So Many Ways This Could Have Gone Wrong

Lots of lessons in this story. Woman stranded six days in California forest survives on yogurt

On Thursday, April 14, she and Justin Lonich, 48, who live in Little Valley, had been driving there on forest roads north of Highway 44 when their vehicle became stuck in the snow. They spent the night in the car, and the next morning, it wouldn’t start.

Both began walking south toward the highway; Gullett fell behind when the soles of her boots started coming off. When Lonich realized they were separated, he said, he turned back but could not find her.

In heavy snowfall, he spent the next two nights in makeshift shelters as he made his way south. On Sunday, April 17, he reached Highway 44 and got a ride into Susanville, where he reported Gullett missing.

First Lesson: Driving on Forest roads in California when it is snowing is a bad idea.

Second Lesson: Your cellphone is not as useful as you think it is. Not once you get away from the cities, and towns

Third Lesson: Don't get separated.

Fourth Lesson: Emergency Supplies in the back of your vehicle are a good idea.

There are more, about buying quality equipment, seeing that stuff is maintained, and the like.

When I read these stories in the winter, it is usually about someone who froze-to-death/died of exposure a few miles from help. If it is in the summer, it is usually how they died from heat exhaustion a few miles from help.

I wanted to make the thing about cellphones lesson number 1. If you are going into the great outdoors, away from big cities. You should consider something more appropriate. There are choices that work better than cellphones in emergencies like this.