People had somewhat of an advantage growing up in the days before motorcars and central heating, but there have always been stories about greenhorns that have made mistakes; people getting lost in the woods and panicking, or ill prepared for storms, or caught in one as part of everyday making a living back then. Then and now I think its mostly a matter of people being unlucky before learning what they needed to know, or skilled people doing what they love until probability catches up with them. This story is a bit different, because it unfolded a bit slower than most, and its a combination of the two, plus the effects of long periods of solitude I think. When you decide to do things less normal you tend not follow norms, even the neccessary ones. It happened far more often in the past though. Today it just happens to be more of a recreational hazard than an occupational hazard or matter of everyday life. It wasn't all that long ago that winter was always expected to take its toll. It still does today, but mostly on highways. People don't write books on those fatalities. Even news stories rarely go into the details.