I Shouldn't Be Alive

Anyone here a fan of the I Shouldn't Be Alive series on Discovery? Most of the stories are pretty incredible. Most of the stories also share one key ingredient, being unprepared. Although many are just plain freak accidents, the others seem to be solely a product of poor decision making. Like the man and woman who went to the Amazon on a their once in a lifetime trip. They wanted to go on a relatively "easy" trail hike through the jungle of about 3 miles. So they set off without a map or extra supplies through the jungle, for the first time in their lives. Obviously this story did not turn out well as they soon wandered off trail without knowing. In other words, I just cannot understand how some people can put their lives in such immediate danger. Common sense is clearly not too common.

MTB416 said

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I just cannot understand how some people can put their lives in such immediate danger.

Sometimes, despite being experienced and prepared, things happen. A friend of mine, Warren MacDonald, is the subject of one of the I Shouldn't Be Alive programs. He went for a backpack on an island off Australia. He met up with another fellow early on and, thinking that having two is safer than solo, they hiked together. The other fellow was not in as good shape, and the map they had was pretty poor. So when they cut inland at the supposedly correct spot, the traveling conditions got pretty tough, plus a storm was moving in. When they stopped to make camp, Warren did a little exploring ahead, but had a rock roll over, landing on his legs. The other fellow attempted to help lift or pry the rock, but to no avail. So he headed for help, leaving Warren with some food. Because of the storm, the water in the creekbed rose, threatening Warren with drowning. The other fellow eventually found his way back to the beach, and along the beach to where he met the ferry (really, a boat that dropped people off on the beach). By the time help was arranged and they got to Warren and got him out, he had been stuck for several days.

Warren lost both legs, but since that time has gotten two prosthetics, and has climbed several hiking peaks (including Kilimanjaro, which I hiked last December). He wrote a book about the experience, which is a good, and inspirational, read, and he gives motivational talks.

Warren was knowledgable and experienced, but in the failing light, having been delayed by a partner of less ability, he was unlucky enough to encounter a delicately balanced boulder. I would certainly not say that Warren lacked common sense, or the experience needed to go into that location.

Another person who I had encountered and had a slight acquaintance with his father was Randy Morgenson, the subject of the book "The Last Season". Here was an experienced backcountry National Park Ranger, who lived summers in the Sierra backcountry, and was probably as knowledgable and experienced as anyone can be (my acquaintance with his father was as a photographer and instructor in Yosemite Valley and encounter with Randy was while I was backpacking in Kings Canyon, as did many other people during the many years he was a backcountry ranger there). During his last season, he disappeared. There were rumors and speculation that he had chosen to walk away and was living elsewhere or that he had committed suicide. After several years, his remains were found, and it was eventually determined that he had fallen through thin snow cover over a stream on one of his inspection rounds in the early spring.

I personally have had close calls just driving on city streets (my car was totaled about 10 years ago on a 4-lane major street by a woman coming off a residential street - she "didn't see the stop sign", with the result that the impact spun my car completely around, just in front of a city police car; plus I have had close calls while bicycling in a clearly marked bike lane near the "Share The Road" signs). This week, 2 bicyclists were killed on a popular cycling road about 4 miles from my house by, of all people, a county sheriff who apparently fell asleep at the wheel 4 hours into his shift. Things happen over which we have no control and no amount of experience can prevent.

Yes, a lot of the incidents on that series and many of the other "reality" series are the result of hubris, inexperience (with the resulting lack of preparation), and poor planning and decisions. In the one you refer to, my understanding is that the couple were told by the people at the resort they were staying at that the trail was easy to follow and that it was a very short hike. There was a language problem that contributed as well, apparently (the couple did not speak the local language and the people they talked to at the resort spoke very little English). And possibly contributing to the lack of communication is something we see here on Trailspace and the web generally - someone with little relevant experience asks for advice. Then someone with a lot of experience responds. To the experienced person (mea culpa!), the proposed hike is an easy jaunt of a couple hours, with lots of beautiful sights and sites, requiring little more than a bottle of water. The experienced person, who maybe lives in the area and in any case is wearing appropriate clothing, doesn't stop to think that the inquirer doesn't realize that it rains a lot (or snows a lot), and is wearing a cotton T-shirt and jeans (really bad for such conditions), and the snakes they will encounter are super-venomous, plus you should keep your eyes open for the grizzlies and killer rabbits.

Ok, I jest a bit, but hopefully you get the point. Danger and risk lurk everywhere. To the person experienced in the venue, it's just a walk in the park and the problems and required preparation are intuitive, while to the person inexperienced in the venue (though maybe very experienced in another venue), this will be a challenging adventure, and require a lot of hand-holding guidance from an experienced local.

Compare two people - Joe is an inner city 20-year old, experienced in the ways and dangers of the street. Joan is a country girl and has lived in the backcountry of Canada for all her 20 years with virtually no modern conveniences. Now drop each of them in the opposite environment. Joe may be self-confident and full of bravado, but that won't do him any good when he confronts a grizzly, attracted by the food he left sitting out. Joan, who has dealt with the dangers of blizzards, lakes with thin ice cover, grizzlies, and wolves all her life, is going to have a tough time dealing with the gang of Nortenos into whose territory she has wandered while wearing a jacket with their "colors". (despite how Crocodile Dundee was able to just wave his knife and scare off a whole gang).

So there you have the possibilities - people who get in trouble despite lots of experience in the venue, and people who get in trouble because of a lack of experience in the venue. Sometimes you get caught by a danger you knew was potentially there. Sometimes you get caught by a danger you didn't know about. Sometimes it is because you believe "it will never happen to me", but it does.

I am familiar with the man who lost his legs, in New Zealand right? That one falls in the freak accident category. Of course activities such as driving are far and away more dangerous than many outdoor sports, we have just become so accustomed that the danger does not seem to be there.

Being raised in Boy Scouts, the motto "always be prepared" has been drilled into my head. I believe it is this simple motto that has kept me out of trouble, be it in nature or in an urban setting. I am college student and use my bike to commute pretty often. If I must ride at night I take a knife and mace for protection. Murphy's law seems to have the most power when you are unprepared. Fortunately, I have never been attacked while out riding, however my guard has never been down. Of course the world is just one huge variable, one that we cannot control, but the utter disrespect for the forces of nature seems to be the overwhelming reason these people (on the show) find themselves in these terrible situations.

The topic you posted, how kids are choosing video games over outdoor activities, is one of the many reasons why your average person has no outdoor experience. People are becoming more and more disconnected with the outdoors.

Lastly, I do not mean to belittle the extreme lengths and pain that the people on the show go through to survive, especially those who were the result of a freak accident.

No, Australia, on Hinchinbrook Island, just off the coast of Queensland, midway between Cairns and Townsville.