A couple of problems: Wandering around in circles with no clear destination is not a good strategy and the implication that a 72 year old is nearly helpless is just not true. Leaving her car to go to the creek which she could see was OK but then return to the car or at least stick to the road she came in on. There are things in the car which could have held more water than a nutella jar. As a 76 year old I resent the implication that anyone over 60 is just almost helpless.
Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Yeah, I saw her on a news report this morning. She admitted leaving the car was a mistake, but she did a lot right after that and she sure has a great attitude and personality.
I think she'd agree with you too. She was and is far from "helpless".
We focus on getting lost while backpacking, but this brings up the possibility of having your car break down while en route or returning to home from a backpack trip.
An emergency kit in the car should include a few gallons of water, extra food (such as MRE's), and warm clothing, blanket and insulating pad. I have these in the car even when I am not backpacking. You need the same "10 essentials" in your car all the time as you would take on any day-hike.
I used to put a 50-pound of dog food in the trunk to provide weight for traction on snowy roads. Figured it could double as emergency food. I never had to test the edibility of dog food. In college, I knew some poor students who occasionally ate dog food!
I agree that age has nothing to do with survival, until you get to the "old" old age. May be a different situation if you were 95.
Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:
Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!