When I first heard the news that searchers found trousers belonging to James Kim, I thought: hypothermia.
It breaks my heart that I was right. I don’t go anywhere without the basics of my pocket survival kit. I also have emergency supplies in my car.
Shelter is paramount in a survival situation. I’m not judging this man. I went bushwhacking the other day and ended up in a swamp. I knew I was within 2.5 miles of my car; I had more than four hours of daylight on a partly sunny, warm afternoon with no wind.
Still, an injury could have changed my afternoon. I had headed west off the trail and knew that I wanted to travel north. I was just looking for a little loop; what I thought was an abandoned field was in fact a wetland.
If I had continued west, I would have crossed the mountain and ended up a mile from the trailhead parking lot. I knew I wanted to find my way back to the east. The distance was really short, but every time I got within 50 feet of the trail, I ended up at the edge of a pond. I would not have seen the ducks if I’d taken the mountain trail.
I crossed downed logs and hopped from one mini island to another - but I never reached dry land. Eventually, I slipped. My shoes were wet, but worse, the bottoms of my cargo pants were wet. Now I had no choice but to get to a recognized trail.
I was conscious of how heavy my legs felt and how difficult it was to crawl or step over downed logs covered by layers of dried grasses. With all the effort I exerted, I was heating up, but I knew enough to open zippers and keep my clothes on. I was also covered in thinsulate, which dries quickly. I chose to be in this situation, but I was already making a plan, just in case I got stuck after dark.
Thinking of James Kim, I realize the effort it takes to walk on snow without snowshoes is monumental. James Kim didn’t plan on getting lost in a snow storm. It never occurred to him to conserve his energy, that snow can be used to create insulation and staying put in an unfamiliar area was the safest thing for him to do. He never thought to fashion snowshoes before he headed out. No one plans to be in a survival situation. But life happens to all of us. A little knowledge and preparation can be the difference between life and death.
It’s at times like this that I wish I were a best selling author. Not for the fame and fortune, but because millions of readers might read my articles and have a chance to protect themselves against hypothermia, know enough to conserve their energy, and to put available resources to use.
Occam’s Razor - the simplest solutions are the best solutions. I’d forgotten that and ended up in a swamp. I was smart enough to shift my focus and lucky enough to stay out of trouble.