The psychology of getting lost

Many of us have been there: maybe you had a low-resolution map, not knowing exactly where the camp spot is, and after every curve, you thought, "It'll be after the next one." It is important to realize if you're lost during a hike, because what starts out as harmless as this may turn into a fatal trip. 11 percent of search and rescue cases are fatal, and almost three quarters of those die within 48 hours of hypothermia.

Phase 1: Denial

You push on, believing that your destination lies close at hand. Your mental map, which is created by the hippocampus in your brain, may be inaccurate, so you're actually not where you think you are. Very few people who get lost ever backtrack in this stage.

Phase 2: Panic

You realize that it seems to be longer to get to your destination than you had expected, and landmarks seem unfamiliar. There is a tendency to hurry to 'find the right place', says search and rescue expert William G. Syrotucks. In later stages, the person behaves irrationally and may begin rushing and frantically thrashing through the brush. The amygdala in your brain had triggered action. You may think it would be rational to climb to a lookout, but you're exhausted, and instead, you easily end up injuring yourself.

Phase 3: Strategic Planning

After you've expended the chemicals of emotion (usually following injury or exhaustion), you form a strategy for finding some place that matches your mental map. You attempt to backtrack. It's too late for this, however, as by this time, you are genuinely lost.

Phase 4. Deterioration

You become progressively worse emotionally and rationally, as the strategy you have devised fails to resolve the problem of being lost. At this stage, many give up.

Phase 5: Resignation

As you run out of options (and energy), you become resigned to your plight. You make a new mental map with yourself in the center. You assess what you have and go into survival mode. You discard the hope of rescue. As paradoxical as this may seem, this is an essential step that separates the survivors with those who die. You accept the new world you are in and let your brain settle down. The sooner you progress to this last phase, the better your chances of survival.

Note: All of the information in this post was gathered from the excellent book Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales. It's one of my favourite books and an amazingly exciting read; highly recommended!

Have any of you noticed yourself going through these same phases? Or can you identify these phases in episodes of I Shouldn't Be Alive? Share in the comments below!

How the drought in California is affecting our parks

We've seen two years of drought and a constant slow warming across the Sierra Nevada, and 2013 was the driest year since the state started measuring rainfall in 1849. Paleoclimatologist B. Lynn Ingram says that, according to the width of old tree rings, California hasn’t been this dry for about 500 years. But how does the drought affect our national parks, the wildlife, and how we enjoy nature?

1. More and larger forest fires. California is especially vulnerable to forest fires, and this year, there were much more than usual. An especially damaging one was in August, when the Rim Fire ravaged Yosemite National Park, leaving a barren moonscape that researchers say is larger than any burned area since the Little Ice Age, which began in 1350. For years forest ecologists have warned that Western wildfires will only get worse.

2. Bears waking up from hibernation earlier. In cities and towns surrounding the Sierra Nevadas, there have been increased sightings of bears, possibly because the drought cuts down on bears’ food sources. They're out and about as much as three months ahead of schedule!

3. Fish migrations disrupted. Salmon and steelhead trout are in danger as low water levels in many rivers may prevent them from migrating and spawning.

4. Less snow. That means no skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing in winter. Instead, you can go hiking or horseback riding.

5. Plant flowering disrupted. In Southern California, the iconic Joshua Trees of Joshua Tree National Park recently produced larger flowers than residents have ever seen, possibly because of a biological urge to produce more seeds to survive with less rain. While the huge blooms were beautiful, they’re a sign that the trees, which have been in decline, are struggling to survive.

6. Decline of the desert tortoise. The Agassiz’s desert tortoise tolerates the desert... but not droughts this extreme. They might die of starvation or dehydration. Also, the drought had killed off annual plants and triggered a crash in populations of rodents that eat them. As a result, coyotes, which normally thrive on kangaroo rats and rabbits, turn to the lumbering tortoises for sustenance.

I only touched on a few species that are impacted by this year's drought, but in reality, entire ecosystems are being threatened. Let's hope we get some rain soon, and let's all do our part in conserving water, in the meantime! What impacts of the drought have you noticed? Please share your observations and comments below!

Stocking Stuffers for Ultralight Backpackers

1. ENO Twilights LED Camp Lights
2. LiteTrail NyloBarrier Odor Proof Bag (3-Pack) for no-smell WAG bags
3. Snow Peak Titanium Single Wall Cup 600
4. Victorinox SwissCard / Swiss Army Knife Replacement Scissors - smallest scissors ever!
5. Light My Fire Spork - BPA-Free plastic or titanium
6. Dyneema Ironwire 50' Orange
7. Bushnell PowerSync SolarWrap Mini USB Charger
8. Kahtoola MICROspikes Traction System - to hike in the snow with ultralight shoes
9. Outdoor Research Sparkplug Gaiters
10. ENO DoubleNest Hammock

Mt Whitney Attempt: August Hailstorm

My Dad and I attempted to hike Mt. Whitney with a large group in the middle of August, which usually has bluebird skies. This is how it turned out.


There was a completely freak thunderstorm, for this time of the year. We later found out that some people in our group had it even worse and got caught in the storm before they made it to camp and had to spend the night under a rock!

Does anyone else have experiences with freak storms in the middle of summer? Share in the comments!

Pine chewing gum

During a hike in the Sierras, I found a some pines with huge chunks of fresh sap. I remembered that when I was little, I had read in The Sign of the Beaver that you can chew the sap into a chewing gum. So I tried it for myself!

The sap wad was still soft on the inside, but with a firm crust.

I took a wad about the size of a large gumball and started chewing. In the beginning, it wasn't very pleasant, it stuck into my teeth and tasted bitter with a strong pine taste. My hiking partner thought I was crazy.

After about 30 minutes, I got "proper" gum. It was stretchy, no longer stuck to my teeth and had a more pleasant, mild pine taste. If you try this yourself, keep in mind that you'll need a lot of patience!

The pine gum is pretty stretchy. You can't blow bubbles, though.

 Share your experiences or other cool on-the-trail snacking tips in the comments!

The most random hiking encounter and party ever!

While backpacking the weekend with my Dad, we were shocked and surprised to see signs to a Hungarian meetup. We're Hungarian, and there aren't that many of us around, so imagine as our excitement as the signs read "you're 3/4 way there, you're halfway there, you're almost there", etc. As it turns out, there was a cabin party / Hungarian meetup / potluck one mile in on that same trail, on the very same day we were there!

Partying it up with some of our new friends

We ended up having amazing home-cooked food for lunch, drinking wine and moonshine pálinka (incredibly strong fruit spirits), and making tons of new friends, before continuing on our path up to camp. We ended up hiking hours later and several pounds heavier (in our bellies) than we expected to, but it was worth it. This was the most amazing random hiking encounter ever!

Backpacking in minimalist trail-running shoes

You might have heard the old adage of 1 pound on the feet equals 5 pounds on the back. Because of this, I've been slowly getting used to hiking in minimalist trail-running shoes, in preparation for climbing Mt. Whitney.
 

My beautiful Merrell shoes

How slowly? I got the shoes in mid-June, and in almost 2 months, I was up to jogging ~5 miles in them without my ankle or Achilles tendon hurting.

The shoes underwent their first real test this weekend, when I went backpacking in them for the first time. During the two-day trip, we hiked 11.6 miles and covered an elevation difference of 4,300 ft. I didn't weigh my pack, but it probably weighed around 25 lbs including water, which we had to carry with us. Now, a day after the trip, I can barely walk down stairs due to sore muscles, but my ankles are fine! Success. This means I will be hiking Mt. Whitney in these minimalist shoes.

It was interesting stepping on a pebble for the first time. You feel sharp rocks a lot more than in hiking boots, and even tennis shoes! Oh, and do not kick any cacti or agave, those thorns will go straight through the mesh parts!

What are your experiences backpacking in minimalist shoes? Post your comments below!