The Horrors of Becoming Lost
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- Humans are built to explore, yet most of us don't really think that we'll become truly lost. But inevitably, some of us will.
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✦ Chapters ✦
00:00 Intro
01:20 The Call of the Mountains
16:11 Pieter's Last Dive
29:03 Gerry's Wrong Turn
45:36 Conclusion
Sources, notes etc are available here: bit.ly/3soD84D (links to a public Patreon post).
Any mistakes, edits, corrections will be posted on this pinned comment.
Thank you so much for all of your feedback, it means the world :')
Corrections:
14:40 Austrian TV, not German
I checked your channel yesterday to see if you posted recently and today you did.
Excellent content.
Isn't this a repost? My phone says this video just came out 2 hours ago?
Just a quick note: the cylinders we use to dive contain air (21% Oxygen) or other gaz mixes, not 100% oxygen. It would be better to say " air cylinder". Thanks for the great video!
@@WhitneyDahlin The lost school boys story was covered in a previous video.
@@stephenpmurphy591I literally just got to the part of the video where she said that! I can't believe this is the second time this happened! That's why I was so confused I was just coming down here to edit my comment thank you for explaining LMAO
If you find yourself lost in the woods:
1. Stop as soon as you realize.
2. If you have anything colorful or that stands out, mark the spot you are at. Wrap a piece of clothing around a tree. Lay your tent out, whatever. That is your center marker now.
3. Choose a tree (Make sure you can see the base of the tree clearly!) straight in one direction and while walking to it, constantly turn around to make sure you can see your base camp.
4. If you did not see the trail or anything that resembles civilization. Mark the tree with something that visually stands out and go back to base camp. From there choose another direction and tree to walk to, always looking at base camp. Repeat this process for all 4 directions from your center marker
5. If all 4 directions turn up in nothing, go out to any of the previously marked trees, and now choose another tree further out in the same direction. Always keeping sight on the previous tree. Do this in all 4 directions.
Keep repeating this process until the distances are simply too large or you run out of items to mark the trees with.
ONLY choose trees that you can clearly see the base of, as it means you will be able to see the tree you are currently at from it. And only walk in directions you know you can return from, avoid steep slopes, rivers, marshy or swampy land etc..
This is such important information. You should do a video about this. ❤️
@@daytradersanonymous9955Fr bruh
@@daytradersanonymous9955Not a fan of telling people to shut up but you do realize that writing nothing would have been more productive than this right?
4. don't wear a "one more MILF" tshirt
Always take a map and a compass with you and never go alone.
Slowly dying of starvation in a pitch black cave for 3 weeks is beyond nightmarish
Yes that’s about as bad of a way to go as I can imagine. The only worse thing I’ve heard is the story of this man in the late 19th or early 20th century who got stuck in Sand Cave (near mammoth cave) and multiple other caves opened for paid tours in Kentucky USA. So he was hoping this cave on his property could be worth exploring in the hopes of finding big caverns or other interesting things that would attract tourists. He was crawling along on his stomach in a position where he was facing head down when a rock broke off the wall causing his leg to both brake and get stuck. He had the luck [it seemed at the time] of his brother noticing he was missing early on and finding him. Then more false hope as a rescue effort began slowly at first with his brother trying to get him unstuck and eventually a huge rescue, media, and public effort was underway. Then a cave in blocked off the cavern he was located in leaving him alone, stuck upside down, and in complete darkness. That didn’t stop the rescue it just redirected it. They eventually dug down from the surface to find him dead from starvation and removed his remains only for him and his casket to be returned to the cave as part of a tourist attraction. He was exploring the cave to begin with in the hopes of making it a tourist attraction anyway so 🤷♂️.
Upside down, with a broken and stuck leg, in complete darkness, starving to death..after you thought they were going to be able to get you out sounds like my worst nightmare. I like going in caves but never in a situation where I had to crawl and squeeze my way through and absolutely 1000000% nope.. no.. not a chance in hell would I ever go cave diving.
@@ben-jam-in6941 I saw that story, as well. How sad. Just like the Colorado teenager who left his home one day to go for a walk, never to return and it wasn't until 7 years later when a neighboring cabin owner, demolishing his cabin, discovered the teenagers' skeletal remains, stuck in the cabin's chimney. (Just a mile from his home). Who knows for how long he suffered, all alone. May all these poor souls, RIP.
@@isabellind1292 Ya that was a horrific story as well especially since he was just a teen with his entire life ahead of him. I agree may they all rest in peace and may fewer people make bad decisions and get into those situations. (I say fewer rather than none because I know bad stuff like that’s always gonna happen).
Not as bad as slavery done to black people😮😮
@@isabellind1292I remember that story too. Like lil bro u ain't Santa my man wth u climbing in a chimney for? Reminds me of those divers that got sucked into that pipe in the Carribean last year I think it was. Stuck in an enclosed space w no clue of what's what and no hope. Damn😔
I swear RUclips content is getting better than tv nowadays. I love coming across hidden gems like this channel.
My exact sentiments!
So true. The way this was edited, the storytelling... just very well-made.
Haven’t watch tv in over 10 years lol minus breaking bad back when it was around
Same!
@@stevefromyellowstone7911 same haha, only Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Peaky Blinders are my three exceptions, otherwise RUclips IS my TV!
I became lost in the woods with my mother as a child. One moment we were on a trail, and the next, we weren't. I still remember the tall, blue flowers that covered the forest floor where the trail should have been behind us. An undetermined amount of time later (still the same day, thank God) we found a highway and walked alongside it until we got back to the parking lot where we started. At that time my mother would have been 25yo at most, yet she carried me on her back for an unknown distance. Listening to stories like this make me feel lucky that we made it home that day.
While this sounds like an act we think most parents would do, this act by your mother is still one of the greatest things a human being could ever hope to do…care for their child even in cases where death is looming.
I also got lost once with my grandma when I was little, there was a fork in the trail it was a 50/50 shot and we took the wrong way. We didn't know we took the wrong trail because it was our first time taking that route and ended up walking for around 12 miles before we found a place where there was service, and we were picked up by a ranger. I remember not being scared because of how calm my grandma was, she just recently got diagnosed with dementia and i miss hiking on trails with her.
that's what it is, luck. you step off the trail, release the guideline, whatever, for a second then... it's gone. i've been lucky to find my bearings again and make it home, late after terrifying my paranoid parents. but there's the issue, how many times until i don't find my way again? how many times until i'm a story just like these, a body in the woods, a footnote, a tragedy, and a warning.
you and your mother were graced with survival, much like a golden few, but there are a countless many that haven't, and their voices call you to join them.
If Hans wanted to put his life at risk, that's not great, but acceptable. Putting others at risk, especially children, is UNACCEPTABLE.
But then how would people know about how cool and smart he is?
That's the problem with these types.
They should have watched dual survivor
They should've turned around...and went back down the mountain. At 16 I wouldn't have listened to him lol. I would've followed my instincts
@@randysavage1we're talking about post-war Europe. This isn't a question of instinct, but of mentality. Loyalty, camaraderie, and obedience to a certain extent were valued virtues, as well as perseverance. Those boys probably had a very strict upbringing, while also spending much time outside without parental control. My guess is that they didn't seriously question their teacher for a long part of the hike, didn't want to act against the group, and perhaps had already been in enough uncomfortable situations in their lives that they thought they would be able to simply stick it out.
He was an evil man
One time I was hiking in the rainforests of Vancouver Island, and started following some neon trail marker ribbons... Except as I went deeper the trail started becoming really bizarre, going under collapsed giant trees and through muddy quagmires.
Eventually, every direction I looked had a trail ribbon. I felt like I had lost my mind, and felt panic creeping up because the sun would soon set.
I started scrambling back the way I came, horrified at not only being lost, but spending the night in the rainforest alone. It was then that I realized the ribbons had faded writing on them that faintly read "search and rescue."
The entire time I hadn't been following trail markers for my route, and instead was retracing an old search and rescue effort for someone else who had gone off trail.
The irony of how I had become lost was almost as ridiculous as how I was saved. Two stoned barefoot men ran into me when they heard me screaming and helped me find the trail again.
I was left with an enduring gratitude for hippies, and intense fear of dense forests. They are almost liminal and claustrophobic.
Would you be available for interview?
Brother, I hope you are doing good now but bruhh this sacred the sh*t out of me as I m good with imagination and puting myself on your place 😨😰
Wow, this story could be made into a movie. 😮
@@paolorossi5989 theres similar movies such as the forest watch it its really good
I enjoyed reading this! But also because I have been to Vancouver island 😮
I once saw a TV show where one person cursed the other one with, "May you die silent and alone."
I don't think I've ever heard anything more chilling.
Have a nice life is a harsh one too, delivery depending
In the southern U.S., "Why, bless your heart" means, "Go f*ck yourself." Once I was in a court room a judge had just given a sentence to a thug who told the judge, as he was lead out in cuffs, "Have a BLESSed day, your Honor!" Without looking up, the judge said, "Same to you." @@BeanFace-oj2en
Expressive aphasia is a common stroke complication where the patient can understand language (spoken, written, ASL even braille) but cannot express language (cannot speak, write, point out letters, etc.). (The reverse is receptive aphasia.) A harsh reality is that most people die without other ppl in the room. Since strokes and expressive aphasia are common, that curse "May you die silent and alone" comes to pass frequently. In fact, I suspect the situation I just described is likely its origin.
@@felixfelix8940 I found out last year that apparently, when people "die peacefully in their sleep", this is actually a myth, it's a kind lie to make loved ones of the deceased feel better. Because what actually happens most of the time is that the dying person wakes up, knows they're dying, and dies terrified and alone because everyone else is also asleep. They are too weak to call for help, they know they're dying and just don't have the strength to do anything about it.
To actually die peacefully in your sleep is a lot rarer than we're told. But it's truly a blessing, for that to happen. It's much kinder, than dying alone and afraid. But you don't get to choose how you're born or how you die. I'm just hoping that some of them manage to find some sort of peace right before they go, so the terror doesn't last too long, and they just realise that their time is up and they've had a good innings and it's time for them to go, and so they accept it.
@n18OK, let me debunk all of that. To start, I'm a board-certified internist. I've seen so many ppl die when I crunched the numbers it was ridiculous. It's not that ppl die "in their sleep," they die while unconscious, which is peaceful, and lives right next door to "in their sleep." Ppl don't whisper final words when they die, because they're DYING. People don't wake up while dying b/c they are DYING. You said it yourself, "they are too weak," but dying ppl are too weak to wake up in the first place.
Exceptions are that the pain of a heart attack or a sub-arachnoid intracranial hemorrhage will wake that person. The arrythmias or paralysis that comes with these things will render you incapable of calling for help. Terrifying, yes, but in these instances the drastic changes in blood flow to the brain from low cardiac output or brain swelling renders them incapable of basic thinking. It's a quick death.
We soften things for family members but we do not lie. Heart disease kills most Americans and cancer comes next. Most old folks have weak hearts and abnormal rhythms and at some point, poof, that's enough to shut you off in your sleep. Cancer death is often from it spreading to vital organs, so we are back at comas, unconsciousness, etc. I
f you read your source from the web, remember that Lincoln said believe half of what you read and none of what you hear. An example is "What your doctor doesn't want you to know about [xyz]." There is nothing your doctor doesn't want you to know. Other click bait is "medical myth" and my favorite, "Scientists stunned by..." The cold hard truth is that except for hospice, death is almost always ugly or painful, and most ppl die alone. That's why we hide it behind curtains, closed doors, and hospices. American's delicate psyches and TV/movie stereotypes make for a gross misunderstanding of some thing exactly as natural and common as birth itself.
Old age and terminal illness both usually bring that acceptance you mention, not at the last minute, but much much earlier. That's why I think dying ppl go into that in-and-out state towards the end, they're pre-shutting off. Ppl who survive failed parachute or failed suicide by jumping sometimes report separating from their body before impact, which I think is a similar mechanism to the in-and-out state of those near death.
But many of can choose a peaceful death: death with dignity. It's MUCH better than those last three month of a cancer death. You do it while your mind is sharp, surrounded by your peeps, in a nice room with a beautiful view, drink a glass of OJ and slip away. They spread your ashes the next day. Screw the funeral industry driven by profits that preys on grief.
The first story is a great example of a general rule of thumb: Mother Nature may have very few consistencies, but punishing those arrogant, unprepared, and inexperienced enough to believe they could overcome her is one of them.
It’s not her it’s the/they nature
@@LucrativeLarryshut up
@@LucrativeLarryNature is predominantly referred to with feminine pronouns in many cultures. Mother Nature/Earth, Gaia, Terra, and many others are personified as female. Especially as the poster used “Mother Nature,” it’s definitely appropriate to use she/her pronouns.
@@Laura_Parenti not op, just throwing in my two-cents: while I do agree she/her works and honestly just sounds better in this case, I feel like they/them is technically more accurate since Nature encompasses multiple individuals. But idk.
@@AssassinPinapple In the Western Context, we mostly use her (in the same way that all ships are feminine, including HMS King George V)
Cavediving sounds like such a nightmare to me. It combines all my biggest fears (claustrophobia, drowning/suffocating, getting stuck, getting disoriented, creepy sea life, darkness, and so on)
Yes. There is my 'bucket' list and there is my 'f*ck it' list. And cave diving is definitely on that second list.
Me too! I wouldn’t cave dive even if someone paid me. Lol
I don’t want to be underground by choice while I’m alive! It’s strange how people have their own fears. Like maybe one of these spelunker people might be absolutely horrified by speaking in front of a crowd or getting a shot or flying. We have our strengths and we have our weaknesses…
It really surprises me the BASE jumping is more dangerous than cave diving. What can go wrong in BASE jumping? Parachute malfunction, or hitting the object from which you jumped.
What can go wrong with cave diving? Pretty much anything and everything. You can take the best cave diver in the world and send them down with perfectly functioning equipment and still, they make one tiny mistake and the end.
@@scottbubb2946yeah but also base jumping still sounds the most stupid of all. at least some cave divings are for science
I’m so glad you mentioned Keast, because I did like 5 takes when the video opened like “This…wait didn’t we already do stubborn German teacher foolishly leads boys up a mountain to their deaths?”
The fact that this happened more than once is incredible.
I almost rewound thinking Id missed something ;) then my quiet inner voice said, trust her... and she did not disappoint.
I was about to write everything you said.
If I had a nickel for every time a stubborn German teacher foolishly led boys up a mountain to their deaths I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
Wasn't the first one was a stubborn British teacher?
I was thinking the same thing. I even accidently quoted the video before the narrator did about how surely this wasn't happening *again*?! Such a tragedy, and one that was 100% avoidable. I feel so sad for the families of those kids, and also for the people who tried to warn him about the weather, etc.
As someone who lives in the deep woods of northern Minnesota, there is nothing scarier than realizing you have no idea where you are. Due to the lack of snow this winter, I got lost in my woods because I couldn't recognize it without the snow. I stopped immediately, pulled out my compass, and said a prayer. Thankfully I found a nearby dirt road and made my way back but it's a good reminder to ALWAYS have your compass and know HOW to use it when in the woods.
What do you mean by lack of snow? (it doesn't snow in my country) i mean wouldn't it be easier if there wasn't snow?? Snow literally covers everything...?!
@@jannatunnaim5139 I think it is because you can see your trail in the snow
@@JamesZheyuXu what do you do when there's heavy snowfall and your trail disappears?
@@jannatunnaim5139 Then, you get lost basically, in that case that is what happens
@jannatunnaim5139 it's best not to go hiking in a blizzard. But for the 99% of times you do go hiking in the snow and it's not snowing so hard you lose your trail then, yeah.
Gerry's story touch me deeply. I can not even imagine the panic that was going through her mind. Poor thing, she even left a journal. In her situation, I probably would've just kept walking around crying and screaming for help. She did what was right, but too late. It broke my heart to hear what she went through, the guilt and horror she must've felt. A dream became a nightmare just so quickly. This is so so sad.
Gerry and Pieter's is so depressing. So close to being saved or saving themselves. So close.
Sure we can say "Why didnt they do this or that?" But anxiety, panicking and fear can mess with anybody's mind. Logic is basically shoved out the window.
Especially for Gerry. She was almost 70, being elderly and alone as well as lost in unforgiving terrain but have been absolutely terrifying. I struggle to understand why her hiking partner left her knowing her age and existing deficits in her survival knowledge. Like was their no one to step in to replace her? Could her family not convince her to come home and try another day? Idk, I couldn't in good conscious leave an elderly woman in a large wooded area for any amount of time all alone
@@TheZombifiedFairy what do you mean her hiking partner left her? Her family left her, this and that, why nobody stepped up and went with her? No one was responsible for her! She was an adult and she made her own reckless decision to continue hiking alone after her hiking partner had to leave for an emergency. I'm much younger and wouldn't dare even a day hike on my own. Instead of blaming everybody else for not dancing around her, she should have simply discontinued the hike. That would've been the responsible thing to do. But if she tended to get combative after she made mistakes, you can imagine her reaction to people telling her to stay home. Sounded a bit stubborn and bossy so people preferred just to give in and let her do whatever she wanted. It's sad how she died but sadly, she could've prevented this, even if she just had been better prepared.
Gerry didnt bring a compass with her….
@kokoskokso I said the hiking partner AND her family. They both could have done something to prevent this outcome. The hiking partner left her in the middle of the woods and her family enabled rather than convinced her to come home and try again at a later date. She's an adult... she's also almost 70 YEARS OLD. There is no way she should have been out there alone. Not even many fit 20-30 year olds are soloing such a hike.
The hiking partner had an emergency, I'm not saying she should have ignored it, I am questioning why no one came together to get her to reschedule when the hiking partner was available again. Idk about her family, but the hiking partner has intimate knowledge of Gerry's survival skills, as exemplified by their quotes after her death.
There is NOTHING in the video to suggest she was the combative type as they have nothing but good things to say about her. She's to blame, but I'm also blaming those around her because (again) she was almost 70. Don't enable her by leaving her in the woods (hiking partner) or bringing supplies every week (family) because she wants to do something dangerous. I don't believe that they were helplessly watching this go on and had no shortcomings at play. She holds ultimate blame, but those who enabled this to happen has some blame too. I don't care how we try to skirt around that by saying she's an adult.
@@TheZombifiedFairy it literally says that at 44:00.
Sure, if it was my family, I'd do my best to convince them not to continue. But ultimately she made her decision. Remember she was well enough to go on a hike for several weeks.
Pieters last dive is so viscerally terrifying I cannot explain it. I’ve seen a lot of cave diving videos, as well as accidents. All terrifying in their own right. But the fact he did manage to find an air pocket.. and he survived for 3 WEEKS in pitch black darkness.. I can’t explain the sense of dread i feel.
Legit absolutely terrifying. I hate the dark as a 44-year-old man. I couldn't imagine living in it for 3 weeks and slowly losing my mind and hallucinating without seeing anything and every sound would be a monster or something coming to get me. I'm sure if you had a handgun he would have ended it a lot sooner. I'll do respect to him. That's arguably one of the worst fates.
That was horrible, it’s awful but I almost think it would’ve been better for him to drown, as awful as that is he wouldn’t have been in the dark for so long by himself
As someone who is claustrophobic, I’d rather be burned alive.
I feel as though I would have rather suffocated trying to get out especially with the last remaining light than slowly go mad over the course of 3 weeks of starvation and pitch black
@@InsidiousTop500The fight or flight mode kicked in and he chose to flight and surrender to his predicament, the longer he stayed the less he would have been able to fight it , utter terrifying horror of knowing after a few days that no1 is coming for you and you are on your own in the dark cold wet cave.😢
I've heard a number of these stories before, but you cover them and such detail, and with such passion that I feel like I'm hearing them for the first time.
Once again, amazing work.
And a really nice voice as a bonus.
For real I agreee
@@DaisyMaeMoses I agree, the content is interesting but I think I would enjoy listening to anything she has to say just to hear her say it.
Phenomenal job with this video and I HAD to subscribe ❤
fancy seeing you here good sir
Hearing the part about Nuno experiencing something similar later in his life (losing the guideline and being lucky enough to find his way back to it) made me wonder what he was thinking before choosing a direction to go back into the water. I can only imagine he must have been reliving how Pieter must have felt, and wondering if he would meet a similar fate. I bet any reluctance he had toward going back in vs staying to wait for rescue was minimal after what happened to his friend.
The second story is beyond tragic. Imagine surviving for that long and choosing to put your trust in the rescuers and wait, only for no one to find you. It's stories like these that make me wonder what will happen if I ever get lost and follow the well-known piece of advice "if you ever get lost stay put, help is on the way". I can't even imagine what it must have felt like to be in the pitch black without proper food and water or any way to tell time.
That person placed himself there.
Most humans wouldn't.
That dude was a fucking idiot, did he expect everyone to babysit him and make sure he wasn’t wandering away?
I feel very angry towards the authorities. If they let his mates in to help look for Peter, they would've found him (since they did find him quickly once the cave was reopened). I also don't like how they abandoned efforts with the excuse that "Peter drowned" when his mates knew the cave better and told them it was possible for Peter to be in an air pocket.
Don’t go cave diving, simple
The first thing is, why would you people go ALONE and UNPREPARED to these places to begin with?
The story about Pieter is the most horrifying story I've ever heard. Poor guy.
He fucked around & found out….his dumb
I agree . I keep thinking of that poor man in total darkness. Hungry and afraid. I can’t imagine how it would feel to sleep and wake up every day in total darkness and realizing exactly where you’re at. When did he give up hope .
It is indeed and also the first video on this channel about the Nutty Putty cave accident. That one is also a nightmare I've been thinking about for days.
Hearing that he stayed there for 3 whole weeks before dying really solidified it for me…..
The most horrifying story I heard before this one was the nutty putty cave incident. This one is more haunting i think.
Gerry’s story is so sad to me, and frightening in its simplicity. I top embarked on an AT home from Harper’s Ferry,WV. While I only hiked for about 15-20 miles or so and then camped for 3 days and then returned I discovered first hand just how easily and fast things could go sideways. From losing your orientation, improper storage of food, water filtration, weather the list goes on. And I was literally decked out in probably too much gear and had received training from trail guides on previous excursions. Yet still, it was abundantly clear I was one misstep from tragedy the whole time.
Your channel is one of the most professional and respectful tragedy coverage channels on RUclips. You don't steal footage, you don't sensationalize, you don't plagiarize, and you seem to take your work very seriously.
I agree! But I wish there were more than 9 videos!
Those poor children were completely innocent and their lives were lost for absolutely no reason. The arrogance of Hans truly lead everyone to their deaths.
And it was the 2nd time in like 20 years
Watch the previous one. The one in the Black Forest. It's somehow worse. At least Hans paid for his hubris. The other teacher survived and lied about what happened.
Hans's poor planning was infuriating, but the way he was found is also heartbreaking. The fact that he was clearly huddling with the youngest boy and likely doing what little he could to help the kid who was probably the most vulnerable in the group does make it clear that he realized how horrible his choices were. :(
@@HeyLeFay or he was trying to use the kids body heat to keep himself alive.
@@FRLN500 A dead body only stays warm for a very short time, even living bodies in the cold. All blood flow to the skin and extremities is shut down to keep the inner organs warm as long is possible.
Gerry's story is the most sad to me. She just went off the trail to go to the bathroom and got turned around. And she was half a mile from the trail.
It's extremely negligent to go out into a forest trail entirely on your own, without a compass or any previous thought about how to rescue yourself if something went wrong.
If she had a compass she could have set up a tent, and walked in straight lines away from her tent in multiple direction, always being able to find back to the tent using her Compass.
She could also have walked in any direction, marking trees or branches along the way to find her way back.
Basically, what she did was like going swimming far out into the ocean without knowing how to swim.
It's not a nice thing to say, but she was basically an idiot.
Its definitely sad, but the group of teenage boys being led into certain death by their mentor is a lot worse in my opinion. They died with no fault of their own.
I've known about this story for a few years and I can't help but think that if She'd had a whistle, this could have been avoided. I'm not a hiker but if I were, I would never go anywhere without a whistle.
@@carlpanzram7081 Okay. You're entitled to your own opinion. This one was mine
@@carlpanzram7081 I agree. When it said she used to get lost frequently and then would get combative it solidified it for me. Sure I'm sorry for everyone dying a miserable death and she does sound like a lovely lady. But she was woefully unprepared and stubborn. As an elderly lady with back issues and lame orientation, plus no survival skills it's really hazardous to go on such a long hike alone. I'm still young but wouldn't dare going on a day hike alone. You never know if you stumble and twist your ankle, run into an animal or human predator, whatever. Being self-righteous prevents you from remaining teachable. Pride goes before the fall. I'm sorry for her and her family. Not knowing what happened to her for years must've been awful, on top of rumors that it was you who did something to her.
@@carlpanzram7081yes exactly. If you have a compass, every time you go off the trail you can check what direction that is and immediately know what direction is back to the trail.
I cannot fathom hiking alone in the wilderness without a legit compass. Or hell at that point get a satellite phone. My God, stupidity kills.
Lengthy story incoming. You've been warned.
About three years ago, I was travelling solo in Cumbria, North of England, to see the Lake District. The hotel I was staying at was in a little town called Seascape, roughly ten miles west of the Lake District. I went in early October so the weather was rather temperamental. Cold, raining and gale force winds, but I was wrapped up quite well. I left my hotel early on the first morning, grabbed some fruit, bread, and a couple bottles of water and prepared myself to walk towards the Lake District. I love long walks and always have, especially solo ones. I walked miles and miles until I found a steep mountain path which led me directly into an imposing forest. It took me nearly an hour and a half to reach the end of this path to where I eventually came out to a clearing. Tall mountains stood in the distance and I wanted to get as close to them as possible. At this point of my journey, it had just gone 1pm and it was getting colder. Throughout the entirety of my walk, I never saw a single soul. I was completely alone and I loved it.
As I got closer to the mountains, the grass around me became higher and higher, subsequently reaching my shoulders, and I found myself walking through increasingly tougher terrain. But I had no idea that I was walking straight towards a very well-hidden stream of water. A poorly-placed step resulted in me falling head first into the stream, spraining my ankle and hitting my head on a rock. Immediately, I fell unconscious.
I didn't regain consciousness until about 8:15pm that evening. I was disorientated, had an agonising headache, my foot was swollen and I was soaked. But the worst part was that it was dark. Very, very dark to the point where I could barely see my own hand in front of my face. I kid you not, for a few seconds when I awoke, I thought I had somehow permanently lost my vision. Thankfully I quickly located my phone, but the battery was in the single digits. There was no signal either. Once I managed to pick myself up and compose myself, I gradually began to make my way back by sparingly using the torchlight on my phone to light my way. However, my phone went off after about fifteen minutes, leaving me in complete darkness. It was extremely cold, I was wet and very hungry, and in a place that might aswell have been another planet. Plus, I was worried that I might have had a concussion from when I hit my head. I had no choice but to just keep walking (well, limping) and pray for the best. It took me 3-4 hours to walk back down the mountain path. I kept thinking to myself, what if there is someone lurking out there in the darkness? What if I pass out again from exhaustion? I was vulnerable and lost. As I somehow found the mountain path again, my eyes had eventually adjusted and my route was partially lit by some stars and a clouded moon.
After what felt like forever, I finally reached the bottom of the path in a much more well-lit area, and then eventually a small town where I managed to book a taxi to take me back to my hotel. The driver must have noticed my exhausted expression and damp clothing as he asked me if I was okay, to which I replied, with a blasé smile, that I was. I got back to the hotel just before midnight. I cannot explain to you the overwhelming sense of relief I experienced when I returned to the warmth of my hotel room, jumped in the shower and switched on the television. I managed to order a late night meal and sat in my room, staying at a wall thinking to myself "I could've died out there... in the elongated grass, at the bottom of that stream, and my body could've never been found. My mother, my family, my friends... they never would've known what happened to me." I will never forget the paralysing chill that ran down my spine from this one thought.
I never ended up going to the hospital, which realistically was probably a very stupid idea. I just wanted to forget that day existed. Although I managed to enjoy the rest of my holiday, I refrained from walking long distances and chose to take public transport as much as possible.
I think the moral of the story is that it really can take surprisingly little to end up in a perilous situation and be overwhelmed by fear of death, the unknown and getting lost, even in the places we would probably least expect it to happen. It doesn't have to be an underwater cave. It could be a field in an area you're not familiar with. But one thing I can admit with utmost certainty --- I have never been more terrified than I was when my phone ran out of battery and I was left stumbling through complete darkness, unbearably cold, wet, injured and starved, and not knowing who, or what, was out there with me.
Thanks for reading. Stay safe, my friend.
What a read man. Glad you're safe and alright
Mate, if you haven't gone to the hospital or doctor to check your noggin, you really need to do so. Head injuries aren't always a straightforward, immediate thing. Please think about this.
Thank God you made it. It took a lot of strength to keep yourself going and not give up.
well that was quite stupid wasn't it lol, walking alone in an unfamiliar place. hope you bring a friend next time.
He is at risk for developing seizures later in life @@daisy3869
I almost got lost one night (or did temporarily) in mountainous terrain here in Colorado several Novembers ago, and it still haunts me whenever I think about it. I'm ashamed to admit I made every stupid mistake in the book: no water, inadequate clothing, and had told nobody where I was. It was supposed to be a quick trip to a waterfall I thought I could find without problem. I was wrong. Not only did I never reach the intended location, I became unsure as to the exact route I had taken, and it was getting late in the day. By the mercy of God I found my truck just as daylight was fading into dark (otherwise I was stuck). I literally fell to my knees in thanksgiving. My overconfidence nearly had disastrous consequences. Don't ever be the fool that I was.
My dad works for the national park service so i grew up basically living from park to park, the amount of people that die because they refuse to listen to workers or they overestimate their abilities is astonishing. Those “few extra miles” or a small detour can mean not making it back.
I leaned this the hard way on a trip to the grand canyon. We had an hour to hike in and back. The guide split us into 3 groups based ok our athletic ability (it was a school trip) and I demanded to be put in group three which would go 1.5 miles down the canyon and back (group two 1 mile and group one .5 miles). The guide had his doubts, but I assured him that I walked 1.5 miles to
school everyday, and that I would be fine. This wasn't a lie, but I failed to account for the slope. The first mile was fine, light work even. But the last half mile the canyon was unforgiving, and became about twice as steep as it had been the first mile. By the time i got to the 1.5 mile marker, I had been going for 35 minutes, and now had only 25 to make my way back up the trail (which would be even harder because of gravity). I only made it about two thirds of the way up before I was on the verge of passing out, had thrown up from both de and over hydration. One of the football players came back down and threw my arm
over his shoulder, and "carried" although perhaps dragged is a better word, back to the top of the trail and onto the bus. Needless to say, my friends and GF reprimanded me fiercely for demanding the tour guide to put me in the most advanced group (they didn't know until after the fact since they had left with group one on the .5 mile descent), and I learned a very valuable lesson about listening to people who do what they do for a living.
SMB it may benefit you to go to therapy. If multiple people are telling you not to do something like this and you dont listen. Combined with the dramatic narrative you give it makes it sound like you could benefit from therapy. Some of us need help to learn to give others benefit of the doubt that they are knowledgeable and therapy can help those of us that need that bump to trust others. I hope you never get in a situation like this again. Good luck!
@@Couscous77thank you. The dramatic wording is just something I'm prone to, I like entertaining, but the cliffnotes (I was stubborn on a school trip, I got sick from being dehydrated and then drinking way too much to fast at a trail stop, I was supported out by a football player) are all true. I normally don't argue with authority figures I just really really hated this particular tour guide (he was just an asshole in general) and I wanted to pick a fight. I've tried therapy but I find it often doesn't go anywhere and I can't really afford it anyway, but if I ever get the opportunity for a good therapist I'll prolly take it for other reasons (since I know I got some stuff going on I just push through it most days by necessity)
So many of the fatal stories are of 'highly experienced' people getting complacent, thinking they're invincible, so ignoring warnings and ending up lost /dead
@@Couscous77 Ridiculous comment. Not everything is traumatic, and why do you consider a disregard for authority to be something that needs therapy?
Gerry's story is so heartbreaking, but also so frustrating to me. This wonderful soul was apparently making preparations for ages to go hike her dream trail, and yet she didn't take the time to learn the absolute basics of survival (or take along a waterproof book about it), nor did she buy all of the right kind of equipment and learn to use it (like the toy compass). It's also frustratingly sad because she did lots of the correct things for getting people to notice and find her like spreading out her shiny survival blanket, and yet she still wasn't found. Her lifelong dream turned into a nightmare. My heart breaks for her and her family.
Hans, on the other hand, can kindly go join Keast in Hell.
Ayep. A young woman once asked people for advice on traveling the country in only her car. I repeated some advice I was given: practice in your own driveway/parking lot first. What problems you will have will be fast discovered and you can try out fun things like peeing in a portable female urinal inside your car.
Hans and Keast are in good company I suppose.
Even worse is the idea that had she carried a Satelitte phone, A PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) or even a loud whistle or other way to signal, she could have been found and survived. Basically, had she even noted which way she was stepping off the trail, she could have been found. Still a very sad case.
I've heard her story several times, it is very sad! Unfortunately though, once her friend couldn't make it, she never should have continued on alone, she wasn't 100% confident to do so, but she went anyway. Very sad.
Why hell, what he do against u 😢
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer is an amazing novel that talks a lot about the innate appeal of exploration but also the dangers that can happen along the way. The book recounts the true story of Chris McCandless but also has a few other stories thrown in about different mountaineers and what went wrong in their adventures. One that really stood out to me was the story of this man who ended up getting lost in the dense woods. I don’t remember the specifics, but he set up camp and as the weeks dragged on and he was gradually getting weaker, one day he spotted a helicopter overhead which was the first one he had seen since getting lost. Frantically, he grabbed his bright orange sleeping bag (or something of that sort) and started waving it around to get the attention of the chopper. It stayed in the area for a few more moments, appearing to have seen him, and then suddenly turned and proceeded to carry on about its route. Stunned, he checked his hiker’s manual for helicopter signals and realized to his absolute horror that he had accidentally made the sign for “all good” quite literally waving off his last chance of rescue. Not long after winter hit, and he died to the elements.
No fucking way 🥲
god, in one of my english classes (specifically american lit), we had to read the entirety of into the wild and periodically have group discussions about it after reading a certain amount of chapters. the story is truly heartbreaking, especially with the implied reasons of why he abandoned his seemingly successful life for the journey and adopting a new name
if you read into the wild and are curious about more about him and chris’ personal life before he went on his trips- i recommend watching the “your dna does not define you” ted talk and reading “the wild truth”- both by carine mccandles, chris’ sister. her stories about herself and her brother, their childhood, etc, is all so heart breaking and gut wrenching- and a hard listen/watch.
I'd have to dig up my copy of the book to be certain, but I'm pretty sure he was also within a few miles of a cabin where he could have taken refuge and found food
Gerry Largay seems like the sweetest person. Thank you for covering her story so respectfully.
Han’s story is angering, gerry’s is heartbreaking, but for me, pieters was devastating.
I can imagine being in a cold, wet cavern with nothing but your growing hunger and an oxygen tank. It’s been a few days and you have debated going back in the water, but you lost track of which tunnel you first came out. You know if you go back in you probably won’t come out. You wished you had never climbed up, you wished you had went back down as soon as you knew you went the wrong way. No one will hear the noise you make or see the light you shine. A rescuer eventually comes up into your cave. You are probably in a comatose-like state, over come with grief and regret. You didn’t see their flashlight, or hear their voice. You will have another 3 weeks to live with this torment. you are stuck in a dark, damp, world. Pieter’s story was the worst
To understand his torment and anguish, despairing alone in the pitch black starving freezing hallucinating all the time knowing salvation is only a short swim down the correct tunnel and having the means to complete the task. Until your torch dies then your mind goes and no amount of air in your tank is enough then to save you, yeah that’s a bad predicament to find one’s self in…
@n3h3m he got trapped for 3 week's poor chap, died of starvation, alone in pitch black. 😢
how do you get lost there's like 4 tunnels lmao
@@jgwentworth6735 the tunnels are patrolled by trolls
@@princeamongmen7064 you're more disrespectful than I am. drop your attitude and answer my question, thanks
Geraldine‘s case is so tragic. I have gotten lost once in the mountains in Slovenia, I was never in any real danger and found my way back by myself. Just dehydrated, exhausted and stressed out. But this was the most terrifying experience in my life.
My advice: if you are hiking alone and have to go to the (non-existing) bathroom, don’t leave the trail so far that you can’t see it anymore. Yes, maybe someone could see you peeing- so what?! It’s not worth risking your life! And it’s soooo easy to get lost.
Take care ❤
Great advice, the best one for women. I know from experience which is why I have now a device that allows me to pee standing up, without having to pull down the pants to me knees. I hope my comment is appropriate, but it is one thing I have always with me when I am out hiking.
@@c.g.ku.9479Why?
@@EndritVj Why "why"?
@@c.g.ku.9479 The device.
Gerry was a Liberal big surprise the wilderness took her.
I rarely comment on RUclips, I spend a lot of time enjoying the eclectic variety provided.
Having said that. I am profoundly moved and grief stricken from these stories.
The narrator delicately tells the tales with genuine empathy for the lost.
I had no knowledge of these incidents before today.
Now I can carry the memories of the lost with me.
I applaud you.
You have taken lost tragic lives and made them immortal.
I know I'll never forget them.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤
The voice over for this is amazing. I like that I can hear the emotion in your voice in some spots. A lot of video essayists, especially for this type of topic, sound clinical and detached. You sound like you genuinely care about the people in the stories you’re telling.
I'm an English professor by training and have rarely come across such beautiful prose in a documentary. Your writing is exceptional and your delivery is perfect - elegant and reverent, yet conversational and welcoming. Thanks so much and can't wait for more!
Thank you! this means a lot :)
Could not agree with this more! I would hasten to add that this same transcendent quality level is (bewilderingly) consistent through all 6 videos released so far.
I thought you were about to announce a hiking trip with your students on a snowy mountain
@@ELTABULLObring your mittens kiddoes
@@ELTABULLO😂😂😂
Its stories like Gerry's that always make we wish deep down I could be a time traveler and just be at the right places at the right times.
You dont have to be a time traveller to do good, or help where its needed
@@TragicallyCharmed one doesn't need to be a time traveler to assist others but it would certainly help and i personally plan on making that possibility a reality in due course
Other time travelers want to change society, alter the course of history..I also fantasize about fixing the small things. Being that helpful person who was there at just the right time, the right place.
@pissiole5654 you don't believe things happen for a reason, that messing with the timeline might cause unintended and unpredictably devastating consequences?
@@cleanserene6330 thats exactly what im hoping for
As a boy I was fortunate enough to be able to hike around the world with my family. However, I still remember my attitude during those trips. I was always curious and eager to go further and further up the trail. One time I hiked all the way to the top of Camelback Mountain in Arizona during the summer, leaving my parents behind since they were tired. I was proud of myself, but my parents were furious. I never understood why until later when I found out a college student died of heat stroke on the mountain a year before. Years later my father permitted me to hike ahead of them because I proved to him that I could handle myself after years of being a boy scout. I was lucky since I had a lot of endurance and we always hiked during the summer. I can understand how a young boy's attitude can be a recipe for disaster, especially hiking during the winter. In addition, having a man you look up to for guidance leading you astray only makes this worse. Boys will be boys, but men have a responsibility to guide them properly and be good role models. If both the boys and the man they look up to are arrogant, you're bound to end up with a horrible situation like this.
What's even sadder about the cave divers case is that his friends would have probably found him if the 'professional searchers' had not closed the caves to the public and spent so much of their time kicking up sediment in the area of the guideline looking for him there. His friends had told them he would probably not be near the guideline, but might have made it into any one of the many unmapped dry caves. That's where the search should have been concentrated from the beginning. And his friends should have been allowed to search. Since there weren't really any standards or training in those days for cave diving, there was no reason to exclude them.
As someone who lives in Maine, it is unbelievably easy to get lost in the woods here. If someone dropped you a hundred yards from the highway in certain areas you’d likely die. Extremely dense forest, very easy to get turned around.
Those pictures were giving me flashbacks to the Blair Witch movie. :P
At first I was like “oh but you could follow the moon or sun” but then it hit me the forest is so dense you can’t see crap out the branches 😂
As someone who has hiked the AT starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia, and finishing just a few days shy of 7 months later on Mt Katahdin in Maine, this is 100% true! Maine has some incredibly deep and dense wilderness areas. Like, words just dont even do it justice, and you can't even comprehend what it's like if you haven't actually been out in it. There is a wilderness area called the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine. Its called that because thats literally what it is. Its 100 miles of nothing but dense wilderness, without ever coming across a road or town or anything. Hikers have gone missing out there and have never been found in that wilderness. People go missing out there just by walking off trail just a few steps to take a leak, and that's not an exaggeration either. Maine wilderness is no joke. And in the winter months, its just a frozen forest hellscape. Maine wilderness is just a very, very easy place to die in.
@@mattjack3983 bruh I’m gonna look up like a video of this. I live in AZ and i don’t think I can actually comprehend how dense forests can get.
@Drexyl_Durden i was over here like duuuhh Gerry just use the moon as a guide 🤣🤣. Talk about not knowing what you’re talking about 🤣
The last story really brought back horrors for me, like Gerry I walked off the trail to relieve myself and suddenly everything around me looked familiar and yet unknown and I had no idea what to do. Trying to retrace footsteps in thicket is impossible but with incredible luck I stumbled across the original trail some hours later...I was only 30 feet away from the trail...That Mind Monster is real!!! R.I.P. Gerry
Remember this, like one of our men said,
EVERYBODY has a breaking point.
Ughhhjj so scary cuz u don’t wanna venture too far in any direction and potentially get even more lost, but to be only 30 feet away!!
Do you know we have a nifty invention, it's called a compass?
You are so clever, hope it NEVER happens to you when faced with the ultimate decision...which way do I turn.@@SanctusBacchus
@@SanctusBacchus Have you heard of this nifty phrase called ’there’s a time and place for everything’? Yeah, shut the fuck up. This is not the time for you to be a smartass, not a single soul is impressed by your extremely mediocre ability to detect flaws in hindsight.
the moment of silence got me. i teared up. this is truely one of the best channels out there
You are an INCREDIBLE content creator. I've already lost track of how many times I've listened to your videos on repeat. Impeccable quality of research, sound design, and video editing. Immersive, descriptive and fascinating. You write with great care and empathy, giving these often lost and forgotten people their true identity back which is often stripped away over the years of media circulation. You focus on more than just tragedy, yet you still manage to portray the true horror of these situations better than the vast majority of content creators in your field. You are creating truly stellar work. Well done, and be proud!
One of the worst feelings I've ever had was the day i was night hiking with my dogs in the wilderness here in Oregon (like I've done a ton before) but one of my dogs somehow got separated from me. I think she saw & chased a deer? Then i spent nearly 2 hrs hiking thru the pitch black woods, losing my voice yelling for my dog. I was so stressed, it's never happened before. We have gone on so many long hikes in the dense woods together. It really made me so worried about if something happened to her? There are mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats around here and i even worried about any landscape related accidents that could of maybe happened...? I knew it was really unlikely but i just couldn't find her ANYWHERE & i hiked so much, checking anything i could. I eventually called a family member to let them know what i was doing and my flashlight battery was dying and so i hiked back to my truck with the idea that my brother was going to run me one of my other 18v rechargeable battery packs so i could continue on searching for my dog.. it takes me awhile but as i was walking up to my truck i thought i was seeing eyes reflecting back at me..? A deer? No, is it... It is!! It's my dog! My baby girl! She surprised me so much that after she got separated from me, she was able to find her way to regroup back at the truck. Which was far away from where we got separated on the hike.. We literally had one of those cliche (running in slow motion in a field of flowers type moments) and when i reconnected with her i just sat down on the ground and she just ran around me showing her emotions and as i was laughing and hugging her i just uncontrollably started to cry. Like cry, cry. I haven't felt that type of emotion in a very long time. It was such a relief and yet i also experienced such a vast amount of stress, dread, worry, physical exhaustion, all the stages of fear... It was such a true sense of feeling lost. Even tho i wasn't lost.. i felt lost.. so this video just made me think about it and i happened to write it down. Sorry for the long rambling comment.. This video is such high quality content
So glad you found your dog!
@@marine463 me too! Thank you a bunch for that. It sounds like nothing compared to what these people have gone through in these other stories of "getting lost" but the feeling in general is scary. I've hiked in the woods a lot & seen (missing dog flyers on trees) so it added to my concern about if i was actually going to find my dog. Especially with how vast & dense of an area i was in. Anyways i hope you have a wonderful day
@@benmcreynolds8581 Thank you you too!
Thanks for sharing your story. I’m glad it had a happy ending 🙂
beautiful moment you've shared
The first one reminds me of the Thai cave rescue, which I also just watched. Young people being led into peril by an over-confident, clueless adult. Poor kids must have felt so helpless once they realised they’d put their trust in someone who had no idea what they were doing.
I watched the Thai incident on a local TV channel. Very horrifying.
German tourists getting lost in the Austrian Alps is tradition at this point.
The boys being stuck in the Thai cave was not the fault of their assistant coach. If anything, the boys and their parents attribute the coach being a major factor in the boys' survival at all. It was not the rainy season yet, and they genuinely could not have expected the freak rainstorm. Even one of the experts recruited because he had mapped the cave have planned on going there some days later.
16:49 "Hold my beer and watch this" Pretty much sums up how a small Island like Britain ended up with an Empire.
As a german i can confirm that a movie is not considered to be of suffitient quality here unless it features at least two suspicious looking goats in a scene that doesnt make any sense other than featuring said goats
I was lost in the woods in Newfoundland when i was maybe 3.5 or 4. I barely remember anything about it but the only thing I can recall was that a crow led me to safety all the way back to the parking lot for the trail. I still think about the kindliness of that bird to help a young creature in need ❤️
Even the creatures are nice in Canada, especially on Newfoundland: the nicest place on Earth. Glad you still feel grateful for that bird saving your life.
Wow!!!!! Do you remember how you figured out to follow the crow?
Birds are filled with spirit
A crow led me to my lost cat in a tree in the forest
Animals are the silent servants of God
You are just so good at making documentaries. Thank you!
Woah! Thank you so much!
When I was just a little kid, my number one fear was getting lost, and so much as even taking a wrong turn on the highway was enough to send me into hysterics. I've since gotten over that fear for the most part, and I think it mostly stemmed from my parents arguing whenever we took a wrong turn. It was stressful as a small child.
But... That fear still holds a little bit of weight. Most of the time, human kindness will get you back on the right track when you're lost (assuming that you're lost in an area where there's people). But sometimes it won't! And sometimes your mistakes will come back to bite you.
They shouldn’t have closed the cave for 6 weeks and left Peter to die. They should have closed it long enough for the dust to settle and clear waters emerged then went back in.
Yeah. Waiting for 24 hours for the silt out to clear and retrying would be what's done now. They didn't know about the connected dry passages at the time, so they could only assume he'd run out of oxygen and drowned. Still mounting a recovery within a few days should have been done.
Really, his fate was due to the police divers not properly checking the dry passage when it was found. They should have searched it thoroughly under the assumption that he might be unconscious.
I’m from Maine and I can’t believe I’ve never heard of the story with Gerry. Maine’s forests are incredibly, incredibly dense. It must’ve been horrific. I feel so sorry for her and her family that had to wait two years to find out.
Sounds like she was a very determined woman. She should have returned with her partner & planned again for a later hike.
There are so many things she could have done but she didn’t. Frustrating? Yes. Fear? Yes. Exhaustion? Yes.
Condolences to her family. 👵🏻👩🌾❣️
Maine's forests are like nothing else I've ever seen, I'm from the Pacific Northwest originally and our tree coverage is nothing to sneer at, but Maine? I would never try to venture in those woods alone. There are so many places that are SO isolated up there like I've never seen, add in the unforgiving cold and I'd be terrified to be turned around in any Maine forest.
If I'm not mistaken, she was in the "100 Mile Wilderness". A notoriously miserable area to hike through. And there would be no opportunity for a cell signal, even at an increased altitude. (That would be something I would try if lost in Maine, go to higher altitude to try for a single, as it usually works.) One definitely should know some basic survival skills prior to attempting some of these terrains!
Pierre’s end is so scary for me, starving slowly over time in pitch black darkness, while your mind goes mad is every nightmare I’ve ever had.
I like the way this is produced. I've watched tons of channels like this, none does it even close as good to this, even the music-soundtracks are good. Keep up bringing us this good content.
I was lost once backpacking in Joshua Tree, I made one mistake which was not noting which direction I had gone off-trail (taking my GPS for granted) then come daytime I was out of water and had to head back but the heat of the day had my phone overheat which was not only my GPS but also my means of communication with emergency services via satellite. Clear view of the sky seems doable until it's 100 degrees out so at that point I was officially alone and left to my own intuition to get out of it, panic quickly set in when I realized this. Luckily I had been a boy scout when I was younger and one of the things we learned is what to do when lost, I recalled the first step being to stay calm because I thought it was peculiar until I had this experience, I truly believe the panic almost killed me in the heat. Once I was calm, I remembered the general direction I had gone off trail and luckily was still oriented enough to walk in that general direction -- until this point I'd been walking in the general direction of the road which had me parallel to the trail I was looking for. To make things worse it was full-spike season and I was wearing crocs, by the time I got back to the trail my feet were really messed up with spikes and I had to change socks. I almost kissed the ground when I was back on trail, but I still had miles of hiking through heat without water before I was home free. Luckily I made it with minor heat exhaustion and lots of lessons learned. Stay found, take notes, and don't rely on electronics alone as a means of navigating, have a PLB or Garmin InReach for emergencies, and if you get lost STOP and calm down to try to figure out which way to go. In panic, you WILL spin yourself around frantically searching for an exit, this will make you more lost, don't panic.
As an Appalachia native… I’ll tell folks that the embarrassment of getting caught taking a leak is a helluva lot better than getting lost in the mountains. Also FYI 2 miles in the mountains can take A LOT more than 30 minutes to travel… obv it depends where you’re at but if you’re lost in an area without a path, 2 miles could take 2 hours or the most part of a day
honestly if lost in north american areas where you know at some point you will find infrastructure try and find powerlines or rivers, unlike many places for the most part the east coast you can always walk and eventually find something, the problem is not everyone can last that long
What do you say, Never underestimate the mountains?
Is that a good warning to live by, sir? What do you say?
I think for a lone woman like Gerry’s case beyond embarrassment there’s the fear of violence if someone finds you in a vulnerable position like that which is another reason having a hiking buddy is so useful
@@analyticalhabitrails9857what say you, sir!
You can get lost and die in an amazingly small area. Because all humans are asymmetrical, walking in a circle is unavoidable. People have walked for hours only to end up right back where they started, get upset and choose a totally different direction and end up right back where they started. If, as you say, there's a mountain that you can summit or a river to follow, that's hopeful, but many areas are flat and surprisingly uniform without flowing water. And you can easily follow a creek or stream only to end up in a pond, somewhere where no human has been in decades, even in America, which has been, as you alluded, completely developed from coast to coast. @@circleinforthecube5170
I'm from Austria, and specifically from a small mountain village, so I grew up around hiking and the wilderness. Inexperienced hikers are still a big problem today, many people really underestimate the danger the mountains can bring if you're not careful.
Around summertime our "Bergrettung" (the part of the ambulance that is specifically trained in mountain rescue) rescues at least one person per week because they underestimated how dangerous even an established hiking path can be.
kudos from Bavaria. And most of the time, they are not even injured, but simply exhausted and stuck.
Sir, I feel sick!!
Dangerous even on established hiking path...?!?!
O_O
I love kangaroos
so true... went to the Herzogstand in Bavaria in late May. There was still snow on top and some Asian tourists where walking around in Flip Flops, slipping and sliding all the way, still trying to reach the peak. And Herzogstand sure is no challenging peak.
Basically, never go on a mountaineering trip with your teacher in Europe
this was so well made. your prose hits different. i can tell you’re so in touch with these stories and it’s what makes you stand out.
I’ll never forget Gerry’s case. It was so heartbreaking for all of us when the forest finally gave her back and we knew for certain her fate. The Maine woods can be so unforgiving
Right but she was so close to the trail. How do you not walk in every direction atleast once ? And how far you really go off the trail to piss .
It was a suicide. She knew she was about to see her husband again and realized she didn’t love him so killed herself
@@JoeRogansForehead i've seen much better bait
@@acklesis bait? It’s true
@@JoeRogansForehead Spoken as somebody who has never walked in the forest
IT WAS RELEASED WITH SUBTITLES!!! Not many creators do that and it takes a few days or someone making the subtitles for them. Thank you!
Yes, I really appreciate it. I find I don't watch any that don't have closed captioning because it is so frustrating. Her voice is clear, too.
Most YT videos have the full transcript in the description. You can click on the numbered time stamps to backtrack or move forward.
@@rt66vintage16 Yes, but then you have to try to read along in small font. It's exasperating.
RUclips has an automatic captioning option now, I think. But if anything, there are programs that can automatically transcribe them for you and you just need to review them for minor errors. It’s nice to see content creators who make sure their videos are accessible.
I got lost in a very large woodland once. I was with my dog. I was aware I had to go in a northerly direction to find the trail again, but there was no sun shining, or it would have been easier. We'd just gone for a three hour walk and I had no survival equipment with me except a knife and a lighter (because I smoked roll-your-own cigarettes then) I had no compass.
I'd heard that moss grows on the north side of trees, but found that was a myth mostly, as I found moss growing in all directions! Plus, as it was November, daylight had already started to fade.
I decided to use the remaining light (probably less than an hour) to build us a shelter and have another try in the morning, while hoping there would be some sunlight to give me a bearing on north.
I wasn't scared and was in good spirits. I did have some useful basic survival skills, learned since childhood, and I could put the knife and lighter to good use.
So I started to build the shelter, and cut low hanging cedar branches first as a "carpet" so that we wouldn't lie too close to the cold damp ground, and for insulation on the frame I would build. Hacking enough branches with the sturdy knife to make the shelter was possible but very time consuming, so I changed tack and used fallen deadwood lengths.
Then my dog wandered off. My usual "velcro" dog who never wanted to be more than 50ft away from me...wandered off! She wasn't chasing a rabbit or squirrel. I saw her walk off slowly, then turn around, look at me, and do some more walking. She came back a little towards me, then took off again. She didn't look scared either. Her tail was up and she looked confident
I have no idea why I stopped what I was doing and followed her. I knew that within minutes I'd never find my way back to the half built shelter, and it was almost dark now.
I have no idea why I just put all my money on that dog right then but I did. I didn't even think about it, I followed her.
She led me along an animal trail, probably used by deer, and we wandered further and further under the trees. It made no logical sense but my instincts told me to keep going but I'd no idea what we were doing! It was completely against common sense.
The animal trail meandered about all over the place, but she just kept trotting on and I kept following, knowing it was crazy.
Maybe we carried on like that for fifteen minutes or more? Then all of a sudden we broke through undergrowth, right on to the main trail which led out of the woods! Now it was merely a 2 or 3 mile straight walk back to the car!
The strangest thing is, she wasn't following a scent trail we had laid down when we went in. Because that was a part of the woods we hadn't been in that day, and the last time we had been there had been months before. And NEVER had we followed a deer path in that area.
So something amazing happened that day. My dog got us out of there with no fuss at all! She just knew what we needed, and just did it! (basically she wanted her dinner at home by the log fire!)
The screenplay of this video is exquisitely composed, ranking among the best I've encountered.
Keast, Hans Seiler, and the hubris of man. Although grim, Hans died with his mistake but took victims with him. Keast had the audacity to continue on with life as a false hero (may he rot).
edit: Gerry and Pieter's stories are haunting. So close to rescue..
At least Hans had the decency to try to protect the youngest boy, and likely at least realized his foolishness where as Keast tried to paint himself as a hero afterwards.
@@HeyLeFay I will have to read into Keast. I assumed he died during the incident from the way the video went, but he lived? I am going to research this.
Pieter's oxygen tank being relatively full reminded be of something similar I heard. When people get lost and die in the desert and they are found, they are frequently found with water still in their water containers. It is thought that they over-ration their water for fear of running out, and end up dying of thirst.
Just found this channel, can I say how beautifully and wonderfully told these stories are! You have managed to capture the grim circumstances, the emotions, and the raw fear these people likely experienced in their ordeals. Your videos give a sense of dread and uncertainty that other documentations just simply cannot convey.
The only thing I’ve ever learned from cave diving videos, NEVER EVER DO IT.
The horror I felt at multiple times in this video... the fact that yet another teacher ignored advice to go on a dangerous hike, the fact that the cave divers thought their friend was right behind them but he wasn’t, and the fact that the solo hiker didn't even know how to make a camp fire... nightmare fuel. The editing in this video is amazing. Thank you for sharing these stories.
Now you put it like that it really does seem the common thread is being arrogant, self-righteous, knowing better than anybody and refusing to heed any kind of common-sense advice because you know best. I'm just not going to care and take precautions because I'm so special and nothing can happen to me. It's really infuriating especially with the boys. The first photo was so beautiful, full of life and joy, peak time.
Same, I have a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about it, I hope I don’t have nightmares about the underwater cave one tonight…
@@kokoskokso maybe someone refuses to ask for advice or listen to any advice because for them it was a very negative experience.
Maybe they tried before and were humiliated badly or mocked by 'advisers'.
"Pieter's Last Dive" is more horrifying than anything Stephen King has ever written.
I didnt think aything could be worse than the sailors, or Nutty Putty...
@@TragicallyCharmedNutty putty was a freak getting off of being rescued multiple times. He repeatedly put himself in dangerous, tight places and either barely survived or needed others to risk their lives for his. Not even having a family was enough, like a serial killer, he couldn't stop himself and got stuck one last time. Thankfully, nobody died trying to save him.
@@ChessJourneymanthe nutty putty guy hadn’t been caving in many years so I’m not sure what you are on about. He was visiting his family over Thanksgiving and decided to go caving since they had done it with their dad as kids. He made a mistake and paid for it with his life. I wouldn’t describe him as someone who was constantly putting himself into dangerous situations
.
@@ChessJourneymanyou think the guy who died in the Putty continued to purposely get himself stuck? And how was he exactly a freak ? You make it sound like he enjoyed having people risk their lives to try and save him. And he made a big mistake. You’re upset because he put other people’s lives in danger in trying to rescue him? Humans are explorers and it’s in our nature. And don’t worry. You didn’t sign up to put your life at risk to rescue someone from a cave.
Of course its scarier because its true. Wtf kind of comparison is that?
I grew up in the piedmont of NC, pretty close to the foothills of Appalachia. I visited all throughout my life and it’s simply an area I would not play games with; yes, it’s beautiful. But it’s old and eerily so.
You address these heavy topics with such respect, grace, and tact. You didn't make out these people as foolish spectacles. You kept their humanity while getting your point across. Excellent video
The amount of joy I get from seeing a new Real Horror upload is quickly quashed as I get more into the video and lie in bed wondering what it would be like to get lost.
I feel like that feeling of dread is very similar to the feeling on freezing to death. No matter how hard you try, you know you won't be found, just like no matter how hard to try you know you won't get warm again. I almost froze to death in a wilderness therapy camp and suffered severe lasting effects of hypothermia, and can relate to that feeling of knowing your time is almost up.
The Jacob Geller channel made a few Fear Of.. videos and I thought this was another of them. I think he has one on cold.
"Wilderness Therapy Camp" sounds like a 1984 euphemism for prison.
A+ video. I’m a Mainer and often hike the trails in western Maine in the summer/fall months and it is extreme out there. You can see anything around until you get to the summit and realize you’re in a sea of trees. Definitely humbling. Subscribed!!
Ayuh, it's pretty wicked out there.
@@user-lx8gk2lu2x magine
You really are the best narrator I've ever heard, either professionally or as an amateur. Truly brilliant. Please keep these coming!
The script for this video is beautifully crafted. One of the finest I've come across. Empathetic, but not soppy, and erudite, but not pompous in any way. Lovely work.
i really appreciate the art that you make, RH. i have a very shaky relationship with disaster chronicles and truecrime because a lot of the people who make that kind of content are here for the thrill of the death and the carnage. the genre often feels extremely voyeuristic and ghoulish to me. But you always center the humanity in each disaster: you reverently honor each person lost, you acknowledge the systemic failures that led to each disaster, you are deeply invested in the humanity lost in all these awful events you've chronicled. And i respect you and your art deeply for this.
A particular appreciation for getting some of the accounts and physical documentation. That takes a lot of time, but adds a lot to the story.
Aw man I just came across your channel and I absolutely love it! Binged all your videos in one sitting and although I realize that it takes months between videos because how high quality they are, I can't help but want more NOW.
All hyperbole aside, I hope you recover soon and be back in good health 🙏🏼 I'll keep you in my thoughts
I saw your videos over a year ago and again today. I still remember them clearly despite watching probably hundreds of thousands of videos since. They are more gripping than any Hollywood blockbuster. Thanks for the vids ! ❤
Gerry’s story legit made me tear up. She reminded me of my own grandmother and I would be devastated if something like this had happened to her too
I thought I had heard this one but then you reminded me that was the English group, I can’t believe this happened again! How can someone in charge of children be so reckless?! Very informative video it is truly documentary quality!
yeah there were so many paralells that at first I thought I had already seen this video and was mis-remembering
@@yerabbit6333it's the same for me, I had thought maybe I had seen someone else cover the same story
A similar incident happened on Mount Hood in 1986 in the United States. It was also a school trip.
This has quickly become my favorite YT channel! Cannot wait for more videos. The execution is flawless
Hi, Rachel your channel is interesting too
This is the very first video I have seen from you, and oh my god, was it an experience. Thank you for putting light to these stories, which have completely passed me by before, and by doing it in such a respectful manner. Your writing is incredible, the editing of the video is incredible, aswell as everything else about it, so much so that I hadn't even realised nearly 50 minutes went by at the end
Even if Hans was as good a mountaineer as he thought he was. Apparently he never stopped to think whether everyone in his class also was.
That’s just the reality of grossly overestimating your own abilities in combination with a pride that won’t let you admit defeat. An experienced mountaineer wouldn’t feel the need to prove themselves nor would they have gone through with the hike. If Hans truly had had knowledge in the field, even if they got lost, he’d know what to do if they did. Which he clearly didn’t…
No words for Gerry's story, such a wonderful person was lost from a mere bathroom break. Really goes to show how fast things can go off the rail in thick forestry.
I can think of a word: moron.
The algorithm suggested this video and I'm glad it did. I am a new subscriber and will gladly seek out other videos of yours. The storytelling you demonstrate in your videos is superb. You have a way of weaving the tale with drama, intrigue, and pathos that has me hooked. Well done and thank you for bringing these stories to us. Well-researched and presented. Cheers.
This channel is SICKENINGLY underrated.
I have watched quite a number of YT videos about Gerry. They're all respectful to her memory, but I personally think yours does her the most justice. While they do not dehumanize her by any means, most other videos tend to be very detached and clinical. For instance, they just reuse the same photo of Gerry over and over again. But I truly appreciate that you went to great lengths to look at her for the person she was, by looking up pictures of her other than the last one taken of her, by looking up the emails and letters she had sent to her loved ones, and looking up quotes from the people who knew her best. Just goes to show that her legacy is more than just the way she died. Also, as a more generalized comment, I truly love your style of narration - very melancholy, empathic, with a touch of dry humor when appropriate. Thank you for your hard work.
I’m from Johannesburg and I actually went on a school tour to the Sterkfontein caves when I was younger. I remember our guide referencing someone who had dived into the cave and hadn’t resurfaced but I never knew the full story. It’s an eerie place even just walking in the dry cave system, I cannot imagine how terrifying it is underwater. May you rest in peace, Pieter.
My husband and I got lost in the dark in the winter looking for pur designated campsite in Yellowstone National Park. We were running out of phone battery and flashlight. We were very lucky to find buffalo tracks through the deep snow that led us back to the road that we could follow back to our rental car. Buffalo hold a special place in my heart to this day.
Just discovered this channel, I've been binging these videos for the last couple days and just the empathy and respect shown in the narration makes me want to cry by itself. Thank you for sharing and keeping it so very human
Gerry's story is so so so sad. But at least she didn't die in the dark. Hopefully she was hearing birds and wind and looking up to the stars.
Her being such a short walk from the trail is heartbreaking. And all because she left the course to use the toilet! It's hard trying to understand how she walked in what can only be assumed to be a straight line off the trail, used the toilet, then walked that straight short distance back to the trail only for it not to be there. How on earth did that occur? Maybe she did walk back in the right direction but not quite far enough and turned back just a bit too early? From there it was over I suppose because she from then on only picked the wrong directions to try...
@@k1dn1ce76. I have a terrible sense of direction and can consequently relate to Gerry’s. I’d read about Geraldine before. One thing that was pointed out in the last piece l read about Gerry is that she set up her tent under a canopy of trees. This move added to her demise. If she’d set up her tent in an open area, she might have been found. Heartbreaking…..
@@wendycrawford1792 I wonder why she walked so far off the trail when she went to the toilet? I'm wondering if she walked a lot further in a straight line than she realised and hence misjudged the distance required to retrace the linear distance back. This would account for her walking back in the correct orientation but not finding the course upon doing so, as her direction was correct but she needed to carry on somewhat further to eventually come back upon the course. Once she made this mistake and turned back too early it was over for her as she took the opposite direction and headed continually further into the wilderness! This theory at least somewhat makes sense.
@@k1dn1ce76 She walked so far off the trail because she's a woman. The video even pointed out that she would go less far off usually, when she had a second person with her, but it's a different story on your own.
This is actually a huge problem in many countries in the world for women living in poor conditions without access to toilets. The danger of men finding you alone in such a vulnerable position is significant, so you go out further into the wilderness, which (as this video very clearly shows) comes with its own dangers.
its exetremley easy to get turned around in the woods, even small pockets are confusing, so having this massive expanse with difficult terrain on top of that,,, who knows if she walked back in the proper direction. One thing for certain is that this is an extremeley sad story that people on hikes can learn from, count your steps, get a reliable compass, and dont wander far off the trail even when it doesnt feel like a long walk. i hope she died at peace and with the knowledge that her family loved her and tried everything to get her back R.I.P. @@k1dn1ce76
I live in Maine and remember the year that Gerry went missing. I took a school field trip to go hiking at Katahdin. We stopped at this little like resource/rest stop and there was a missing poster of her put up in the building. I remember really hoping they’d find her, and was so saddened when I heard she had passed.
That was something. Your production quality is way up there. You really do these incredibly sad stories justice.
Excellent video. Tales 1 and 3 got me thinking again about how lucky I was in a past experience. During Covid, my best friend, his brother and I went for a winter hike in Uppland (no lockdown in Sweden, but remote working and reduced business opening hours were becoming more regular). This was early December, with temperatures of around 0°C. My friend’s brother and I are relatively experienced hikers, and he had hiked the route before and was not a particularly challenging route, besides crossing several swamp areas which have potentially perilous narrow wooden crossings.
We made it through what we believed to be the most dangerous part of the journey without issues, however what we failed to notice was that the temperature was rapidly dropping below what we were expecting. We stopped for water and I realised my beard was frozen, checking the thermometer attached my one our packs it had fallen to -10 and we still had a way to go before reaching a hut similar to that shown in tale 3, where there would be wood for a fire and space to pitch the tent inside of wooden protection.
We continued along the trail until reaching a cleared piece of woodland (somewhere around 100x100m) which should have been precisely where the markers for our trail belonged.
There aren’t many hours of daylight in December, the solstice being around 20 Dec. We no longer had any markings to indicate the trail, and in the middle of a forest kilometres from the nearest settlement. We still to this day don’t know if we had strayed from the route. With the temperature dropping we had to move on and weren’t in a state of panic.
Eventually, now in darkness for some time and I believe around 17:00, my friend found a painted marking on a tree. It wasn’t the route we were following, but we had found a route and knew there would be shelter in one of its directions. Some hours later we came across a much smaller hut than those seen in tale 3. No fire wood, only three walls and just large enough to fit our tent. The temperature dropped to -15C that night and we thankfully awoke to find the hut was beside the most beautiful frozen lake I’ve ever seen. We eventually found where we were on a map the next day, but we had used all of what we had brought for making a fire the night previous and made our way back towards the nearest settlement and ended the hike early. This wasn’t a dangerous route, we had adequate equipment and provisions (though certainly not for any temperatures beyond -10) . I’ve never been truly lost before, and haven’t since - I often wonder just how lucky we were. For anyone wondering, this cold snap was unseasonably cold for this part of winter.
I live in northern Finland now with my wife, and that arctic cold snap that hit us last week and currently descending across Europe put us to -33 at the coldest that I checked. I dread to think just how bad our journey could have been.
RIP Gerry, Pieter, and all involved in the mountain incident. 💚
Mud and Snow. A True story of horror.
2014, my cousin Eric and I in the Nevada highlands. Our grandfather was moving so we decided to cruise down to help and make a roadtrip out of it. We had planned to just drive through the night one sleep if needed. Well, we changed plans. Why not pop the flask and head in to the campground and have a fire under the stars.
Hell yeah. "No, no, further in, lets go all the way to the back so the bonfire can't be seen from the highway"
An hour later we were blasting music and buzzed had a fire...we were five miles deep into a closed campground, totally out of season... no one around for a hundred miles, and some snow flakes started. It was pristine. Take a picture of that.
Within 60 minutes. We were in a fight for our lives.
A few facts had emerged by that time. Neither one of us had any service on our phones and hadn't and didn't expect to. We were out of gas. It was a white out blizzard, sideways. We had no winter clothes, not even a jacket - we were headed to Vegas, dumbasses in shorts and t-shirts. The dirt road was no longer visible, and being March, what wasn't "road" at best wasn't much more than mud.
We had to get back to the highway. We knew it was about "5 miles tops that way"
But Anytime I'd get the truck off the trail - a total guessing game - even just a little bit, I'm running the risk of spinning tires. Pools of mud and slush, perfectly concealed with this layer of fast rising snow. Margin for error so slim, traveling with any speed meant sliding off the road and a wrestling match with nature to get back on it.
First time in my life I've ever been that scared with another person. I mean, I've gotten myself in some sht before, but it's usually just me. Another person there was new.
And I thank God it was Eric. A Bull. A fucking Savage bull who with brute strength and balls of steel, I'm convinced, saved our lives that day.
We got to a junction after an hour of exhaustive, minimal travel, couldnt see more than a few feet, had no more than a few minutes worth of gas, the engine was going to sputter out any second. We had two choices. Eric thought left, I thought right.
But he was surer than me, and he's the kinda guy that ain't sure unless he's sure.
So we took the left path and we get going downhill. A quick downhill into a big uphill...
I was terrified, it meant we were going to be stuck in a bowl, even if it was the right way, we can't get this truck out now. We didn't have the speed or traction to get up...and before I could make a sound, door flies open, eric jumps out and is pushing the back end...i thought it was a futile excercise but i swear to god he was able to plant his feet against a tree stump and he brute force kept the back end from sliding into the ditch and somehow, i don't know how, the tires got a grip and he's screaming GO GOGOGO GOGOG...
From there on we were gravy...he was right, that was the correct path...just 4 miles or so of flat, dilineated clearly define road, no mud, still no no visibility, but no mud to worry about. My meant death and we coulnd't see it. You ever been in situation where you're covered in mud but all you can see in all directions is white?...it's a mindfck. This beuuitufl peaceful flawless snow, covering up thick dark mud... 20+ inches of snow came down that night up there. thankfully we didn't have to walk through four miles worth of the most unholy cookies and cream nightmare sauce imaginable.
It was the first time I recognized the truth of the line that this video starts with. That when you put yourself into the elements, small changes in environment coupled with your small mistakes can mean your ass.
I was thinking:, man how fckin dumb am I? People gonna find my frozen corpse dressed for summer.
Anyway, stay frosty out there. Never bring the "everything always works out" mentality into nature. It may be a good philosophy for much in life, but not the elements.
Wow! Glad you made it out.
wow, what a story. And a lot of honesty on your part. Congrats to making it out and giving Eric the credit (and you the cleverness to listen to him),
Oh wow!! There isn't really a word I can think of. "Congrats" isn't really right but it's the closest one!
I just shit my pants reading your story.....Glad you made it...
i just found your channel and am addicted to your style of reporting, i wish there were more videos on your channel bc they’re all so well done but i understand that it takes so long to make such a thoughtfully researched and put together piece! ❤
Thanks for including that "behind the scenes" footage of the visuals. The production on this was definitely top-tier!
I *love* the amount of research that goes into these videos, but something really emotionally touched me when the video included personal details about Gerry. The descriptions about her passion for exploring and the willingness to sew on potentially silly pockets to carry bird feed or other items - it really helped me pause and take heartbreaking notice that this was a real person. This was someone who loved life, and will be desperately missed.
So heartbreaking that Geri was only half a mile from the trail. She really sounds like, from every source I've read or listened to (and there have been many) that she was an exemplary human ❤️ and a true gem.
It’s amazing they couldn’t find her in such a small search area. Then again I’ve never been to the forest in Maine.
@Real Horror - Wow, this is extraordinarily well-researched and documented, and beautifully narrated. Thank you.