Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
5 months a year I'm up in the local Mts and you wouldn't believe some of the cidiots we have to rescue. You name it, we've seen it. Personally, I don't see how anyone could get that lost up there but whatever. People take off hiking that are out of shape, no water, no food, no way to communicate, no weapon. I'm surprised more haven't died.
That's what I was wondering about. The link to the article said the trail was between 4 and 5 miles long. Seems like...not the longest trail in the world. And some of it is boardwalk.
I took my 8 yr old on a nature trail walk that was 10 miles long. It was a mistake, and we were exhausted when we finally made it home...but we did, with frequent breaks to rest. A 4.8 mile trail...seems not insurmountable.
And count me as one of the parents who would NEVER leave my little child alone like that. NEVER.
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 7 days ago)
35,629 posts, read 17,968,125 times
Reputation: 50652
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sassybluesy
That's what I was wondering about. The link to the article said the trail was between 4 and 5 miles long. Seems like...not the longest trail in the world. And some of it is boardwalk.
I took my 8 yr old on a nature trail walk that was 10 miles long. It was a mistake, and we were exhausted when we finally made it home...but we did, with frequent breaks to rest. A 4.8 mile trail...seems not insurmountable.
And count me as one of the parents who would NEVER leave my little child alone like that. NEVER.
Had he been wearing the bright red jacket in the pic, it's likely he would have been MUCH easier to spot. As it was, in a black jacket and camo pants, he's invisible to searchers.
The article doesn't say where he was found - rather, 1000 feet from the trail, and within the search area they had mapped off.
I would like a trail map, and markers where she was found, and he was found, and the route they intended to take when they started out.
No problem. The Mother was found three miles up the trail. The boy was found above that, 1,000 feet off trail. I guess technically he could have been 1,000 feet from where his mother was found. But I get the impression he was father up the trail then that.
Ketchikan, as a community, is "remote" in the sense that it's not on the road system and it's surrounded by wilderness. It is, however, a modern town with modern amenities, not some rugged frontier outpost. The area this incident occurred in was not "remote" relative to town, but it also wouldn't be a high traffic area, particularly this time of year.
Thank you for that clarification. Being involved in the Alaska fishing industry I've been from SE, out west as far as Adak, north to Kotzebue and lot's of little dots in between.
On a comparative scale I've never considered Ketchikan as remote.
I would have full gear for that. As in pack, heat supply, tent, bag, food, water, gps, sat phone, etc. Plus a float plan to someone.
Yes, and no. That would normally be a day hike. So most people probably wouldn't take a tent. But this does sound a lot like the Devil's Staircase Wilderness here in the Oregon Coast Range. Which is an off trail bushwhacking hike to a remote waterfall. People have reported getting lost trying to find the waterfall and having to spend the night in the forest. Now days though people have marked the trail with ribbons. So I don't think it happens as much. Also gps and sat phones often don't work in these environments. GPS needs a direct line of sight to the satellite. Which is often impossible in a canyon with massive trees above you.
That's what I was wondering about. The link to the article said the trail was between 4 and 5 miles long. Seems like...not the longest trail in the world. And some of it is boardwalk.
I took my 8 yr old on a nature trail walk that was 10 miles long. It was a mistake, and we were exhausted when we finally made it home...but we did, with frequent breaks to rest. A 4.8 mile trail...seems not insurmountable.
And count me as one of the parents who would NEVER leave my little child alone like that. NEVER.
The problem is that this was not a nature walk. It's a hard to traverse trail with blown down trees and mud. It's sounds like it's an unmaintained trail. I'm not sure how appropriate it is for a five year old kid. Since they had done it before I wonder if the kid was smaller, and maybe the mother carried him, but he had gotten too big for that. I tend to think that blown down trees should automatically make a trail a no, no for young kids. Even if adults can get over the top of the trees, I'm not sure how small children would do it without a lot of help.
Exactly, but for the record, according to Google Maps, it's actually 18.2 miles by road from Ketchikan to the trailhead. So they were a 18.2 mile drive from town to the end of the road. Then about a five mile hike to the end of the trail, then about 1000 feet off trail. For anybody who can't figure it out, that is serious backcountry hiking.
It's only 18.2 miles from the dot on google maps that says Ketchikan. It's about 4 miles from the edge of the built-up town. It's also really, really not backcountry hiking, being that there's a marked, maintained trail adjacent to a paved highway. I mean, the site has bathrooms. You're exaggerating.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraC
Hmmm. That's not what I'm finding. I'm finding he's average height, but the weight given is, literally, "off the charts" heavy.
But again, they may have pulled that weight out of thin air, which does seem to happen in missing children cases. In cases where they have no idea the size of the child, saying "average size for his age" or "very small for his age" would be more appropriate.
The problem is that this was not a nature walk. It's a hard to traverse trail with blown down trees and mud. It's sounds like it's an unmaintained trail. I'm not sure how appropriate it is for a five year old kid. Since they had done it before I wonder if the kid was smaller, and maybe the mother carried him, but he had gotten too big for that. I tend to think that blown down trees should automatically make a trail a no, no for young kids. Even if adults can get over the top of the trees, I'm not sure how small children would do it without a lot of help.
The article said the trail was "moderate" in difficulty, and parts of it were boardwalk. But I will easily concede that I've never been there, never seen it, and basically don't know what I'm talking about. lol
Thank you for that clarification. Being involved in the Alaska fishing industry I've been from SE, out west as far as Adak, north to Kotzebue and lot's of little dots in between.
On a comparative scale I've never considered Ketchikan as remote.
I mean, sure, it's less remote than Adak. I would still call it geographically remote, just not isolated or undeveloped. I don't disagree with you, it's just that there are a few posts on this thread that made it sound like Tununak, and some that made it sound like Cabo, and obviously neither is the case.
The article said the trail was "moderate" in difficulty, and parts of it were boardwalk. But I will easily concede that I've never been there, never seen it, and basically don't know what I'm talking about. lol
The bottom of the trail is boardwalk. The top is blown down trees and mud, according to the first responders.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
