Darwin Award Near Miss Times 2

Every once in a while someone from the city, with no experience in the back-of-beyond, decides to "commune with nature." It rarely goes well. Father-son duo survives night in Utah wilderness after finding 'miracle' backpack

How it started.

Back at the beginning of January, 15-year-old Levi Dittman was planning to hike in the Red Mountain Trail area of Dammeron Valley. Stocking his hiking backpack with the best gear, first aid kit, snacks, and emergency supplies was a bit of a passion project for Levi.

He tossed the backpack somewhere he couldn't go, and then got trapped on a ledge overnight.

Apparently his $300 of supplies didn't include a US Geological Survey Topographical Map. I haven't purchased one in a long time, but I doubt they are more than $20 bucks even after all this time, and also you can download sections from the .gov for free.

“Looking at the map, it seems flat, which it’s not,” Levi said of the trail. “So, anyone else, do not try this.”

One month later...

On Monday, Feb. 17, Levi and his mother went to pick up his lost backpack at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, getting the bag back from Julian Hernandez.

“We ended up getting trapped in the same place where, a month ago, that 15-year-old got stuck,” Julian told ABC4.com.

Julian and his son got stuck in about the same place, and they found Levi's backpack, which was a godsend.

A miracle in the shape of the green backpack Levi spent about two months building up, filling it with Pop-Tarts, Clif bars, bandages, and even an emergency tent — all things that Julian said helped him out in a time of need.

I'm not saying you shouldn't get out of your suburban enclave and have an adventure. But understand that there are things you don't know. And even worse, the things you don't know that you don't know. Your cellphone will be useless in most wilderness areas. What navagation skills do you have? Do you have a topo map for the area you're going to hike? Do you even have a compass? A GPS? Anything? What emergency supplies do you have? Do you know how much water you need for a hike in dry air? Do you know what the overnight temperatures are going to be? Even if you aren't planning to overnight, maybe you should be a little prepared, since accidents do happen. And most important, does anyone know where you are going hiking, and when you are due back?

Hat tip to Wirecutter and When city folks go outside.