your gps dies or can't get a signal, or, or,or...then what? learn how to navigate in the mountains without a GPS. IMO GPS is backup only.

Personally I would rather use the gps, less hassle in bad weather.. I am also proficient with map and compass and land navigation. I just have learned to use the gps and am very confident using it to navigate. If it's good enough for the military, then it's good enough for me. A person should have navigation skills as well though.

mrchad9 wrote:

tazz wrote:IMO GPS is backup only.

Yes. It's a backup and a toy. No substitute for knowing how to use a map.

It's a toy if you are not proficient with it. This is 2010, people use GPS's. I use one in my line of work daily.

Bombchaser wrote:

mrchad9 wrote:

tazz wrote:IMO GPS is backup only.

Yes. It's a backup and a toy. No substitute for knowing how to use a map.

It's a toy if you are not proficient with it. This is 2010, people use GPS's. I use one in my line of work daily.

Yes- I use them too, in whiteout conditions and when in woods in the winter. But I'm careful to look at my surroundings too and not depend on it. A GPS makes navigation much quicker and easier in certain situations, but it would be foolish to depend too much on one.

In 2006 I was on Ben Nevis in a complete whiteout. We couldn't even see the ground vs the sky. We had no GPS, but made it down safely with a map and compass, even with no visibility. There's no chance we'd have made it if I'd always depended on GPS prior to that trip.

I had forgotten my compass in my hotel room, but luckily purchased one at the visitor center. I thought it a bit expensive at the time, turned out to be the best 10 pounds I've EVER spent.

"Where the Fuk you headed.... Don't know, the batteries in my GPS died... Pull out your Altimeter & the Map and Compass.... My what?.......Oh we are soooooooo fkd!"

twoshuzz wrote:

+1 for map & compass.

That picture could get a lot of mileage on this site.