When Mick Ohman found himself standing on a road made of boulders staring at a trail of transmission fluid strung out behind his broken down SUV, he had no idea that he’d be able to survive for days on just the beer and crackers he had in his car. Ohman’s harrowing tale of survival can be a lesson to the rest of us too if we simply care to take heed and prepare.
Ohman was several miles southwest of Crown King and all alone in the sweltering Arizona desert. He picked up his phone and talked, recording a message in a quivering and emotional voice. It was a message that he hoped nobody would ever hear, “If you find this phone and I didn’t do so well, please tell my sisters how much I love them.” As sad as that message is, it’s speaker did come out and fight for his life.
Mick realizes now there were several little mistakes that led to the life threatening survival situation in the desert. “I didn’t tell anybody where I was going. “I thought I was just going to Crown King to have lunch,” said Mick. He also said trusting Google Maps was a bad idea. Google maps did show Mick that there was a road, but it did not detail the primitive conditions of the road. That left the man driving alone on a road made of rocks with deep ruts. After his lunch in Crown King, he tried to take his Honda CRV on the road picked up by Google Maps.
Mick Ohman shows a picture of his broken down car.
After the Honda broke down, Mick hiked for hours in hopes of finding a cell signal so he could call for help. But he had no luck. Back at his car, he had only a half-bottle of water, a couple beers, a spoiled sandwich, and some crackers. That’s when he realized that things had turned dire. The hike to look for cell phone service in staggering heat had taken its toll, making him thirsty. “I’ve really never felt that thirsty before. When I tried to swallow I couldn’t. My throat stuck together. I had to urinate and I did… and I was surprised it wasn’t as obnoxious as I thought it would be. The temperature was what got me, as warm as it was,” said Mick, with a laugh about drinking his own urine. He knows many people would find drinking urine unacceptable, but he believes it saved his life and got him through that first night.
Mick was awarded with another little ray of hope on day two. He grabbed his beer and went out looking for help. He walked in the right direction and came across a spring of fresh water. “I found this little stream; it couldn’t have been more than four inches,” said Mick, adding it was the sweetest water he’d ever tasted and he drank until he was nauseous. Then he dumped out the beer and filled the empty cans with water before returning to his car to attempt to signal rescue by starting a fire but he could not get it to light. Mick even tried to shot a gun in Morse code. He built an “H” out of small boulders to signify “help.” That night, it rained, and Mick even recorded himself giddy that he experiencing the huge rain drops while stranded in the desert. “It’s coming down pretty nice,” he said into his cell phone camera, soaked to the bone and happy.
On day three, Mick decided it was time to be rescued. He left a note on his car saying where he’d be walking, and took off on foot again. He began hiking at first light but soon found himself trudging in the mid-morning sun. “I’m running out of gas. I’ve got water, but I’m running out of steam. My legs are super heavy,” said Mick, recounting his journey. Ready to collapse, Mick encountered the man who saved his life; a dirt biker named Troy, who had seen Mick’s note on his broken down Honda, and went looking for him.
An hour long ride to Lake Pleasant and Mick was safe. “I’m screaming in his ear the whole way, ‘You know, today you can say you saved a life,'” Mick said. If we care to take anything from Mick’s story, it’s that those meant to survive can and will with nothing more than their wit. But we can also see it as a lesson: have provisions in your car, just in case the undesirable happens.
Mick also hopes his story can help save a life by drawing attention to the need for preparedness.
When you breath humid air your lungs absorb water. When you breath dry air your lungs need water. I lived in north west Arizona for ten years. Don’t go anywhere without 5 gallons in trunk.
If I ever end up down that way I will certainly heed your advice! Good information. Thanks!
Not expensive, either. Requires one thing: forethought.
Did he say crack or crackers? He must have been on crack.
NOO>>. I don’t believe this. I have a book written about survival written by a military expert and they DO NOT drink your urine. they say the best place for your water is in your stomach (meaning don’t save it for later if you are thirsty).
I’ve read of several people doing this and surviving as a result. Urine is actually sterile when it first comes out, but it rapidly becomes un-sterile, so one should drink it quickly. The first urine in the morning has the most contaminants, so if possible, avoid that. Dying of dehydration can be at least delayed by drinking urine.
He EMPTIES OUT HIS BEER AND DRINKS HIS URINE… BRIGHT GUY! (NOT!!!)
note to self:
add beer and crackers to my vehicle survival kit.
I’m glad he lived to see another sunrise. Kudos to the dirt bikers and their efforts to find and rescue Mick. Another lesson learned on how a few items in the car would help a stranded person. I’m passing this article on to some more folks as an FYI.
THANKS Mac FOR THIS STORY!!
It would have been cool with me if the guys crashed and burned on the motorcycle. But dumb and dumber made through.
GOOGLE MAP!!! No wonder!! Lesson: stay away from google!!!!
I bet that dudes breath stank.
I would eat cactus ? then crap ? the thorns out before I would drink Budweiser ?
Gandhi, they don’t make strong beer, just weak men!!
dude you sound so juvenile grow up
X you sound like my ex.
JS, let Braveheart offer some tips for your kit. The crackers are OK, but have some bottled water and a good water filter to get more water from a sorce like a creek or spring so you can refill whatever bottles you empty out. Have some other food items like some energy bars or some meat sticks. Those meat sticks go good with the crackers. That’s my favorite snack to have even in a ‘normal’ situation. Beef jerky and crackers, YUMMY, and will keep you alive in any SHTF scenario.
I keep a good stocked shoulder get home bag in my SUV, filled with bottled water a filter several MRE’s power bars, rain poncho, which could also be used as shelter, Boonie hat, sunscreen, bug spray, knife, multiple lighters, extra sox, small towell. And I also carry a whole other bunch of items in my SUV like Road flares, tools, multiple guns and extra Ammo, multiple flashlights, hand hatchet withba minu saw in the handle, expandable baton, bear spray, first aid kit, multiple paper road maps and several umbrellas.. I could use the unbrella for shade from the sun when walking. We have mid 90’s and hot, sunny and humid weather here in FL. And I stay in shape. I biked about 20 miles this AM. For me that incident would have been like a walk in the park. Beer is only good cold, it would make you more thirsty drinking it warm. I also carry big trash bags which also could be used as a rain catch. You can learn and be prepared from this guys story or prepared to drink your own urine. Its your choice.
I do need to keep a pair of extra hiking boots in the vehicle or good pair of extra Tennis shoes. Be prepared to walk 20 miles if you had to. And this guy tryung to go 4 wheeling in a cimoact car. Stupid for sure.
Prepare this same way if you go out on a boat and get stranded. Have a good anchor and planty of anchor line to stay put. You could drift 100 miles in a few days out on the Gulf of Mexico. I also keep a new pair if leather gloves in my get hime vehicle bag.
I also have a CB Radio in my vehicle. Thats good for 10 to 20 miles. Channel 9 Emergency. The beer and crackers did not save that guy. Pure dumb luck and a biker saved him. If you die outside the vultures will pick your bones clean within a few days.
CSS, your get home bag sounds like mine. Ditto on the CB; those are always useful. I just hope the idiot learns the right kind of lessons rom this. First thing he should do is trade in that Honda for a full-size truck or SUV.
kirkland trail mix is good too. if he had a good way to start a fire….and KNEW how to DO it….i remember the movie “on any sunday”, the guy’s bike breaks down, he tries to start it, and it catches fire and burns up….that signal fire is better’n DYIN’!
If that was Ohman then where was voltman?
Extra hiking boots and socks! Especially for women! Wet socks are horrible so try to have an extra pair so you can change them once a day. Extra boots. Absolutely!
Driving I usually wear an old pair of Birkenstocks. Great for the grocery store but I wouldn’t want to walk far wearing them! How many women could walk home wearing the shoes they left home wearing in the morning? Many women wouldn’t make it very far at all wearing some types of shoes. If you live anywhere on the west coast you live in an earthquake zone and freeways and bridges can pancake or get torn up in large earthquake. It is common for people in my are to commute 60 miles to work. Could any of you walk home from your city job, 60 miles away? I have guessed it would take me 6 days, if I could travel 10 miles a day plus one more day for rest which means it could take an average healthy person around 7 days to walk home after a major disaster.
PD, most women’s shoes are just useless. They should wear only flat-soled footwear. I wear boots all year round. I keep an extra pair of boots and a few extra pairs of socks in the truck, sleeping bag, and a couple of blankets, along with everything else I carry.
yes, the shoes women wear…PROOF they aint very bright. A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
– A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
I could walk 20 to 30 miles a day. So 3 days tops to get home from 60 miles. Start your cross training, walk, bike, run today. I dont like running and it would burn lots of calories. So a brisk walk. Get some good tennis shoes. And know the difference between a Get Home bag and an INCH or BOB Bag. INCH-Im Never Coming Home. Get Home is a 3 day mission bag 20,lbs. BOB is a long Term survival Bag, 50-70 lbs and INCH. 80 to 110 lbs. Once you start carrying heavier loads like 40 lbs on up you need taller hiking boots with good ankle support. Twist an ankle leaves you to crawling on your knees. And consider a good pair of hiking walking poles. That helps a lot with stability and balance carrying heavier loads and on uneven terrain. Practice and practice for the real deal. Carry a bicycle in your vehicle. A Mt Bike. I can ride easy 12 to 15 MPH on pavement with a Mt Bike. Signal mirrors are good for rescue. In all situation tou better have a good side arm you cen deploy is seconds. In grid down 95% will be unprepared refugees and will be trying to steal your pack supplies. Shoot to kill and play offense not defense. Maybe avoid the beaten trail and use your paper County detailed paper maps with terrain and water locations. Play the game, if I was here stranded an home is there how would I get home and what route would I take. Hot and cold climates dictates what you have in your bags to protect you from the eliments. Maybe turn you cell phone off to save the battery life. Or have a solar charger in your bag.
Don’t think too much about it, the story is BS. The loneliest place in amerika is while walking in a crowd. Don’t believe me? Walk down the street in NYC.
Crackers is what black people call white people.
Don’t stress about this drunkard ohman, if he had a 100 gallon tank of water in his Honda the headline would read “man almost drowns after minor collisions.”
Read this earlier this morning. That didn’t look like any kind of road to me but more like a creek bed where he ended up. I guess he was lucky he had the beer to drink as he reportedly resorted to drinking is own urine to stay hydrated. (bet it didn’t taste the same the second time around). I noticed he had what appeared to be two road flares in a cooler shown in the article I read. Had he had along what he should have had, He could’ve used a road flare to start a small fire and boiled some of the water from that creek bed. The following are attached to all of my packs for hydration:
40 OZ Kleen Kanteen (uninsulated), Large stainless cup by GSI. Condor insulated bottle holder that holds my cup and allows the Kleen Kanteen to nest inside the cup. There is also a small pouch on the side of the Condor and that contains a spork, caribiner and paracord to suspend the Kleen Kanteen over a fire to boil water. Iodine tabs for water purification are also handy and faster to purify water if a fire is not doable as well as having portable water filters. It was a hard lesson he got handed to him but I’m hoping he’ll never forget it.
He should have had this guy along…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Q3cNKoYxI&vl=en
Mac, I tried clicking on the video PO’d Patriot posted but it won’t come up.
You don’t want to . You’ll be upset that you can’t make or get anything locally that just might be that wonderfully smelling. Yes, you can smell that goodness.
Yes, I bet it smells better than that urine drinking numbnuts breath.
Po’d, I finally watched the video. That would have been a feast in any shtf scenario. Made me hungry.
He needed Bear Grylls
PO’d Patriot, I also carry some of those water purification tablets in my BOB but only as a backup. I used to carry a Katadyn with an etra filter but since 2013 I carry a Sawyer All-In-One and a Sawyer Water Filter Bottle. The filter in the bottle can be removed for maintenance and never needs replacing. I keep a spare bottle at home just in case. I always get my water from a moving source like a creek or spring. NEVER get water from a pond because the filter won’t remove all of the nasties and you will get sick. You don’t need to get disabled by drinking some bad water. I learned that the hard way once. I also have a rocket stove and a pot that I carry for boiling water. If the water at the source I choose looks too bad to filter I move on to another source. If you don’t carry something to purify water and have some containers to put it in, you are screwed. WATER IS LIFE. The right kind of food items are also important but WATER AND A MEANS TO PURIFY IT ARE NUMERO UNO ON MY LIST, ALWAYS.
It IS a stream bed, you’re right! I know this area fairly well from gold prospecting. I live in northern Arizona.
Or a 5 day cooler full of ice.
Stop blaming google for this ignorant $hit.
There is no difference between Budweiser and urine, taste wise.
Hey Mick! Just follow the tracks back the way you came in, surely you won’t get lost. Trekker Out
I wish they would post more stories about how the person did not survive when they don’t prepare. Because it appears that even unprepared drunk idiots will be just fine in an emergency so why bother preparing?
Urine and poop contain enormous amounts of germs, making you sick if you consume it…. DON’T!!!
The urine of a healthy person is sterile. It has nutrients and will grow bacteria rapidly is collected and saved. It has salts in it that will build up if you repeatedly drink it. Once or twice might be fine, but if salt levels get too high, you will become delirious and potentially die.
The beer will cost more water for your body to process the alcohol than the beer contains. Cut it with clean water and your good, it does have carbohydrates and sugars.
These days when we travel, I just put a fresh case of water in the car.
I am constantly building up my bug out bag (BOB). I also use it as my vacation day bag. I added a couple goody bags within that BOB, that I can change them out for the season, use, or destination, or just leave some heavy stuff in the car to lighten the load when appropriate.
My latest addition to my bag is a 20,000 MAHour charger battery that can recharge an I-phone about a dozen times.
This dude instead of looking for cell coverage should have composed and hit send on a text message for help, those only require a few seconds of connect time and will often work even when phone service does not. While he was walking he may not of been aware of an instant when he had reception and that text message would have flown.
Phone types, I also have a really old style flip phone. On a recent family vacation to a lake in Gods country, it was the only phone that worked at all. Every smart phone, Apple or Android were useless. They couldn’t even send a text. The old phone worked for text and voice, but voice was iffy.
Regardless, a couple small and large zip-lock bags in your BOB can make a cell phone waterproof in the rain. When he described his phone getting wet in the rain, I was like huh? Especially after being on a lake with only one working phone in our group! If my phone was near the water, it was bagged with enough air in the zip-lock so it would float.
Last weekend at a family picnic I was in a rush to get there, and forgot my pocket knife. I have a multi-tool in my BOB bag, so I was good. Never the less, at a picnic, I’d normally use my pocket knife repeatedly, and was really annoyed I was without. It’s like being on an airplane and the stewardess hands you a bag of trail mix that no one can open, and your pocket knife is five feet below in your checked bag.
Notes to self:
1. Put backup pocket knives in all cars and an extra in my BOB.
2. Buy relatives from lake trip 8 packs of BIC lighters for Christmas, there were only two of us out of six adults, with the means to light that fire on the beach for marshmallows.
If your going to drive in the desert, always PLAN AHEAD!!! I never go anywhere in the desert without 5 Gal. of water, a water filter, along with freeze dried food. A way to make a fire, a sleeping bag, it gets cold in the desert at night. Along with that stuff i take a 12 foot, by 12 foot tarp so i can put it up to make some shade, plus a full med kit. My truck also has a Ham radio, in case the cell phone stops working, head lamp flash light, and last item is a long range rifle for legged snakes.
don’t forget a couple of 4×6’s or 6×8’s about 3 feet long….you’ll be amazed at the obstacles you can cross with those…..and you can’t KNOW until you DO it.
Sounds like he punctured his trans pan? I made a skid plate? ounce ? with two layers of heavy gauge steel siding. Screwed together .16 inches wide 6 feet long . Use 5/16 ? Self tapping screws into the cross members put silicon on threads for vibration . Was surprised how easy they cut through. Tucked front into bumper jacked up to first cross member 6 screws. Jacked up to second cross member 6 screws. Sealed edges with silicone so water can’t get in between. Had to cut hole for oil drain . Worry about exhaust cross over heat igniting weeds mixed with oil. Hose it out monthly. Now not much cross beam anchor problems , slides over everything . Trans pan totally protected. Oil pan too. Runs cooler I think the sled causes a vacuum and cools better? Now am pretty fearless off road . I have a sled with wheels?
Firstly, it’s a Honda CRV 🙂 Economy / commuter vehicles are possibly useful if you live from strip malls, closeby, and intend to swap them out, every few years. They are designed for obsolescence — not durable. But, it’s supposed to a “sporty” SUV. He is a city boy, expecting to rely on gimmicky, plastic chickenshit for his survival tools.
He has also wasted lots of energy, making the H, and hiking to find celphone reception. He has wasted cartridges and rainwater. I think, most of these mistakes are based on the expectation that other people care and will come to save you. “On day three, Mick decided it was time to be rescued.” He wastes 2 days.
“I thought I was just going to Crown King to have lunch,” said Mick
How many miles is it?
Also, most people, in the desert, will *not try to tell you that they are acclimated. They will *not tough out the heat Everyone is most busy at dawn and dusk. He might have made more headway, under the cover of clouds, if that weather was not too dangerous.
Beaumont, you make some good points about the mistakes he made and he definitely had the wrong kind of vehicle. At least he had some provisions with him and managed to keep his mind together. Those are the only two things that saved him. I’m glad to hear he survived. He should’ve had a 4×4 truck for that road and some better provisions other than beer. He especially should’ve had more bottled water and a good water filter to replace the water he uses after emptying those bottles. Also, NEVER USE GOOGLE MAPS. I only use good old-fashioned ATLASES.They are more detailed than regular paper maps, but paper maps will work if that’s all you have. I NEVER use GPS. GPS is way overrted and I see people get LOST with GPS all the time. I know how to use maps and atlases and have a sense of direction. If you can’t figure out how to get to someplace WITHOUT AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE, YOU ARE SCREWED.
The first thing you do in a situation like this is settle down, breathe deeply and take stock of your resources. So. Who da thunk? The car horn.
Dit Dit Dit Dah Dah Dah Dit Dit Dit. Three short, three long, three short. SOS. Morse code. Over and over.
Sound travels a long way in a desert environment especially at night. Might start a search. Don’t neglect this signaling resource.
Orn,
Excellent point! I try to teach this to my children as well. …—…
Louisiana Eagle
i would have torched the car….guaranteed to get results….jerk out a good wire, short batt terminals, and watch the fireworks…..he made a note to people that find him dead, so he would be justified.
DB,
Right on about Google maps. To use it requires a data connection. If you get out into the sticks it will not work, at all.
On a vacation to Yellow Stone everyone was giving navigation aid with their smart phones, once we turned out of the park to head toward the badlands, all my little helpers went silent as their phones lost reception.
My standard TOM TOM GPS worked great and got me everywhere the phones couldn’t. If you have a map to go with it. You can get GPS latitude and longitude to pinpoint your exact location on a quality paper map, even if there are no roads. If I go hiking/walking I store the location of my car and keep the TOM TOM GPS in my pocket. A few times in a strange city, it’s worked great in walking mode.
I also keep a compass in my car, and my bug out bag. If hiking or walking in cities, I have a little compass that attaches to my wrist watch band. If you know where you are and where you want to be, a compass is all you need.
Likely a compass will work just fine after an EMP event.
Nice story.
I wonder who that dirt biker is. Many people wouldn’t have gone out of their way to help someone like he did. That shows character.
I was surprised he drank his own urine before drinking the beer. I was also surprised he emptied out the beer to fill the cans with spring water. I don’t think I would have done that. I assume he drank from his cupped hands at first. And waited a while to make sure the water was not contaminated. He said he got nauseous. I’ld say he was lucky to find water, and very lucky to have a descent human being find him.
I wonder what kind of beer. I bet he could negotiate some money with the beer company. Since the star of this story is a SIXPACK.
_
If you read some of the linked articles you will find that the guy(s) were military.
Only an alcoholic would carry beer instead of water. If it was Budweiser beer then those foreigners would never pay an American for admitting that they prefer urine before drinking their beers. I bet that drunk idiot was a NRA life member.
Honda crv off road?
Next time read consumers reports and try a subaru!
Mushroom, he really needs a full-size 4×4 truck. Those mickey mouse vehicles are no good for off-road use.
Heck, just a nice 50cc scooter ? mounted on the bumper should be sweet.
DB
Whoa. Whoa.
Subaru’s rule the mountain snow mud roads in the 9,500 foot mountains west of Bailey CO. I know I live here.
4X4 trucks are great, but they’re not safe performing symmetrical drives like the subaru.
When you turn the steering wheel in a subaru the vehicle goes exactly where you want – not in the ditch. Get my point.
Read consumers report about symmetrical 4 wheel drive.
Have a great day……..
Mushroom, no offense intended, but what I should’ve said was that a Subaru will do if you’re not too tall and the space is limited. One of my neighbors once had a Subaru Outback and loved it. He was also only 5’2″ in height and I’m 6’1″. I once sat in it and felt cramped in it. I know they’re popular and hard to find at used car lots. I just prefer something bigger. Maybe if he had that Subaru he would’ve been better off.
Mushroom=used Subaru car dealer
I’ll make a note of that next time I’m pulling a subaru out of the mud because it’s high centered. If you know how to drive, you can make a truck or anything else in 4×4 go where you intend.
My brother was a field geologist in the West for 25 years. He had a full sized Ford pickup forever.
He was very adept at not getting stuck. When he finally did get good and stuck, he’d put it in four wheel drive and backtrack and find a new way around!
If he got stuck in 4 wheel drive it would likely take shovels, rocks and a lot of digging to get out, so he only drove where two wheel drive would get him, 4 wheel drive was reserved for going home.
wrangler or toyota pickup…i got both…and that’s what i want to be in where HE was…..and yes, if yer out THERE, you better have a LOT of sh*t WITH you.
Mushroom, My Stepdaughter works at a church camp near Bailey CO. Trekker Out
B, I also take my hat off to that biker. The reason its so rare or anyone willing to help someone who is stranded on the road due to a mechanical failure, accident, etc. is because too many scumbags out there have used that scenario to rob and/or kill other people who stop to offer a helping hand. Even some cops will avise you to NEVER stop if you see someone broken down on the side of the road. It could and often does turn out to be a setup for a tragedy waiting to take place. It’s really a damn shame but that’s just the way things are nowadays. I admit that I folow that advice myself. I often see prople broken down in my area and every time my intuition tells me to just pass them up. That’s one reason I’m still alive. You just never know or sure what to expect from people anymore. That’s the kind of society we live in these days, unfortunately.
It is a severe “moral decay of society” and that is definitely a major god damned shame at the highest of all levels. There is no way I would stop to try to help or pick up someone out hitch-hiking, no way unfortunately – too many very dangerous and crazed people in this wonderful thing we call society today. I do ALWAYs, ALWAYS have at least 1 or more guns with me and or in the car, I can tell you that for nothing. A basic knife is also a great idea!
Yes, I picked up a hitchhiker with a large backpack out on the hot summer freeway in Utah once. He looked stranded out in the middle of no-where. I put a 357 derringer under my left leg on the car seat before he got in my truck. Sure enough after the guy threw his pack pack in the truck and sat down in the passenger seat the guy started acting weird and said, “what would you do if I pulled a knife on you?” Well my left hand came up with that cockek 357 two shot derringer and I told him, “well I would pop two rounds in your gut then shove you out the door at about 75 mph.” The guy then said you can drop me off right here please so I did. He was still out in the middle of nowhere.
Yea, I remember a scam where a girl would ask some guy for a jump around the corner. And you know who was waiting.
i don’t HAVE these problems. i’ve helped people all my life, and i aint gonna stop now. i’ve helped save lives of people hurt in the dunes, the cold snowy roadways, 4-wheeling out in the boonies…and i aint about to stop now….life aint always nice, but YOU should be. in my old age, a good friend has also taught me to ESPECIALLY be kind to vetchens.
I just hope this guy learned all of the right lessons from his ordeal and gets hmself a BOB with all the right gear. PLUS plenty of food, water, water purification gear, etc. Oh and a good medical supply kit never hurts.
Watched two guys come out of the Grand Escalante Wildnerness area wearing nothing but deerskins, said they survived on mice for weeks out there, as skinny as they were-I believed them. They were getting supplies to go back in, wished I could of joined them.
Beverages with alcohol or caffeine tend to dehydrate the body. The salt on the crackers help but they make you thirsty. If it is what you have, you eat it regardless of the consequences. He got lucky. Maybe next time,he’ll pack a get-home bag.
i just bet NEXT time, he tells someone where he’s goin’, so there AINT no nextime!
I know this area, as I used to gold prospect out there. There’s no way an SUV could make it very far! He’s fortunate to be alive!
However he was only 10 to 15 miles from interstate 17, which goes south from there to Phoenix. I would have elected to walk out at night, and I am sure that he remembered how he got there!
I can tell that he isn’t very experienced in the outdoors in general, and is short on common sense!
RickE., the guy was very fortunate considering the circumstances. He’s got a lot to learn about survival and needs to start learning as fast as he can. So Google Maps steered him to a creekbed? It figures. Nothing but paper maps and atlases or me. No GPS either. Your best bet is always to know how to get someplce WITHOUT any electronic device.
I meant to say FOR instead of OR and SOMEPLACE instead of SOMEPLCE. Typing too fast again.
TDB, you’re absolutely right! It IS a prudent thing to do–getting someplace without electronic help.
It seems to me that plain old fashioned common sense would have helped him here, as when the bottom of your vehicle is hitting a creek bed, it’s time to find a safe and good place to turn around.
And believe me, that “road” is crappy enough to get your attention! I used a 4WD and I had to watch out carefully for the rocks and ruts.
RickE., good points. He definitely left something to be desired in the common sense dept. I’m working on getting myself another truck after selling my old Honda to one of the girls where I work at. I’m in a company truck for now.
Google maps allows you to see satellite images of the terrain and what roads are present.
Stay with the car if possible, it’s always found first, (seen from the air or tracked from the road) and it’s your best shelter. Cover the windshield with an emergency blanket to reduce interior heat. Your body heat alone, when the doors are closed, will keep you warm when sleeping at night. Run the motor only when absolutely necessary to stay warm.
I always carry two gallons of spring water in the truck. I use heavy walled, clear plastic bottles with handles for hanging and strapping.
I also have a change of clothes, socks, a rain smock, hooded sweat jacket and a frogg toggs bucket hat.
In addition, I fashioned a bandolier from two laptop bag straps. These are both padded for comfort and have metal swivel lobster clasps at the end. I recommend using the poly vs leather, as the stitching on leather fails when it gets wet for extended periods.
On those straps I attached various utility and tamrac pouches and bags to hold the following:
Protein Bars
A small bottle of supplements, tums and pain killers
Small med kit
Tube of bacitracin
Fire starting tools and 2 lighters
2 pocket knives with pocket sharpener
Bug spray, Sun block, Soap and Toothpaste
Hand sanitizing gel
Wind up Radio Flashlight
Small LED flashlight
Mylar emergency blanket
Multi Tool
A Morakniv Heavy Duty Companion Baton Knife
(You can fashion a dig stick and shelter supports with that knife).
200 ft of nylon twine
Small binoculars
A few cigars and some tic tacs
A few other things I can’t remember, but you get the idea.
My entire kit is light and feels light even after an all day hike. Unlike a bulky pack, I can spread the load and wear it, even run with it, under the rain coat or jacket, out of sight and dry.
I’ve also carved up and heat treated a bamboo hiking staff, from which I wrapped another 200 feet of heavy duty poly. Bamboo is extremely light and it’s tensile/column strength rivals some steels.
Following boy scout guidelines, the staff must be tall enough to protect your face from swinging branches and brush. One end is cut sharp to fend off wild animals, the other end has a furniture tip for non slip. I also have hook on a rubber cork that can be pressed into one end and then used to hang things, protect fishing line from fraying or picking fruit.
Shelter and rest from the sun during the hottest part of the day. Support your rain coat with the hiking staff and some staked off twine for shade. Bring a book or whittle and carve things to pass the time, (like the Cowboys did). Take your mind off the situation for awhile. Stress is a killer and forces bad decisions.
Talk to the great spirit and ask what you should do to improve your life, and then listen.
If I bothered to carry all that, I would just bring what I needed to build a luxury resort instead.
Gandhi, go right ahead and travel without a vehicle survival kit and see what happens. Good luck with that plan.
Always have maps as backup to GPS. GPS not always available or accurate. Yup, good idea to have basic bugout bag in the trunk,some bottled water and energy snacks.
Shhhh-don’t give idiots tips on how to survive. We want those ignorant NRA members to not make it through the SHTF.
yup!….toooo many of the stupid SURVIVE!….THAT’s what’s wrong with america.
NRA members are living in a “brain free” zone.
Gandhi, I’ll gladly give tips to anyone who’s willing to listen and learn. If they’re NOT interested, then I don’t waste any time on them.
Dump out his beer? Good grief beer is full of all kinds of good things that are much better for you than water or your own piss. He easily could have started a fire and had stuff ready to make it smoke really good. you don’t make a H you make a SOS. He could have used the cars mirrors to flash signals at airplanes. He should have only ventured out early or late never in the hot sun. he did not actually do anything proactive to ensure his survival. He was simply a dumbass who got lucky.
Three. Three of anything as a signal: three lines of brush, three of anything stands out as a signal for help.
Dudes an idiot
Yes, dude is an idiot. It would be fun to be a hiker and discover his sun bleached bones clutching his car keys.?
Regarding the fountain he drank from. Could a hercules fountain be built by digging a hole creating the chambers using pvc pipe for air pressure transfer. And just a big pond on top with water wheel?
Nailbanger, yes he was an idiot who got lucky as Old Guy said. He’s got some valuable lessons to learn and I hope he learns them fast for his own sake.
shoot, I live on beer and saltine crackers for weeks at a time since I retired LOL
I once was faced with a survival situation. About 2 miles into an 8 mile kayak trip my rented kayak started to sink. There was a dime sized hole in the bottom. My mind raced. I had no idea if any more floaters were behind me that day. All I knew is that I needed to fix my craft to make it another 6 miles. Then I had an idea. Maybe I could plug the hole with something. There was a rubber strap on the back, so I had some material to work with. I needed a fire so that I could melt the rubber down to something more useful. Well, I happen to be a prepper so at least I can do that. I used some spray sunscreen as an accelerant to quickly start a fire with some gathered timber. Then I melted some rubber down, extinguished it and puttied the hole. Things were going my way. Then for some reason I figured I’d use just a little more ‘hot material for good measure to make sure I got a better seal. I took some burning rubber and as soon as it hit the patch, the kayak plastic took off like a burning milk jug and left a fist sized hole! I was irate. Well, at least I wasn’t somewhere in the desert. I waited about 20 minutes, hoping for a rescue. It would have been entirely possible to just have swam 6 miles downstream but I thought I’d see who came along. Sure enough, a group of college kids in a canoe and a raft came along eventually and were kind enough to allow me to join them for the rest of the float. Ok, not a real survivorman tale, and I’d have preferred to tell you all that my quick thinking saved my butt but sometimes stuff breaks and strands you is the real lesson.
Bear grylls would slap the taste out of your mouth for burning his kayak so you could hitch a ride with naked college girls.
LMAO!
Drinking urine when you got beer, doesn’t sound right. If dehydrated, there is little to no urine to start with, a little sip of beer would have sufficed better a parched throat.
Also, for lists here of what to take in the desert, might also include some portable shade, like a lightweight travel umbrella. Not uncommon among desert hikers, better than a hat, google it.
Also, if we are making a list for this guy, he needs to get/take a SPOT satellite GPS SOS device. Cheap, tiny, and reliable.
Without a SPOT, this guy should have fired up spare tire as smoke signal with gas from tank and spark from battery to start, if no matches/lighter.
Shane:
I agree about an umbrella. A good fold-down umbrella with a flash light that withstands 30 mile an hour winds can be purchased at Costco or the Home Shopping Channel. I recommend a light color that does not absorb light like black and dark colors, also in winter dark colors make you less visible and more likely to be run down by a vehicle while crossing.
I watch the field workers in mid-day with straw hats that come down around their faces, and sweat shirts and bandanas around their necks to prevent sunburn. It seems counterintuitive, but dressing this way is how they survive.
I personally prefer to dress like Lawrence of Arabia in a white loose flowing garment when out in the desert sun. I will need to include a white burka in my preps. You never know.
_
heck I could have fashioned a umbrella from the cars headliner.
For hikers, they’ve got them with silver reflective tops for max cooling and zero UV. Would be great waving that around to get someones attention far off, too. Also, if you are out walking short of water and get that rare brief rain shower, turn it upside to collect it.
B, uh, you might want to ditch the arab outfit. Someone might mistake you for ISIS, LOL.
Yet another sad tale of a person stupidly relying on google or GPS systems. Where we live is a one way road out of.. Tourists would drive up to the boundary because their GPS device said they could get into the park that way. Multiple problems with all internet maps..1) they have NO information on what sort of road it is (as in this case), 2) the algorithms choose the shortest path, and 3) they do not tell you about one way roads. I have told more than one tourista “get yourself a GD map and learn to use it.”
One tool no one mentioned is a 2 foot breaker bar to remove stuck wheel lug nuts. We have one in both vehicles. In a day pack we’ve a Kaito radio, LED headlamp, CB radio, rad meters, fire starters, poncho, space blanket, gloves, compass, maps, bandanas, Israeli battle bandages, packs of QuikClot, surgical gloves, Ka-Bar knife, paracord, Iodine tabs for water, water bottle (here we are never far from water), food bars boaters have, multitool, road flares, first aid kit. And I’m sure I left out several things. We are very experienced backpackers.
Tennessean, good points. I generally use atlases since they are more detailed but I keep some paper maps for backup. I also keep a breaker bar for stuck wheel lug nuts. It has saved my bacon many a time when changing a flat tire for someone else. Someone is always going overboard with an impact wrench it seems. I keep so much gear in my truck sometimes it seems like I live in it, but I won’t go anywhere without it. You just never know.
Beer and crackers. Beer and crackers? Now that’s “harrowing.”
One of my favorite songs was
“Coors for Sunday”
Guess who?
I live in this area. I have been exploring, four wheeling, this area my whole life. I have been on this guys exact route many times. I have seen countless people get into serious trouble out there.
To attempt this route in a Honda CRV is suicide. He was definitely drunk as hell to get hung up that far in. Most likely this idiot was on his way to the Crown King Saloon for a liquid lunch. The Saloon is a cool place by the way. Google Maps in no way gives you an idea how unforgiving that area is.
I agree, I wish that drunk had not made it. Would have been better for the vultures.
Gandhi, you ain’t right.
some might have the same thoughts about you
some may have the same thoughts about you
X, I already know trolls look at me that way. Are you one of those? If you are then go f#$% yourself.
I’ll second the ham radio. Handheld Yaesu will get to 100 and 200 miles easily, portable mobile unit can go half way around the world. Hikers take small handhelds on Appilation Trail top of mountain and talk to Germany.
why didn’t the piss-drinker walk back to the restaurant a few miles?
He oughta get the Darwin prize.
What a Rube!
I survived most of my life on beer and pizza. Lots of empty calories but I was happy.
Try coffee and cigarettes if you want a hillbilly blood transfusion.
Hillbilly blood transfusion haha that’s funny. How about beer and urine for a drunks blood transfusions.
i spent 90% of my money on beer and pizza….the rest i wasted…..
Mick is an idiot. Don’t be like Mick.
BigB
The Great Man, W.C.Fields, says he once got lost in the desert without his whiskey bottle and had to live for 30 days on food and water. A greater accomplishment does not exist.
Mm-yes, go away boy, you bother me.
good one, him….hadn’t heard that one.
Bourbon & Bacon would have done him better
“chance favors the prepared mind”— Pasteur (?)
(he prepared somewhat– brought along beer and crackers– but then what does he do?? Dumps the beer and drinks pee instead! LOL!! the ONLY thing he did right was leave the note on his car.