Bushwalk Australia

SES search for missing hikers at Halls Gap Jessica Evans Herald Sun May 01, 2013 7:41PM

SES crews are searching for a group of lost hikers at Halls Gap in Victoria's west this evening.

An SES spokeswoman said the walkers became lost on the Pinnacle walking track before 6.30pm.

''Stawell SES will be going in to guide the people out,'' the spokesperson said.

''Until they find them we hope that they stay where they are until they can be located.''

Police are assisting SES with the search near the vicinity of Mt Victory Rd, Grampians Rd and Wonderland Rd in Halls Gap.

The exact number of hikers is currently unknown.

Were they found?

Kinsayder wrote:Were they found?

Looks like it..

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 6633396040

Thanks, Strider. Glad it's ended well. No idea how you could get lost on the Pinnacle track though.

Darkness, he got lost around 6:30 pm so it was already night time.

Hallu wrote:Darkness, he got lost around 6:30 pm so it was already night time.

It's not a long hike though, surely he could see the sun going down. I'm putting him down as a bit of a dill.

Obviously lacked forethought and didn't take a headtorch. I would have thought nighttime occuring at the end of the daytime was fairly predictable...

Strider wrote:Obviously lacked forethought and didn't take a headtorch. I would have thought nighttime occuring at the end of the daytime was fairly predictable...

You'd think, wouldn't you. Unless something happened. Broken leg. Medical condition. That type of thing. Still seems a bit silly.

lol have you noticed how those topics always evolve in the same way ? First, worry ("has he been found ?"), then disdain ("how can he be so stupid ?"), then pity ("yeah but accidents happen you never know").

Pity follows disdain where people surely could not have been that silly so the only possible explanation is that something happened that was out of their control.

Strider wrote:... where people surely could not have been that silly....

I learnt a long time ago never to underestimate the stupidity of which humans are capable. Hence the sig.

Kinsayder wrote:

Hallu wrote:Darkness, he got lost around 6:30 pm so it was already night time.

It's not a long hike though, surely he could see the sun going down. I'm putting him down as a bit of a dill.

I made the mistake many years ago of climbing Mt Bogong too late in the afternoon, and my watch had died the day before.

I got caught at Bivouac Hut after dark, and spent a rough night up there with the pot belly stove to keep me warm.

Even for experienced folk like myself, its easy to become too confident and make mistakes. This wasn't my most proud moment for sure, but the point here is that getting caught out after dark in non daylight savings time is a very easy thing to do.

I went up the Pinnacles track with my friend on Sat. May 25 th 2013 at 12 noon and there people there who were clad in rubber thongs on their feet , families with small pre school children , large over fed couch potatoes sweating and gasping , all manner of people who never walk anywhere in the city let alone the bush . This explains how tourists/babes in the woods visiting the Grampians can easily get themselves in deep schtook!
I never see the people who eat food from the Golden arches at Mt Difficult, Mt Stapylton or the Chimney pots. All the more reason to walk in these parts of the Grampians.