Into Thin Air - article in The Weekend Australian Magazine

[Onestepmore]

There's an article in this week's Weekend Australian Magazine entitled 'Into Thin Air' that puts forward the question 'How is it possible for a bushwalker to go missing - and never be found?'

It mentions Paddy Hildebrand, a nine year old boy who went missing in Vic's Wilson's Promontory in 1987, Gary Tweddle, a 23 year old man who vanished in the Blue Mountains this July, 25 year old Prabhdeep Srawn who went missing in Kosciuszko National Park in May, and the four snowboarders who died in a snow cave on the Ramshead Range in 1999.

[perfectlydark]

Wow still very surprised no trace turned up on the blue mountains guy

[Onestepmore]

I'll need to wait until I'm home to link the article, as I can't work out how to copy and paste something from my phone. Grrrr

[Davidf61]

We had a bushfire near our place a few years back, once all the lower vegetation disappeared [ basically black ground left ] a body was found about 20m off a popular walking track. He was a hiker, backpack and all, laying there for years and everyone oblivious. A little bit creepy, but I'm sure someone will stumble over remains one day.

[johnw]

Wow still very surprised no trace turned up on the blue mountains guy

We were in the Valley of the Waters a few weeks ago, which is not far from where Gary Tweddle went missing. There were missing person posters around the place displaying his photo. We were doing one of the more obscure walks and kept an eye out but saw nothing unusual. Albeit there was a chopper rescue of an injured or sick walker, I assume near Empress Falls, while we were down near Jamison Creek.

[perfectlydark]

That is very creepy david, good point

[wayno]

body lying in thick scrub, or out of sit in an inaccessible canyon, happens in nz too, despite relatively manageable search areas they can turn up no trace... dont underestimate how far in the wrong direction lost people can get....
there was a guy in nz in a smallish park they couldnt find for three days, because he moved in and out of the search area , he moved into searched areas..... he claimed he was lost but someone in the know told me he was doing his own training to get into a military special forces group and had planned to rough it for a few days and didnt fill in his family properly , they called for a search after he told them not to.... so people can do strange things out there, if you dont want to be found, you can have your wish...

[matagi]

Can't get onto the Australian website, but for anyone who wants to read the article, it is also at .......

http://rictorious.blogspot.com.au/2013/ ... alian.html

[climberman]

The four young men snowboarding were found, the following spring.

[wildwalks]

Looks like they may have found Garry Tweddle??
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-03/p ... ns/4930584

[nihil]

We had a bushfire near our place a few years back, once all the lower vegetation disappeared [ basically black ground left ] a body was found about 20m off a popular walking track. He was a hiker, backpack and all, laying there for years and everyone oblivious. A little bit creepy, but I'm sure someone will stumble over remains one day.

There's the answer right there.

People MUST use GPS tracking, both a regular breadcrumb reporting system, and also a beacon in case of emergency. There's no excuse not to in this day and age.

[wayno]

i dont think people have to use gps tracking at all. cant go past a map and compass, if you actually know how to use them you dont necessarily need gps

[perfectlydark]

Gps may assist in not getting lost but will do sweet FA if your stuck down a ravine with 2 broken legs. But hey, at least youll know where you are!

[Happy Pirate]

There's an article in this week's Weekend Australian Magazine entitled 'Into Thin Air' that puts forward the question 'How is it possible for a bushwalker to go missing - and never be found?'

It mentions Paddy Hildebrand, a nine year old boy who went missing in Vic's Wilson's Promontory in 1987, Gary Tweddle, a 23 year old man who vanished in the Blue Mountains this July, 25 year old Prabhdeep Srawn who went missing in Kosciuszko National Park in May, and the four snowboarders who died in a snow cave on the Ramshead Range in 1999.

Without reading the associated article I want to just stick my nose in here like a hog at a trough and face the "How is it possible for a bushwalker to go missing - and never be found?" sort of idea generally.

A death spake will never be mocked - We all speak towards a death proclaimed as if it be a life mourned.

But!

(**Rant Ahead** safety blogging gear advised)

Wilderness is what we do. Isolation is what we crave. Self-reliance is our fundamental principle.
The problem here is that the loss of one person is always held up as an extreme anomaly in an otherwise vaguely benign environment.
But each loss can be seen as reason for more human modification of wilderness. I too can mourn a loss but this is NOT at the expense of making a wild place 'safer'.
A single person's loss demonizes wilderness as somehow 'against us'.
But our Bio-cide of Millions of lives to put in a highway, house or development is seen as acceptable.
We don't mourn the loss of each auto-accident. Even the RAC wouldn't publicize each road death. We don't announce every homicide. But somehow every wilderness loss has to be brought front-and center as a reminder that the Wolves are still at the door.

People get lost because it is wilderness.
People are there because it is wilderness.
Less people die in wilderness than on highways.
Do any of us REALLY want a world so well mapped and scanned that a lost walker could be detected by remote thermal sensors an hour after wandering off?

*sorry for the rant* but I want to speak for wilderness that is not the 'dangerous other' as it is usually seen, just because someone has died.

Steve

[icefest]

We had a bushfire near our place a few years back, once all the lower vegetation disappeared [ basically black ground left ] a body was found about 20m off a popular walking track. He was a hiker, backpack and all, laying there for years and everyone oblivious. A little bit creepy, but I'm sure someone will stumble over remains one day.

Wow, that's scary. I have wondered before what I would do if I found human remains whilst walking but this...

People MUST use GPS tracking, both a regular breadcrumb reporting system, and also a beacon in case of emergency. There's no excuse not to in this day and age.

I agree, how many searches have failed whilst the person had a functioning beacon (in an appropriate location on their body)?

i dont think people have to use gps tracking at all. cant go past a map and compass, if you actually know how to use them you dont necessarily need gps

I think nihill is referring to the searchers. I'm not sure about NSW, but all BSAR teams carry a GPS which records breadcrumb trails, that are then all uploaded to a single computer. This means any missed areas are easier to find and re-search.

While I agree that you should have and use map and compass, there are times when a GPS can save hours of difficult navigation (usually when visibility is less than 10m).

[Snowzone]

The four young men snowboarding were found, the following spring.

Thats correct and the search parties had basically walked over the top of the missing men multiple times, but they were buried under so much fresh snow.
Another one that comes to mind is the girl I think named Claire that went missing in the Labyrinth. She had been camped at Pine Valley.

[tibboh]

Wilderness is what we do. Isolation is what we crave. Self-reliance is our fundamental principle.
The problem here is that the loss of one person is always held up as an extreme anomaly in an otherwise vaguely benign environment.
But each loss can be seen as reason for more human modification of wilderness. I too can mourn a loss but this is NOT at the expense of making a wild place 'safer'.
A single person's loss demonizes wilderness as somehow 'against us'.
But our Bio-cide of Millions of lives to put in a highway, house or development is seen as acceptable.
We don't mourn the loss of each auto-accident. Even the RAC wouldn't publicize each road death. We don't announce every homicide. But somehow every wilderness loss has to be brought front-and center as a reminder that the Wolves are still at the door.

People get lost because it is wilderness.
People are there because it is wilderness.
Less people die in wilderness than on highways.
Do any of us REALLY want a world so well mapped and scanned that a lost walker could be detected by remote thermal sensors an hour after wandering off?

*sorry for the rant* but I want to speak for wilderness that is not the 'dangerous other' as it is usually seen, just because someone has died.

Steve

Don't appologise for a rant that hits the nail squarely on the head

[Happy Pirate]

Also I just can't trust the OZ any more, not to be a hog-snouted, trough snuffling, agenda-driven, propaganda flag.
Just looking at the top-half of the front page on Sat (all I ever look at any more - don't even bother to unfold):
"Gina Rinehart - the self-sacrificing mother
Climate Change consensus is the real problem."
How long until we demand the media stop treating us like idiots?!

'Wilderness - the big scary other too dangerous to bother protecting' (so lets get in and MINE!)

Thanks Rupert the Bare (faced liar).

Steve