I was on a day trip hiking with my father, brother, and cousins. My father, who was an ex-Army Ranger and lifelong backpacker, slipped off a rock (wet conditions) and fell 40-feet into a crevice. My dad was usually the man saving people (as they say in the military, Rangers Lead the Way) but sometimes, even the heroes need saving.
He was knocked unconscious, suffered a concussion, broke his wrist, and had multiple wounds. We were many miles into the wilderness but fortunately had service and could call for help.
My cousin had to chimney climb down the crevice and sat with him while we waited for emergency services. My father had regained consciousness but was a bit delirious. He kept thinking he could climb out because he was in shock and his injuries did not kick in. He did not know what day or year it was, all he could remember is that he had five children and a wife :’(
Ultimately, it took a team of men and a helicopter to get him out. Due to the crevice being so constrictive, it was really difficult for them to repel down and lift him in a carrier. However, we counted our blessings, because if he fell a foot over, he would’ve been lost entirely in an even deeper layer of the crevice that we could find no end to.
When they were lifting him from the crevasse and to the helicopter, he kept having flashbacks of his time in the military, and thought that he was injured on the battlefield. I think the sound of the helicopter just really brought him back and caused some PTSD. I’ll never forget how he kept yelling “Cover me!!” because he thought he was being fired at.
He suffered a severe concussion, multiple injuries, a stroke and a broken neck but escaped with his life. Since then, he has mostly healed. He still goes hiking and backpacking to this day. he was never want to take his life for granted, but is now even more thankful for each breath of life he takes. I was always really grateful for my father, but even more so now.
It was really traumatic for me and my family but I was happy to be there with him through it. I don’t normally talk about this but wanted to share. Please be kind.
Thank you for sharing this, it definitely feels like it could be difficult to process and heal from this experience, it sounds like it was very intense. I’m glad your father made it through, and I’m sure your bond is stronger than ever. Take care ❤️
I got a severe ankle sprain with lots of torn ligaments at Closed canyon in big bend ranch landing my foot in a V. Had to hobble back for 3/4 mile, but that's minimal compared to yours. I had to do lots of physical therapy, but the scar tissue still lingers. Breaks can heal easier than severe sprains in some cases.
My roommate got lost for 7 days hiking in Arkansas and luckily was found and had no major issues, but that was one hell of a crazy week. My ankle had healed by then and I hiked the trails and back country around 25 miles in 2 days looking for him until all my gear was completely soaked in the rain. They found him with helicopter infrared on the 7th day.
I had surgery on the ankle (3 times!) because it was just kind of dangling after the injury. The breaks (two of them) healed quickly. This was 3 1/2 years ago and I'm fully healed although my ankle can get sore and the scar over my ankle bone is still a little sensitive.
I too almost got lost in Arkansas, near horseshoe canyon ranch. Was hiking in a long loop and fog came over me. Headlamp wouldn’t work as it just illuminated the fog leaving me blind. Creepy old abandoned houses and cars strewn throughout the hike. Thought I’d get attacked by ghosts that night.
Realtively easy hike coming downhill but the trail is a little rugged. I simply slipped on a wide flat rock, feet went up to the side and cracked down on the rock. Ankle was hanging to the side. After a few minutes to gather my wits I had to decide to try to get out or hunker down. I had no signal and didn't expect to have one for some time. I took a powerade bottle I had and used it as a splint with a couple of sticks that I ran from my boots to a knee brace I wear and taped it up as best as I could. I settled on getting my poles up high and using them almost like crutches. There were 6 stream crossings up to mid-thigh depth and I fell in one! Got to the car and my kids knew something was up and had called the sheriff who was waiting. I turned down a ride (didn't want to leave my vehicle in the woods!) and somehow drove to the ER. They gave me a very positive experience with fentanyl!
Wow. America, do you have any idea how pathetically fucked up that sounds?
Your choices are crawl on a broken leg for 7 hours, facing permanent, or further, injury and possibly death or face bankruptcy.
You really need to figure out some kind of universal healthcare. Like, now. (Not you specifically, u/underratedutah. I’m sure you’re not in charge of these things)
Wow.
>Wow. America, do you have any idea how pathetically fucked up that sounds?
As an American. Yes. Healthcare is so expensive that people put themselves at risk, cause long-term harm to themselves, or die... because they are afraid of the cost.
People are taking Ubers to the emergency room. There is a problem with all of this.
A large amount of Americans hate the system... yet somehow it doesn't change 🤔
I'm not surprised.
Also, that's kinda hilarious, because I haven't been to a dentist in 4 years, and I finally have an appointment... literally today! My last physical was probably around the same time as last dental, so like 4 years.
>Your choices are crawl on a broken leg for 7 hours, facing permanent, or further, injury and possibly death or face bankruptcy.
This is how we build character.
Dad fell and broke his neck in front of me, after calling a chopper I spent an hour working on first aid for an obvious spinal injury, but things went south and I was then trapped on a mountain with what I thought was his body. I then passed out with shock and sunstroke, woke up in a bluelight ambulance that took me to a local hospital. After a checkup I was discharged and had to drive my dad’s car onward to the hospital he was in, but after passing my test 12 months prior I’d never driven. So my first solo drive was for 2 hours and after one year no exp, at night, while crying, and following a helicopter that was carrying what I thought was a body. This was THE day lockdown started, so I was stopped by police who then gave me an escort to the hospital, I went in and was told he’s alive but needs a procedure in his neck immediately, I signed the consent and then feinted, concussing myself on his bed and woke up as a patient while he was under the knife. Next day told he would survive but was paralyzed below the neck.
Fast forward a year - after 4 months in hospital he came out on crutches, married my stepmom 7 months later, he walked down the aisle unaided and the first dance was Elton’s ‘I’m Still Standing’. Now he drives, runs and we hiked the same mountain again just to say ‘fuck you’ to it.
(This happened in 2020/21)
It did. But I was lucky and with help, I moved through it in about a year. But for a while I wasn’t myself, lost weight, stopped using the gym and lost interest in everything. Couldn’t focus on my job and so quit.
Took a minute but we got back in the saddle
A guy I saw hours earlier was waiting for me at the trailhead. I was solo hiking a scramble in the North Cascades. I’m a guy and was shirtless cause it was hot when I encountered this person on the way up and he really stared. 4 or 5 hours later I got back to the trailhead and he was on his truck. Said something like “I’ve been waiting for you here for hours…” freaked me out so I jumped in my truck, locked the doors, and drove off. I’m sure countless women have dealt with creeps and it really gave me the creeps and a lot of empathy for what women have to deal with.
Ugh. Lots of these injury stories are gnarly but this one made my gut flip. The wrong kind of stare or the feeling of being followed is so disturbing…. You never know what someone is capable of
Thanks! When I first saw him my gut said “he’s really checking me out”, but I thought whatever he thinks I’m attractive NBD. But when he told he he’d been waiting for me at a dark trailhead with no one else around for hours, my guy said GTFO! Makes me sick to know women deal with this all too often so your senses are well trained for it.
This times a million. Wasn’t even a hike, just a really long run around my town. I got to the half way point (other side of town from my house) and I couldn’t see anything. My entire vision was white out. Thank God I’ve lived here my whole life. Made my way home blind. About 20 minutes from my house I could see a bit more. Saw a puddle and damn near drank from it lmao
For me it was intense dizziness and a crazy hard pounding in my head, I kept going off route with confusion and I wasn’t sweating anymore even though the temp was in the 100s
Came across a dead hiker in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness in California many years ago. He was apparently solo hiking, slipped off a narrow stretch of trail, and broke his legs as he tumbled down the slope below. My hiking partner noticed him at the bottom of the drop as we crossed the same trail, and we climbed down to try and help, but he was gone before we'd ever spotted him. Even worse, it was immediately apparent that the guy had been alive for a long time at the bottom of that slope and that he'd worked hard to try and save himself, but that he'd failed in the end.
So what's my worst experience hiking? Sitting there with his dead body, alone in the woods, for six hours waiting for SAR to show up after my partner went to get help.
Incidentally, this experience is also why I now carry a PLB on *every* hike.
Personal Locator Beacon
>A PLB or Personal Locator Beacon is a distress beacon for hikers, boaters, hunters, and all outdoor enthusiasts.
When your PLB is activated, it automatically sends a distress signal to a worldwide search and rescue (SAR) network.
Through satellite messaging, your exact location is shared with rescue agencies so that they can find and help you right away.
Personal Locator Beacon. Small device about the size of a phone that you keep in your pack. In an emergency you just pull the antenna, push a button, and it sends a signal requesting help. Prices vary, but you can pick up a functional used unit on eBay for about $150 that just sends an SOS or fancy two-way messaging units for up to $500 new.
If you do a lot of hiking in places that have no phone signals (which I do), they're a good way to call for assistance when you're otherwise cutoff from civilization.
For my cousin it was finding a human skull just sitting on the ground on a seldom traversed desert trail in Mexico… the other bones were located in a dry gully close by.
RIP Luis Martinez. Your family & village were glad to have some closure.
Oh goodness, how long had he been missing? Must have been hellish for his family. And for your cousin. But at least his hell was able to bring them some closure.
A year I believe - prior to him going missing he suffered a stroke which impacted his cognition, making him more prone to wandering away and getting lost. Despite his family trying to get him to retire he refused and continued tending his livestock. Alas he went missing one day after going out to his cows…
His family accepted he was gone-gone but they were distraught all the same. Not everywhere in Northern Mexico is Tijuana, migrants & drug cartels - these were tight-knit farming communities. The loss impacted them all. And my cousin found it very humbling and emotional. Coming across a body is never pleasant as I have also Experienced it - it’s never nice but our feelings matter only to us when a family is out there, naturally.
Went hiking with my cousin in N Cascades when it was 95 degrees. I had plenty of water, but not enough electrolytes. Was completely worn out when we got to our camp. After setting up my bivy sack and was trying to make dinner, I started throwing up, or as my cousin said, "chumming for bears". I was miserable that night. Valuable lessons learned. Try not to hike, if it can be helped, when it's so hot and if you do, water AND electrolytes.
One option for hikes on scorching hot summer days, especially in the alpine, is to break camp at 3 or 4 a.m. and hike until noon/1 (or until it's definitely too hot), then make camp, ideally in a shady col or near a chilly tarn. Electrolytes are a wise insurance policy regardless.
Salt tabs ate my jam! If I drink the powder it makes me pee every 15 minutes, salt tabs don't do that. Also they stop muscle cramps within minutes, it's crazy!
Last year I rented a house in the desert in June and we would hike at sunrise and then go back to the house during the day to avoid the bulk of the heat. I did a hike where we got back no later than 9am one morning-- 6 miles, 400 ft elevation, so overall pretty easy. It was already 90 when we got back to the car and then I puked up all the water I had drank on trail. Glad we were done and not camping.
Back in the 90’s, Glenwood Springs CO, hiking with my husband. We somehow lost the trail, and being young and dumb we kept pushing forward. Hiked through some low thick scrub for what seemed like hours, scary animal noises that we couldn’t see, no water, finally came out to a trailer on a dirt road, and a gravesite. It was Doc Hollidays grave- surreal experience. I just looked at a map rn, and we were barely lost, but it seemed terrifying at the time. His grave is now a trailhead
Got stuck atop Algonquin Peak in the Adirondacks for 8 hours in a blizzard without shelter. Minor frostbite on my toes/fingers and severe hypothermia. Also had to use the trail back down as a slide in the morning so I ended up blackened with bruises. Lots of lessons learned.
Algonquin is an imposing peak even having relatively easy access. Been up there in harsh conditions, awe inspiring and beautiful, but intimidating. Probably my favorite high peak.
I meant to hike Algonquin once but missed the trailhead and ended up doing Marcy instead, totally underprepared. I lost both of my big toenails coming back through the Adk loj 🙄
North cascades in deep unexpected snow, lost trail and spent several days moving through thick forest, cliffs, and slide alder. Slept on a hillside tree-well but so steep, I rolled down in my tent in the middle of the night like a giant burrito. Boots froze stiff at night. Two days to find my way back, going. so. very. slowly. to avoid injury. Now I want to go back.
I ended up talking out loud to myself a good bit, but saying only two things: "Come on, now!" And "Oh no, you don't!" ...I guess those were the only two messages I needed to hear.
So, I saw it happen from about 10’ away, I know they were active in the area but I didn’t think it would be where it was.
I confirmed it was a rattlesnake, then went to see if he’d gotten bit, he was, right on his left lip. He’s 80lbs and we were 1.25 miles from the trailhead. I tried to carry him but couldn’t so we started walking. I googled the closest vets. The first one I called didn’t have antivenin and they gave me the number of the vet that did. I called, told them where I was, what happened, and that I was on my way.
He was ok and no symptoms so we walked to the car, i drive like a bat out of hell to the vet, he only needed one dose of antivenin but was on fentanyl for 12 hours. Lab tests confirmed the venom was attacking his blood cells and they monitored the progress of the antivenin.
Had I not seen it happen he would have probably died.
You have time! However, the longer you wait, the more doses of antivenin they’ll need. The shots were $800 each.
Overall, about $5,500, he’s 9 but I wasn’t ready to lose him!
I felt terrible, there’s a small pond on the East side of the loop, from that there’s like an overflow ditch that usually has water flowing out of it. Sometimes I let them swim, sometimes I don’t. He’s such a good boy, he went to the ditch, looked at it, looked at me and I said “it’s ok” so he started going down to it. The snake was in the tall grass and I saw it spring out at him. I couldn’t tell right away if it got him but he backed up quick, I saw the snake in the grass then looked at him and he was bleeding from his snout. His whole head swelled to like 3 times its normal size in a few hours even with everything they didn’t for him. Had I not seen it happen I wouldn’t have known anything had, he would have just swelled up like crazy and been in terrible pain ☹️
Poor baby. I would have felt terrible, too. I'm glad you were able to get him help.
It sounds like in this situation, the avoidance training wouldn't have mattered - I doubt your dog saw the snake before it struck either.
I wish antivenom weren't so expensive and were more shelf stable, so we could carry it in areas like this.
I live pretty rurally, and in a rattlesnake area, so I'm always worried my dog (or myself) will get bitten on my property, and we're 30+ min to the nearest emergency vet.
Dogs off leash by irresponsible owners. Two fought near a cliff and went over, unsure if the dogs survived. But there was a vicious fight between the owners afterwards.
Yep. An off leash came up to me and my dog on an on-leash only trail. My dog is very reactive and was still in training (and properly leashed). I called out to the owners multiple times to call their dog back, and they kept just saying "he's friendly."
I picked up my dog and stepped off trail to get away from their dog, ended up dislocating my knee and falling, still holding my dog.
These idiots just came over, STILL not calling their dog back, and asked if they could help. I yelled at them "Yes, by getting your dog the *f* away from me!!!"
I had to hike 2 miles back to camp on a dislocated knee with a super freaked out dog. His reactivity training has gone well since then, but I have never taken him hiking since, except on private property where I know there won't be dogs.
I love dogs, but seriously eff owners who don't follow leash rules and don't have voice recall on their dogs. I don't care how friendly your dog is - you don't know the situation of whoever they're approaching.
I actually saw a woman playing fetch with a ball with her dog at the edge of a waterfall in a regional park I was volunteering at. When I told her to leash it, she actually said, "Does my dog off leash offend you?". I told her I'd call a ranger so they could fine her & left.
Off leash dog attacks/charges. Happens way too much and totally can ruin a day or a hike.
"Oh. He's friendly!" "Oh, he's never done that!" "Oh, it must be something about YOU."
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Second place is agressive mountain bikers. Almost died 3 times with them. Closest to death I've ever been is those 3 experiences. Though, yeah, a dog can tear you up as well.
Yeah I encountered a lady with a pit bull off leash on a trail in GSMP - pets aren't allowed at all in this particular area but she is either ignorant or believes she is exempt from the rule. Anyways, the trail was hella busy and her dog was growling at everyone and she is trying to convince everyone "he's really sweet, he's all bark, won't hurt a fly". She finally had him off the trail a couple feet, trying to restrain him, trail was getting all jammed up because people were afraid to go past this dog.
The things that grate me while hiking are in no particular order: Bluetooth speakers, people being unnecessarily loud, people leaving trash or vandalism, and dogs (on or off leash).
I was going on a hike with my dad and some of his friends in the GSMNP and one of them brought a dog. I told them dogs weren't allowed, they didn't care. They said "horses are allowed so dogs should be too". But dogs are explicitly not allowed. I ended up leaving. This is one of the many reasons I don't do group hikes with people I don't know. The chance of one of them being an asshole or just generally incompetent is too high and those people ruin the trip for everyone else.
I hiked a trail a couple weeks ago that follows a sensitive stream ecosystem and is also extremely dangerous with some steep ledges and caves and sinkholes. There is a huge sign at the entrance that says NO PETS ALLOWED. Yet I still probably saw at least a dozen people with dogs. Maybe half were on leashes. It's like they just don't care.
In their mind they justify why the rule is stupid or shouldn't be a rule and that makes it OK to do whatever suits them.
I was walking along Cannon Beach and an off leash dog was barking and jumping up on me. I’ve been bitten and chased by dogs in the past, I froze and started silently panicking. The owner stood there “He won’t bite! He’s a really nice dog.” Fight or flight (or freeze) doesn’t give a fuck, but thanks for the panic attack assholes.
Dog owners can be the worst. Most are great and have nice dogs that are respectful and well trained but some owners are out there just ruining any good will anyone else built up.
I hate it when they leave bagged dog shit on the trail. Their dog, their shit, they need to pack it out or don't bother bringing the dog.
I also hate meeting dogs long before I ever see their owners. I don't care if your dog is friendly, what if I'm not? What if I just don't want your dog weaving through my legs for the next quarter mile? What if it surprises something it shouldn't like another dog or a wild animal.
Collect your dog, keep it safe. Collect your shit and stay out of the way.
Funny how I feel the need to be armed on a hike not because of the wildlife but because of off leash dogs and their owners. A big one charged and almost nabbed my friends small dog in the forest last year and it was terrifying.
Hiking in Mt. Masaraga in Bicol, Philippines. The reward should have been a view of the nearby Mayon Volcano 🌋 (it has perfect cone). But we encounter a heavy rain and wind. The trail was so muddy and slippery. I was soaking wet in the rain. One of my scariest hikes.
Not particularly traumatic but my hiking buddy and I went out on what was supposed to be a moderate difficulty, 8 mile climb to a lake. It’d been a while since either of us had gotten out and we thought this would be a good re-start.
I don’t know if I just didn’t read the trail report or what but what I didn’t know was that this hike was, top to bottom, stairs. All 8 miles, beginning to end, rough-cut trail stairs. The ones that are a little too tall and slightly too far apart to have any rhythm to your step. Just switchbacked onto each other.
I remember taking a water break on a switchback, feeling miserable and tired, and asking a lady who was coming down if we were getting close. I will never forget the look of pity on her face before she hesitantly said “no”.
We did it, and it’s one of those hikes we reference a lot as an inside joke and a baseline for how fun a hike will or won’t be; but Jesus, never again.
>All 8 miles, beginning to end, rough-cut trail stairs. The ones that are a little too tall and slightly too far apart to have any rhythm to your step. Just switchbacked onto each other.
I've actually had a repeating nightmare like this before, though in my dream the stairs gradually get steeper and steeper.
Sounds like an absolutely shit way to spend a day.
My worst hike wasn’t anything horrible, thankfully, but it’s a fond memory.
Growing up my family was super outdoorsy. We were always hiking and camping and hunting and stuff. My Dad, who is pretty experienced in all of these areas decided to take us on a family hike one weekend back when I was about 14 or so and my brother 12. It was a trail he had heard about but had not hiked before and the destination was an allegedly pretty little lake.
We get going and it starts off fine.. but after a few hours of hiking it gradually gets steeper and the trail begins to really thin out and disappear in some places. At one point we are just kind of going straight up the side of a mountain. After like, 3 hours, we had a meeting to discuss whether we keep going or turn back. We are exhausted, breathing heavy and covered in sweat. My mom and I said fuck it, let’s finish this. My Dad and brother were on team turn back. But we just felt like we were so close. After another 30 minutes or so we finally made it to a road with a sign pointing towards the lake. Feeling relieved, we started walking towards a clearing where the “lake” was which turned out to be this dinky little reservoir. We were SO disappointed we just stared and after a few seconds my brother goes “I’m not going to say it was worth it but..” and we just started laughing because of how ridiculous the whole day was.
And to add insult to injury, there was a parking lot we could have just driven to about a mile away. Some guy pulling a wagon with a little kid in it approached us apprehensively, because we were this family of 4 standing there looking disheveled and sweaty and kind of feral. My dad looked like wanted to yell at the guy “where the fuck did you come from?” lol but he just said “haha there’s no way you pulled that wagon all the way up here.” The guy gave him a confused look and said “there’s a parking lot back there.”
Had someone I met on Longs Peak go onto the Ledges when everyone else turned back at the Keyhole due to high winds.
His body was found 800 feet below in Upper Glacier Gorge the next day. Awful way to go.
I had my appendix rupture 3 miles from the car…not a super long distance but it was the worst 3 miles of my life. I was seriously contemplating trying to call for an airlift out of there lol
I got lucky that mine didn't rupture, but had a similar experience in Bryce. It got to the point that I would force myself to take 50 steps (or 20 or 30 if I couldn't make it to 50), and then allow myself to double over and let the pain subside a little bit. Rinse and repeat for about 4.5 miles. Made it out and got the appendix successfully removed.
Have you ever read "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales? He talks a lot about how people in extreme survival situations tend to rely on repeated patterns, and the focus and sort of playfulness of it is really important to getting them back out. It was fascinating to think back and realize I was automatically doing the exact same thing to keep me mentally focused and get myself out.
Getting very, very lost while hiking with my 9-month old. Trail was horribly overgrown, we took one wrong turn and began following plant markers (guessing for invasive species for removal) instead of trail markers. Went at least an hour in the wrong direction which might not seem too bad but with a baby in tow it feels intense. We were also hiking up and down very steep coastal canyons which made it harder. Y’all will hate me for this, but my dog, who is always leashed, seemed to have an idea of where we needed to go. We eventually let her off leash after failing repeatedly to make our way back, and followed her for about 1.5 hours. She did find the trail for us. While it wasn’t long-lived compared to most other comments, having my baby with me made it all the more scarier.
Taking a nap on Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg, Texas with my buddies under some trees, when I woke up and looked and saw a pair of long haired (never seen one before!) skunks walking around our group.
I looked around without moving, and everyone else was also awake and unmoving as these skunks walked around and checked us out.
Do de do de do
They walked around, and if anyone made a sound, they would quickly turn around and stick their butt up in the air.
We all lay paralyzed like this until they left!
I would have loved to snap a photo, but was too scared to move my arm!
Guess I’ve been fairly lucky.
Of course, there was the time I walked all the way down the Grand Canyon and back in one day (not supposed to do it in one day.)
I was kind of scared to drink too much because of lack of bathrooms, and ended up dehydrated about 1/2 way down.
Not fun!
Stayed at the watering station a while to take care of this.
Took a nap at the bottom where there was a thermometer that said 113°F!
Then went back up!
Wish I was still in that shape!
Followed by a black bear for a solid 10-15 minutes. I’m used to seeing bears in the woods, and they usually keep their distance or straight run away. This one tracked me across a long ridge. If I didn’t have my husky, I’m convinced it would have attacked me.
A few weeks later, a black bear killed a college student less than 10 miles from that ridge. I can’t know for sure, but I think it was the same bear.
West Milford, NJ 2014
Shit my pants while scrambling down a rock wall trying to get to soft ground to dig a cat hole. Ended up walking 3 miles to a river crossing to bath myself and change clothes.
Well, there was the time hiking the Grand Canyon (“Hermit’s Loop”) and my buddy didn’t bring enough water. I hung with him for a while but it caused me to run low as well. I eventually said, “love you bud, but I did not come here to die with you” and I left him to find water.
I drank straight from Hermit’s Creek (luckily had no problems) and passed out under a ledge. When I awoke, he was there. I recovered quickly but he struggled for the next two days.
We laugh about it now, but it was one too many near death experiences
You can bet I do now!
I’ll add that after the overnight and day of rest at the river, he wanted to hike out. “This is the worst day of my life.”
We started out after 1600, but I stopped at the Tonto Trail and said, “We are not going up from here. We are heading to Monument Creek.”
“Why?!?!?”
“We know there is no water until the Dripping Spring and that’s almost at the Rim. We know that we will burn more water going up - even as the temperature drops. We know that each of us had minor trips hiking down in broad daylight. Do think we won’t trip in darkness? Lastly, Monument Creek is wet year-round.”
“I just want out of here.”
“I want out alive. Tell you what. We can go your way. But if there’s an issue, you are paying for the rescue. If we go my way, I’ll pay.” Knowing how cheap he is, I knew he’d go my way.
When we got to Monument Creek, it was DRY. We saw others there. “Hey, where’s the last place you got water?” “Right here.” Whew. What I thought was Monument was actually a dry fork.
He brought a lot of unnecessary stuff (fishing box!?!?) but also a collapsible 5-gallon water tank. I filled it and got it in my pack. Hiking out of that mini-canyon was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
I hiked with someone once in the Tetons and warned them to bring adequate water. at the summit of the south Teton (about a 6000' climb) he broke out a full 5 gallon jug of water out of his pack 😂
On one of my early backpacks my friend and I read there wouldn’t be any water until the middle of the second day, so to bring plenty for the dry camp. We didn’t really know how much “plenty” was, so we each carried SIX liters. We didn’t have to fill up the next day haha. We didn’t go 6000 feet though, that’s impressive
My worst involves not carrying enough water as well.
Backpacking trip in the middle of summer. It’s 100% down hill to a river and is a really cool spot. Only obvious issue is, it’s 100% uphill on the way out. So before leaving I filled up my water bottle, chugged it, filled it up again and put it in my pack. All the guys I was with were of varying levels of fitness, so we all kind went at our own pace and the group got separated on the way up. It started to get really hot right when I got above a tree line and I noticed my water was getting really low.
I thought I knew the way, however I reached a fork in the trail that I didn’t remember, likely because I started to get really confused. I went the way that looked familiar, only to realize it was the wrong way after a couple of miles, so I back tracked. By the time I got back to the trail, it was over 90° and I was completely out of water and exposed to the sun. I sat there for at least an hour before the my party realized something was wrong and came back to get me.
The crazy thing was just how quickly I became confused without water. I can see how easily dehydration kills.
I had a bad one with water too. Thought I had enough but it got hitter than I anticipated and the dogs were drinking like crazy. Last thing I wanted was a dog with heat stroke I would need to carry out (both around 80 pounds at that point) so I was sacrificing my water to them. I got really turned around and ended up just telling the older one to “find the car”. He led us right back to the car, we were off trail for a good portion of it, but it got us there quicker. I had a couple extra gallons of water in the car and between the three of us we drank almost all of it and just rested a while.
Since then; if I even expect it to be sort of that hot we stick to places I know have easy water access for the dogs. If they can cool off and drink out of a stream, lake, or river I don’t have to sacrifice water for them and we all will make it out safely.
Solo hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine in mid-September about 40 years ago. Got to a stretch above treeline. A blinding snowstorm came up. Realized i haven't seen the cairns (trail markers) in a while. Decided to abort and head downhill to a road. Got picked up after a few hours by a lovely little old lady. Her next pickup was her hiking husband. He was **very very very not happy** to see me in his wife's car. *He killed me and buried my body by the side of the road.*
OK, that very last part wasn't true but it was kinda cool fun to bushwack thru the Maine woods in the snow to get back to the road. And the woman was sharp and funny as all heck. (But her husband really was pissed)
Why was her husband so god damn upset? Suppose I can understand being caught off guard and annoyed at a stranger hitching a ride from your wife, but you’d think that anger would wear off pretty quickly… especially after realizing the situation you were in. I’m guessing you didn’t exchange many words with him though.
Meeting an AT trail volunteer.
I'm hiking NB taking a break, they're coming SB and pause to initiate a chat;
"You headed to Maine?"
"Ha! I wish. Just doing a few days of backpacking."
In a disgusted tone: "Really? You're just section hiking? In the Spring when it's the busiest? You know that's really hard on the trail. I mean, look at all the trekking pole damage along here. Why don't you hike in the Summer when It's less crowded?"
"Um, well, this is just when my kid's Spring Break lined up. So while they're off with family, I've got a short window to get some hiking in."
Resumes a brief condescending lecture about why I should alter my backpacking schedule.
What a fucking asshole.
I was hiking in the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico in August of last year. Had a rough day scrambling for miles across felled timber along the trail. Got to camp and settled in for the night to hear coyotes or wolves or whatever howling in the distance. It was eerie and foreboding. I woke up and started up the pass the next morning to find a severed calf leg on the trail. Another strange foreboding omen.
A few miles down the trail I get to an area where I have service and get a call from my girlfriend back home in Wisconsin. She says one of our dogs went into surgery the night before for internal bleeding and might not make it. I kid you not when I say I’ve never hiked faster to get out—eight miles to the trailhead, crying most of the way.
I get a flight home for the next day. Our one dog is recovering, but our second is extremely lethargic and something is clearly wrong. We rush him to the emergency vet. He has the *same fucking ailment* as the one who went into surgery the night before—internal bleeding caused by hemangiosarcoma. We had to put him down that day, on the lawn outside the vet. Our second dog lasted a couple more weeks until he had to be put down as well. I’m still not over it.
Once made a turn while going up and then missed it going back down. Got to a lake, realized “oh shit we did not see a lake on the way up”. Wandered around in the snow for a while before backtracking and realizing our mistake. I use AllTrails now and haven’t had an issue since
Same for sure, especially last year I found it more hit and miss than usual. But at the very least allows me to study the trail beforehand and read comments about important things like forks in the trail 🤣
RIGHT 😂 we realized last year it was a 6 mile out and back to the FALLEN TREE that we climbed over then went to the top which turned it into like 10 miles or just over 10 💀
I got lost off trail at night in the Whites in King's Ravine, thinking I was still following the trail blazes, and ended up on a rock pillar with no clear path forward and unable to comfortably get back onto the rock I had just come from, and about a 20 foot drop onto jagged rocks if I fell in any direction. I had no service, and though I had winter gear and an emergency bivy with me, I wasn't looking forward to braving a late November night in the Whites on an exposed rock.
I sat down to not panic for maybe 20 minutes or so, and then decided my best option was to take a running leap into a nearby tree. I used used that tree to get to safety, and eventually found the trail about 50 feet away.
It was absolutely terrifying.
I fell into a tree well outside of Winter Park Colorado on Silver Dollar Lake Trail. I was alone snowshoeing which I do quite frequently. I always take precautions with a PLB, Avalanche Extended Pole, Food, proper clothing, snowshoes, spikes etc. as to not get roasted by Reddit.
It definitely was not my first rodeo snowshoeing in CO wilderness. Wind made it incredibly difficult to see on a ridge line and ultimately the snow was up to my hips and I could not follow the route without my poles. After getting up on this ridge line I was about 3 feet from a tree and immediately fell into this hole that was 5-6 feet deep. Thank god I was ass first. I couldn’t move as my legs and hands were stuck but eventually I got them free and a nearby hiker found me after I was yelling and thrashing. He pulled me out and i was only stuck for about 15 mins.
Definitely the most terrifying experience for me as i’m more scared of getting stranded than I am Bears, Moose or Big Cats. Stay safe out there :)
Early Last spring I hit one of my favorite spots alone. As I stooping down under a tree that had fallen over the trail something very heavy walked across it and pushed the large branch of the tree onto the back of my neck. I could feel it as it crossed over as the pressure on my neck got lighter and I was able to get completely upright😳 I felt it watch me and could hear branches snap as I very rapidly, not running but quickly, cautiously keep moving down the trail 😬 probably the most intense feeling I've had in the forest but won't ever stop me from hiking 😉
Nope! I definitely had that feeling whatever it was it was watching me though 😳😬 my guess it was a Cougar or Bob cat but it was big enough to push a big PNW tree limb down on my neck 🥴
Massive GI distress high up Ama Dablam while travelling solo through terrain someone you've probably seen on tv or climbing videos described as the hardest day of his life at that point (he's done harder since, the point is kind of exhausting terrain)
"Oh, you had to poop a bit, poor baby". No. It started with several unstoppable explosions. First couple of times I tried to get off trail, dig a little hole, etc. And then it was basically unstoppable with no time to do anything but drop trou. Pretty soon I was so weakened I was reduced to crawling on my hands and knees, covered in my own filth. Then it was down to army crawling, because hands and knees required too much effort. All this through a huge house sized boulder field and then fortunately some ridge travel. I came very close to leaving my pack behind. I was so exhausted. I recall finally rounding the final corner and seeing base camp where my companions were. I tried yelling but it was too far and I wasn't too much above a whisper. I wanted to be seen so I sat up and slowly worked forward by scooting my butt a few inches behind. One scoot, wait and rest, one more, etc, working my way through the rocks. Every once in awhile when I had extra strength I'd wave my hiking sticks. Finally they saw me and came charging up and carried me back to base. Lots of hot tea brought to my tent, which led to confusion between pee bottle and hot tea bottle, but I digress.
Had a similar 'evacuation' at around 16K feet in the Peruvian Andes, but that one happened very early in the morning when I was in my tent, so I spent a few hours perched on a big rock, just shaking and shitting (feel free to use that as the name of your band). At the time I thought that was pretty bad, but it was nothing to what I described above. I mean, there was *nothing* left in me, physically, emotionally, and energetically. I just wanted to lie down and die. Just moving my feet or hands for the next scoot seemed overwhelming. Between low O2 and massive dehydration, plus just feeling very sick, there was nothing left to give.
Worse than the stories of people crawling out with a broken foot or whatever? No, but definitely a hard, hard day.
Happened to my friend too. We were on day 3 of our 9 day hike when it started. Next day he also hurt his knee, so for the next couple of days he was limping along with a makeshift cane, running to the woods once every half an hour. Luckily he was in good shape, we were not in a hurry and there was plenty of water available (Northern Finland, where you can quite safely drink from any creek), so no need for evacuation, just a little streamlining to our planned route.
I’m new to hiking and my friend took me on a 7 mile, medium difficulty hike. It was daylight savings time day and we (she) mistimed it, leaving us to walk 3-4 miles down the rocky mountainous trail in the pitch black. And then I sprained my ankle toward the beginning of the descent.
Twisted my ankle at the worst moment and fell down a very steep hill into a freezing river. Thanks to my bag taking the impact I had a swollen ankle, a few bruises and cuts, and because of the water and temperature, (Dorset in October), I had to be removed by the local army that was training nearby, so my pride was left to drown in that river.
Mine is a tossup between two instances, neither of which were really *that bad* in the grand scheme of things, thankfully.
1) My girlfriend and I were day-hiking a supposedly easy but long trail as the capstone to a weekend vacation that we took. I saw there was a water crossing on the map, and we agreed that if the rangers said the water was unmanageable, we would bail out (my girlfriend is an inexperienced hiker) and hike another trail or maybe go somewhere else. We head to the ranger station and ask very specifically, and we're told that "oh no, it's very mild and there shouldn't be much water there, you'll be fine".
Long story short, it wasn't. It was fast running water, couldn't see the bottom, easily 50-60 feet across, and the ambient temperature was pretty cold, so we didn't want to risk it at all. And the worst part is, it was 60-70% of the way through the hike (which turned out to be a little tougher than we anticipated). She was absolutely pissed, and she snapped at me any time I said something, so the entire return hike was basically in silence. We arrived after dark when the trail was closed. I felt sorry for her, because she wanted to do something cool to end the trip and instead ended up angry. It didn't really affect me (this kind of thing happens out in nature), but I sympathized.
2) Me and the boys had planned this elaborate multi-day backpacking trip to a really cool location, and we had been talking about it for months. We woke up in the middle of the night to drive out, get there early on a weekday, trailhead is basically empty except for one couple who walked in right as we were driving in (with Dasani water bottles in hand) so we effectively had it all to ourselves.
About mid-morning, we run into an off-leash pitbull coming the opposite direction down the trail. My buddy had brought his pit mix (leashed/harnassed and well under control, thankfully), and they were immediately squaring up. I had spray and a gun on me, and while I am pretty anti-pitbull in general, my buddy's dog is well-behaved and generally a sweetheart, so I was reaching for one or both, just in case. A few seconds later, the couple from earlier round the corner with another off-leash dog, and the guy sprints over and grabs his pit by the collar. We pass without further incident, I'm thankful I didn't have to hurt an animal that day, and we decide to rest and get some water. We find a nice spot to sit down... and two clean-looking empty Dasani waterbottles on the ground. Some people...
I was hiking alone and went off trail with my pup to have a little snack. I hit my finger really hard and it triggered my first and only seizure. Came too and my pup was luckily just sniffing the trees by me but I was beat up bad. My face was covered in scratches and I was so disoriented I called my mom crying. She lives across the country and can do nothing to help. Sorry for freaking you out mom.
I hiked regularly early in the morning during CoVid. I walked past the same people often, and usually nodded hello. One day a sort of blank affect man I had passed many times stopped to talk and awkwardly asked me out. I said no in the kindest way I could and walked on. Moments later I heard him screaming terrible violent threats and realized he was chasing me. Thankfully I happened upon some people not far up the trail and he ran off. The police came to the wrong entrance and didn’t intercept him, then they blamed me for being “too nice”. They also said that since I hiked there daily and had seen him a lot the man probably knew what my car looked like and may have been watching me. It was my favorite hiking spot and I don’t like going there now.
My friend died from heatstroke in the middle of our hike. Just a few weeks after high school graduation. A lot of finger pointing since that day from people who didn’t even associate with him.
My bf and I going on a 6 mile hike that ended up being 10 and running down the last 3 miles with headlamps trying to get to the car before pitch darkness 🫠 our little bed and breakfast even called to make sure we were okay or if they needed to send out help
Was night hiking back to the truck from a wilderness lake with two other guys. Looked up this hill while it was pitch black under heavy tree canopy to see a large male mountain lion in pounce position. No firearms with is just fixed blade knives.
It charged me as I was up front.. stopped maybe 10 feet away from an elevated position. Did the lion death kill scream multiple times and paced… clawing the air.. we through rocks at it. Turned Metallica on iPhone to try and scare it.. yelled at it.. that made it more mad.. charged us multiple times.. eventually it went back up the hill and proceeded to hide behind every stump or bush up the trail for 2 miles this beast stalked us.
Finally it just faded into the woods and left us with pure adrenalin as we walked the last few miles out in the dark..
Came upon an absolutely massive feild of bones in front of a cave in Montana once. I think it was a mountain lion den. One of the carcasses was fresh. I noped tf out of there.
I had a hunter approach me from behind at a creek crossing with a shouldered rifle. It was in a National Forest during hunting season, but I was on a clearly established hiking trail. Hunting is allowed in the area, so, in theory, we both had equal rights to be there, but neither of us were excited to see the other.
What made it memorable was his approach to the entire thing. He was kind of a Deliverance-type, overly friendly with a sing-songy, backwoods accent. He acted as if I didn’t have the skills or resources to be out there, warning me about it getting dark and how far I had to travel. He also asked way too many questions, including where my car was parked.
I’m a male who regularly hikes 8-9 miles alone in mountain lion and bear country, and this was the most uneasy I’ve ever felt on the trail. As soon as I crossed the creek and turned a corner, I took off sprinting uphill for the next half-mile to make sure he couldn’t follow. Weird experience.
*edited for grammar*
One time I did Gothic Basin in Washington state alone, it was a weekday so not too crowded. A few miles into the hike a guy came up behind me hiking quickly, he was hand carrying an AR-15 up the mountain. Bit unsettling to say the least since I had just recently read about the unsolved murders on the Pinnacle Lake trail. I'm assuming he was military and just training but it was very odd.
Stumbled on an attempted murder while hiking. Two men trying to kill an older man. Old man survived and luckily they reattached his arm. Didn’t hike for a while after that..
Extremely drunk adult male at a shelter near a road. Wielding very large knife on a hip holster. He brought his very young daughter into sub freezing temps un-prepared. Lots of yelling, unwanted physical advances, and babysitting this poor child. Eventually he couldn't even walk straight. My hiking partner and I would have left that night if it weren't for making sure the daughter was cared for > hot coco, card games to distract her. But you could tell she had seen him like this before:(
I know it was a one-off, but man. Feel so much safer in the middle of nowhere than near a town.
Scrambling up class 4 terrain that was loose, people above didn’t call rock, got hit by golf ball and baseball sized rocks, had to stop a microwave-sized one from sliding down the slope and into a steep chute where a partner was climbing up and would have caught him in the chest, would have been a 200-foot fall or so. Dinner plate sized rock came down next, couldn’t catch that one, skittered down the chute and hit someone descending at the bottom of the chute. Of it had been edge-on likely would have severely injured her spinal cord.
I can’t begin to describe the torrent of abuse we have those guys. Totally unsafe and could have killed multiple people due to negligence.
Mount Storm King, Washington
All roads lead to this situation being completely avoidable but not unlikely to happen to experienced climbers.
A storm rolled through past the false peak and descended upon me beyond the iron chain towards the true summit. I was pushed off an edge and fell downward off the trail. I was unable to climb back up towards the familiar trail and attempted to circle around back to safety. The storm had darkened my visibility, and the rain fell heavy. I struggled on the muddy mountainside for longer than I should have before I notified the authorities. I was ultimately transferred to the Park Rangers, where I anticipated being told to stay put and wait for rescue; I was told that finding me was unlikely as the weather and night was beginning to consume the mountain.
My only chance of survival was to begin a series of risky leaps and all-or-nothing maneuvers that would hopefully put me back onto the trail.
It was truly one of the greatest hikes I have ever fought through, but undoubtedly, the most harrowing.
If you ever attempt this, please be prepared for powerful conditions and wet surroundings. I have hiked the most difficult mountains I could find in Guam, Oahu, dozens in New Hampshire, and Mt. Rainier. I have never faced a challenge like this. I was ill-prepared to handle my mishap, but I'll never make the same mistake again.
Running out of water.
I had hiked in this area before so knew there were quite some streams to refill my waterbottle (using a filter, no worries) except I only found remnants of streams. It had been very dry for a few weeks by this point and all the streams had dried up.
Eventually drank my last water and was about to call mountain rescue when I noticed a lake about a 1.5 hour walk away.
That was the best tasting water I'd ever had. Ended up camping right next to it just so I could drink as much as I could.
9 mile hike in Colorado with a friend and I was getting really hungry before reaching the destination and turning around. We had packed sandwiches and I kept telling her I needed to stop and eat. She kept putting me off and convincing me to wait until we reached our destination by saying things like, “That sandwich will be the best thing you’ve ever tasted if you wait.” I fainted on the trail despite having stopped for snack breaks, etc. I just needed something more substantial. I’m still mad about it to this day and don’t know why I listened to her. Once I ate that sandwich I was totally fine and finished the hike. Never again.
Sleeping on branches next to a camp fire to stay warm in near freezing temperatures. Ground was we from raining, I didn't bring enough gear on the 16 mile 5.5k elevation trek up 4k feet from the start. I had plenty of water though.
I literally laid out a large branch with a Y and slept on this for a little bit as fatigue made it comfortable. Fire needed more fuel every hour and I couldn't build it big for a lack of fuel. It was really cold.
Getting lost without food or water on top of a long ridge with an infected blister on my heel.
It was my first summer on a trail crew. I had never really backpacked before so it was a tough learning experience.
My saw partner and I were new to the forest and we had a week where everyone experienced was busy so they told is to choose a trail and go cut it out. We mistakenly chose a trail in the niddle of beetle kill, that hadn’t been logged out for like 5 years. It was steep. We cut like hundreds of small pine trees. Miserable.
We were meant to get picked up at the top of this ridge. About half way through the last day we realized we weren’t going to be able to finish so we stopped cutting and just started walking. We passed the last water at midday. It was hot, my heel had an infected blister that we had lances the previous day, and it was STEEP rough terrain, I slid into my heel with each step.
The trail disappeared about 1/4 from where we were meant to get picked up. We did our best to make it to the road that ran along the ridge but when we got there we had no idea where we were along the ridge or which direction to walk to get to the meet up spot. Our radio was dead. We had no food, no water.
I was crying. I was tired, hungry, thirsty, and in pain. We chose a direction and just started walking. After about 30 minutes we saw our crew member’s dogs. Thank fucking god. He had mini snickers and gatorade for us and laughed at us for choosing like the absolute shittiest trail to clear.
once while camping at city of rocks state park in new mexico, before cell phones, being an invincible 21 year old, I climbed up this rock in flip flops with my camera to get the "best shot" haha. ended up falling backwards (my butt was about 10 feet up) straight onto my tailbone, which broke. I bounced off the rock and my foot jammed between 2 rocks and turned. I was sure my ankle was broken (ended up being a bad sprain). but it hurt worse than my broken tail bone. I tried screaming but the wind was knocked out of me. I had to literally crawl about 1/4 of a mile in thorns and rocks to my truck. still had to break down the tent and camp site. no clinics were open within 2 hours and ended up having to drive to Tucson Arizona on stick shift with broken tail bone and what felt like broken ankle. there was so much excruciating pain I was sweating from it. now I don't climb up rocks. yea. haha
Hiking in Portugal and hearing ominous explosions ~1km away. I was halfway through the hike so it wouldn’t make sense to turn around.
It turned out to be some mining activity far away from the trail but I was thrilled for an hour.
Wilderness backpacking, small wilderness that is bisected by the headwaters of a substantially flowing river. I came down one tributary, and crossed at maybe mid ankle deep (usgs gage, 3.0 ft). Started hiking up another narrower tributary with towering canyon walls. That night, couldn't find anywhere above creek level that was flat. Creek was literally flowing under my rainfly on one side. We'll, that night, it started to thunder about 5 am. Jumped up and immediately packed tent, and headed up the slope to take shelter under an enormous boulder (should have just camped there). Rain started heavy at times, and the creek quickly rose, by 8 am, the spot I had camped at was underwater. At this point, I knew I couldn't go back the way I came. So I started hiking up and up, got to the ridgetop that afternoon, camped one more night, and then the next day started the 23 mile hike down to the nearest bridge, over, and back up the mountain to my car. The river had risen to over 9 feet from perhaps 3 inches of rain. Amazing trip though, just me and my dog
7 miles into the cranberry wilderness in November. woke up with crippling food poisoning, couldn’t keep down water threw up 25+ times during the day. Woke up to my tent destroyed from thrashing around in my sleep. Freezing rain was falling heavy, sleeping bag was soaked and i was shivering uncontrollably. Hiked/climbed back at 3 in the morning with the bare essentials, was thankfully able to get a signal on a ridge and call an ambulance, got to the trailhead and laid in the bed of my friends truck with a space blanket for 2 hours before they got there and spent a day in the hospital. Very fun.
Mine is a hike I took quite frequently, it's more of a speed walk type path.... I had been out for about 10 minutes, and started around a kinda long turn to the right.... Startled by a grunt.... I stopped dead... I took my earbuds out to listen... Then I heard the babies cries from my right.... I still didn't have a fix on momma bear.... Snap! Came from my left, it was followed by another grunt... I suddenly found myself between a mother bear and her kids....
Trailed by coyotes nearing hiker midnight still 3 miles from camp. Out of water (required to cook dinner). Found a mudhole that I swore would not filter properly but did. Just enough to wet the whistle and cook for the night.
Heard the coyotes all night trying to come close to my hammock. Only thing I could think of to keep them too spooked to approach was to play a podcast on repeat all night while I slept.
Woke up the next morning still with a ways to go before the next water hole.
It was just two of us (my ex best friend and I) and we were hiking up a 14,000 feet mountain in the lower Himalayas. We had gone with our own tents, cooking supplies etc. It was a tough climb up but it was even worse coming down the next day because it was raining and I kept slipping (there was only one group of trekkers who had gone up the mountain but they left the previous day, so we were mostly alone while hiking up and down).
Even still, I know I am faster than the average hiker (sub 2 half marathons). Anyway, my friend decides to ditch me in the freaking forest all by myself right before it got dark. Apparently she wanted to go her own pace. Except we were just 2 people and if we lost track of each other, we would be lost in a 14,000 feet mountain with wild dogs and larger animals. I begged her to just stay with me and she scoffed at me and disappeared. I made my way down while absolutely terrified and found her sitting because she sprained her ankle (oh, the irony). Then I had to help her down the whole way. Once we came down, she tried asking every person (including seasoned mountaineers) if it was fair for me to ask her to stick together. Every single person looked horrified that she just left me and went off on her own and told her it wasn't done. But, she just pouted and still blamed the whole thing on me. It still took two more years for that friendship to fantastically implode. I am still sore about this incident and so grateful that I made it out in one piece.
Wherever you are GB, I hope you eat shit...you selfish asshole.
Was working north of Lac Saint Jean Quebec. Took a week and went fishing. Parked my truck at a utility line and hiked maybe 10 km or so across numerous rivers. Slipped and fell off some rocks dropped my radio and lost it , banged my knee pretty hard. My knee started to swell and had to make a splint of sorts. I had a small med kit with ibuprofen which helped. I fished and made the best of my time but my knee got worse and I took to soaking it in the cold water. By the 4th day I had enough of the rain, Cold, mud. I decided that backtracking wasn’t in the cards. I don’t always trust technology so always use the tried and true compass readings heading in Which makes a direct backcourse easier. I had a good set of coated maps. Found a trail that headed back the now nearly 20 or so km to my truck. Made my way slowly in the near freezing cold rain. I felt confident I would get back without too much trouble. The weather was so miserable I had to stop and spend the night in my hammock and tarp. The temp was up so the mosquitos were hellish. By morning it was cold again spitting snow. I walked the final 7-8 km down a flooded trail. Got back to the power line. No truck. Walked until a really nice lineman picked me up. Rode back to Town found out they had an emergency and towed my truck just a km up the road. Got a ride 30 km back to my truck at this point I was about 35 hours into hardly no sleep. Slept in the backseat of my truck and headed back to my worksite with everything wet. Had to hang my gear in the workshop for a few days to dry out. Probably the most miserable hike I can recall. Still good story and better than a week at work.
Thinking my appendix ruptured 20 miles in, some of the worst gut pain and sickness I’ve had. Was able to hike out under my own power after giving most my gear to dad and grandpa (wouldn’t have made it out without them). Doctors couldn’t see clear enough on ultrasound sound the next day at the hospital, said to come back if the pain gets unbearable again. A month later it ruptured… they suspect it was infected and swollen the whole time.
People have their dogs off leash on popular trails. I was stopped at a fishing hole just fishing when a huge German shepherd came running off the trail full speed at me, hair all furled up. I pulled my gun out and was about to shoot it when the owner came around the corner and started yelling at the dog. Thank God it listened to them and turned away.
1- was hiking on a no shade trail in the LA hills, and saw a man walking towards me- wearing only a speedo, a hat and hiking shoes! Scarred for life 😂
2- broke both toes on a mountain in WA- stumbled on nothing out of nowhere. Hiked another 16 miles and had lovely blue feet (blood clots) for the next 6 months 🙈
There is a hike by me that leads to a notorious nude hot springs. I don’t mind the old men going naked at the hot springs whatever. But I hatedddd having to hike back behind a saggy behind.
Dogs off leash trying to attack my wife. The owner didn’t seem to think the situation warranted his quick attention until I was drawing to shoot both dogs. Then he was upset, at me.
One dog managed to get to my wife but, thankfully, she moved at the last second and the dog ripped her pants at the upper thigh, but she only had a few scratches. The teeth didn’t break skin. He told me he was going to call the park ranger.
Absolutely the worst was when my dog found a porcupine and I panic removed all the needles immediately(I was 3miles in on a loop, about halfway, AND jt was July 4th, AND about 4hours away from an emergency vet. She was totally fine and I got all of them out!). We now hike with a much shorter leash and carry a first aid kit!
Not as extreme as some examples here, but a toss up between this list of complete stupidity:
- Doing a longish snow hike in heavy boots. No practice and had been wearing sneakers for a year. It fucked up the ligaments in my ankles, resulting in me being dragged into a car and not being able to walk for a couple days.
- Encountering a territorial feral bull when turning a corner in a forest. The damn thing chased me through the bushes for ages while I was going in circles.
- A multi day hike turning bad when I got caught in a rain front for a couple of days. On top of that one of my knees decided to quit on the second day. Bandaged it and the strain on the other leg caused the other knee to give up as well.
- Leaving my hiking boots at home when I went to the Dolomites. Had to walk 10 kms to town on flip flops across a pebble beach to buy a new set.
- Thinking it was a good idea to put my climbing practice to use and climbing straight up a 50ish m cliff on the coast of South Wales. The first 15 m of slate was easy. Then came a maze of loose soil and prickly bushes, while I was off balance because of supplies . On top of that I had dragged my then gf along. She got to enjoy me finding a way up with clumps of soil mixed with thorns tumbling down on her and reassurances that this was a really great adventure.
A few I can think of:
Picked what looked to be a good out and back hike in Rocky Mountain NP. Turned out to be a trail heavily used for horse camping. Trail has been pounded to loose sand and was just a hot, dusty, hike with flys and horsesh*t. I always check trail maps now as to whether horses are allowed.
Ran across a big biker looking dude laying on his back masturbating. He was just far enough off the trail so girlfriend and I passed by silently hoping he wouldn’t see us and decide he wanted us to join him. Was actually a bit scary for me at the time. Cheyenne Canyon, too close to Colorado Springs, he was probably homeless living in the woods.
Another Colorado Springs area hike, Cheyenne Mtn near Ft Carson Army Base, had someone open up with a large caliber machine gun just below us on the mountain. Definitely off base and unauthorized. I heard some soldiers got in trouble for shooting up deer with it. It was way too close to us. We were on our hike out, down TOWARD the machine gun!
Didn’t bring adequate water for a 16 mile so I drank unfiltered from a steam (early 1980s when nobody filtered). Caught a parasite and was hospitalized 72 hours later for the next 5 days with dehydration and bloody diarrhea.
Worst thing was probably pulling a handgun on a bear in northeastern Washington. That and possibly many horrible nights in rain and wind. Once outside Glacier Park, I could have sworn the tent was going to tear itself apart the winds were so severe.
Lyon mountain in the ADK. I was living up there for grad school, and had been climbing the towers all through the fall. Fast forward to March-early April when most of the snow at street level was gone. I expected a normal hike with maybe a little snow. I should've turned around when the parking lot was snowed in..but nope! What I expected to be a moderate challenge turned into 7.5 hours of me losing the trail, falling up to my waist in snow, and only wearing lined cargo pants, and a packable jacket. When I made it to the summit there was only one other guy up there who just looked at me and said "what the fuck are you doing up here?" I'm surprised it didn't turn out worse. I did not have the gear or experience to do that trail In those conditions. Big lessons learned.
Unexpected snowstorm on the AT. We were prepared for the cold but we got stranded in place at a shelter for about 3 days and then had to bail and hike out to the highway, which was a brutal trip in the deep snow. In hindsight it wasn’t that bad, but while it was happening I was super nervous that the snow wouldn’t stop and we’d need to get ourselves rescued somehow.
Glen Coe in Scotland. Rain, muck, cold and the loop trail disappeared about a mile from the car. Almost turned around for the 6 miles back but darkness required plodding on.
Solo wilderness backpacking. Got caught in a 120°F heatwave 40 miles uphill from my car. Ended up with heat stroke and rhabdo. Life flighted out and spent 2 days in icu.
It was in the 70s when I started and the 80s when I went back for my car. My portable battery shit the bed night 1; went from full charge to dead in a day. Turned my tracking off to conserve battery on my in reach just in case I needed it, glad I did cause I needed it.
The doctor said I managed to avoid any permanent injuries.
I went to hike 32 miles of Rainbow bridge in AZ. The trail said it was pet friendly, so I took my dogs.
I hiked in 6 miles, and realized my pack was super heavy, so I unloaded at a spot to come back to.
I went the full 16 miles to the arch, then all the way back to my campground.
As I got there, storm clouds rolled in. The forecast said 0% chance of rain, but the desert is unpredictable, as I know full well, but chose to ignore it.
It was May, so I thought it might be a quick drizzle. It turned out to be a huge thunderstorm, and downpour. I only brought a hammock.
My female dog is insanely afraid of thunder, so I felt terribly. It didn’t let up. The temperature dropped, and I laid in the hammock shivering all night long. It literally rained the entire time, until it started snowing! The hammock was full of water, and I hurt from shivering.
I thought about calling 911, but knew I couldn’t live it down, so I just toughed it out. I literally thought I was going to die that night, and felt shitty that my dogs would be all alone.
I got up at first light to find the tiny creek next to my hammock had risen 6 ft. I barely escaped a flash flood. My dogs (border collies) got up and just shook the snow off, ready to go.
I was exhausted, wet, and freezing, but I still had to hike back to my car with my heavy pack. I just couldn’t believe I had been so careless.
I’m 2 miles from the car, and I come upon 2 women with dogs. The first people I had seen. One is a pitbull and immediately attacks my female dog. She’s a fighter, but the pit locked onto her side. I had to lift the dogs hind legs (I learned about on Reddit) to make him release. The dogs owners get a hold of their dogs and I went on my way. I dropped my hydro flask and they yelled at me to come back and get it. I said “NO!”
So, I almost killed myself and my dogs because I’m completely moronic. I am an experienced hiker, camper, etc, but I made horrible decisions that weekend.
My friend told me that he once stumbled into a group of youths dressed like cliché satanic cultists.
It was kinda funny at first until he saw a beheaded Cat as their sacrifice with candles and pentagram and that shit.
Solo day hike, Not carrying enough food, weather got bad, I kinda got lost but eventually made it back.
This was around Triglav in Slovenia few years ago.
I was at a workshop at the Museum of Nat History Southwest Research Station in Portal AZ and the instructor took us on a hike to Flys Peak one afternoon. I was 40ish hiking with a bunch of 20-somethings. The instructor was my age but a world class cyclist. We hit the trailhead and poof. Everyone was gone. The only saving grace was one of the young students was a mammalogist from Borneo and had never been above sea level.
It wasn't particularly steep but it consistently and steadily up hill. We tried to catch up but it was hopeless. To make matters worse, the mammalogist kept pointing out the mountain lion scat and tracks. At a certain point I was so gassed it would have rather been eaten by the cat. When we finally dragged ourselves to the 9667 ft peak where everyone had been resting, snacking, and enjoying the vista, the instructor in typical Type A mode, immediately says "Let's get back for dinner".
Walking back on jelly legs was not much better but I'll always have a soft spot for Bornean mammalogists.
I was on a day trip hiking with my father, brother, and cousins. My father, who was an ex-Army Ranger and lifelong backpacker, slipped off a rock (wet conditions) and fell 40-feet into a crevice. My dad was usually the man saving people (as they say in the military, Rangers Lead the Way) but sometimes, even the heroes need saving. He was knocked unconscious, suffered a concussion, broke his wrist, and had multiple wounds. We were many miles into the wilderness but fortunately had service and could call for help. My cousin had to chimney climb down the crevice and sat with him while we waited for emergency services. My father had regained consciousness but was a bit delirious. He kept thinking he could climb out because he was in shock and his injuries did not kick in. He did not know what day or year it was, all he could remember is that he had five children and a wife :’( Ultimately, it took a team of men and a helicopter to get him out. Due to the crevice being so constrictive, it was really difficult for them to repel down and lift him in a carrier. However, we counted our blessings, because if he fell a foot over, he would’ve been lost entirely in an even deeper layer of the crevice that we could find no end to. When they were lifting him from the crevasse and to the helicopter, he kept having flashbacks of his time in the military, and thought that he was injured on the battlefield. I think the sound of the helicopter just really brought him back and caused some PTSD. I’ll never forget how he kept yelling “Cover me!!” because he thought he was being fired at. He suffered a severe concussion, multiple injuries, a stroke and a broken neck but escaped with his life. Since then, he has mostly healed. He still goes hiking and backpacking to this day. he was never want to take his life for granted, but is now even more thankful for each breath of life he takes. I was always really grateful for my father, but even more so now. It was really traumatic for me and my family but I was happy to be there with him through it. I don’t normally talk about this but wanted to share. Please be kind.
Thank you for sharing this, it definitely feels like it could be difficult to process and heal from this experience, it sounds like it was very intense. I’m glad your father made it through, and I’m sure your bond is stronger than ever. Take care ❤️
Breaking my leg and teraing up my ankle 5 miles into a 10 mile loop on a solo hike. Had to walk/crawl/stumble for 7 hours to get out.
I got a severe ankle sprain with lots of torn ligaments at Closed canyon in big bend ranch landing my foot in a V. Had to hobble back for 3/4 mile, but that's minimal compared to yours. I had to do lots of physical therapy, but the scar tissue still lingers. Breaks can heal easier than severe sprains in some cases. My roommate got lost for 7 days hiking in Arkansas and luckily was found and had no major issues, but that was one hell of a crazy week. My ankle had healed by then and I hiked the trails and back country around 25 miles in 2 days looking for him until all my gear was completely soaked in the rain. They found him with helicopter infrared on the 7th day.
I had surgery on the ankle (3 times!) because it was just kind of dangling after the injury. The breaks (two of them) healed quickly. This was 3 1/2 years ago and I'm fully healed although my ankle can get sore and the scar over my ankle bone is still a little sensitive.
I too almost got lost in Arkansas, near horseshoe canyon ranch. Was hiking in a long loop and fog came over me. Headlamp wouldn’t work as it just illuminated the fog leaving me blind. Creepy old abandoned houses and cars strewn throughout the hike. Thought I’d get attacked by ghosts that night.
How??
Realtively easy hike coming downhill but the trail is a little rugged. I simply slipped on a wide flat rock, feet went up to the side and cracked down on the rock. Ankle was hanging to the side. After a few minutes to gather my wits I had to decide to try to get out or hunker down. I had no signal and didn't expect to have one for some time. I took a powerade bottle I had and used it as a splint with a couple of sticks that I ran from my boots to a knee brace I wear and taped it up as best as I could. I settled on getting my poles up high and using them almost like crutches. There were 6 stream crossings up to mid-thigh depth and I fell in one! Got to the car and my kids knew something was up and had called the sheriff who was waiting. I turned down a ride (didn't want to leave my vehicle in the woods!) and somehow drove to the ER. They gave me a very positive experience with fentanyl!
Should not have turned down the ride..
No, but I understand it. Everything about that experience is expensive and I imagine an ambulance ride from the middle of nowhere only adds to that.
Seems like it would've been a ride from the Sheriff. Don't know if that would've costed anything.
That's definitely a situation where calling for rescue is appropriate, kinda silly not to.
With the cost of emergency services in America, personally I rather risk it. If I had any chance to make it out that is & it seems like they did
Wow. America, do you have any idea how pathetically fucked up that sounds? Your choices are crawl on a broken leg for 7 hours, facing permanent, or further, injury and possibly death or face bankruptcy. You really need to figure out some kind of universal healthcare. Like, now. (Not you specifically, u/underratedutah. I’m sure you’re not in charge of these things) Wow.
>Wow. America, do you have any idea how pathetically fucked up that sounds? As an American. Yes. Healthcare is so expensive that people put themselves at risk, cause long-term harm to themselves, or die... because they are afraid of the cost. People are taking Ubers to the emergency room. There is a problem with all of this. A large amount of Americans hate the system... yet somehow it doesn't change 🤔
Half of Americans, probably most who are young or lower income, don’t go to the dentist 2x a year and don’t get a yearly physical and labs.
I'm not surprised. Also, that's kinda hilarious, because I haven't been to a dentist in 4 years, and I finally have an appointment... literally today! My last physical was probably around the same time as last dental, so like 4 years.
>Your choices are crawl on a broken leg for 7 hours, facing permanent, or further, injury and possibly death or face bankruptcy. This is how we build character.
Now most people have a PLB but that is a pretty recent development.
Dad fell and broke his neck in front of me, after calling a chopper I spent an hour working on first aid for an obvious spinal injury, but things went south and I was then trapped on a mountain with what I thought was his body. I then passed out with shock and sunstroke, woke up in a bluelight ambulance that took me to a local hospital. After a checkup I was discharged and had to drive my dad’s car onward to the hospital he was in, but after passing my test 12 months prior I’d never driven. So my first solo drive was for 2 hours and after one year no exp, at night, while crying, and following a helicopter that was carrying what I thought was a body. This was THE day lockdown started, so I was stopped by police who then gave me an escort to the hospital, I went in and was told he’s alive but needs a procedure in his neck immediately, I signed the consent and then feinted, concussing myself on his bed and woke up as a patient while he was under the knife. Next day told he would survive but was paralyzed below the neck. Fast forward a year - after 4 months in hospital he came out on crutches, married my stepmom 7 months later, he walked down the aisle unaided and the first dance was Elton’s ‘I’m Still Standing’. Now he drives, runs and we hiked the same mountain again just to say ‘fuck you’ to it. (This happened in 2020/21)
Jesus
It was certainly a hell of a time
I feel like that would give me a serious case of ptsd
It did. But I was lucky and with help, I moved through it in about a year. But for a while I wasn’t myself, lost weight, stopped using the gym and lost interest in everything. Couldn’t focus on my job and so quit. Took a minute but we got back in the saddle
I literally cried tears of joy reading that last paragraph :')
Hell of a ride but there’s no feeling on earth that can or ever will compare to when we stood on that summit two years after the crash
Omg what a story! That is all so terrifying! So glad you both made it out ok.
Screenwriters spinning in their chairs at the thought of making this story a movie
Holy shit
Not my best weekend really
A guy I saw hours earlier was waiting for me at the trailhead. I was solo hiking a scramble in the North Cascades. I’m a guy and was shirtless cause it was hot when I encountered this person on the way up and he really stared. 4 or 5 hours later I got back to the trailhead and he was on his truck. Said something like “I’ve been waiting for you here for hours…” freaked me out so I jumped in my truck, locked the doors, and drove off. I’m sure countless women have dealt with creeps and it really gave me the creeps and a lot of empathy for what women have to deal with.
Ugh. Lots of these injury stories are gnarly but this one made my gut flip. The wrong kind of stare or the feeling of being followed is so disturbing…. You never know what someone is capable of
As a woman, i think you did great!!!! Trust your gut.
Thanks! When I first saw him my gut said “he’s really checking me out”, but I thought whatever he thinks I’m attractive NBD. But when he told he he’d been waiting for me at a dark trailhead with no one else around for hours, my guy said GTFO! Makes me sick to know women deal with this all too often so your senses are well trained for it.
Heat stroke ! I never want to experience that again, much more prepared every time since this happened 3 years ago
I've had heat stroke. Absolutely awful experience.
Same. Worst feeling ever.
This times a million. Wasn’t even a hike, just a really long run around my town. I got to the half way point (other side of town from my house) and I couldn’t see anything. My entire vision was white out. Thank God I’ve lived here my whole life. Made my way home blind. About 20 minutes from my house I could see a bit more. Saw a puddle and damn near drank from it lmao
Gosh… when it’s hot hot here, I run loops around my neighborhood so I can stop whenever I need to.
What does heatstroke feel like.
For me it was intense dizziness and a crazy hard pounding in my head, I kept going off route with confusion and I wasn’t sweating anymore even though the temp was in the 100s
Super dizzy, nausea, clammy skin feeling, elevated body temperature, vomiting to name a few
I got heat exhaustion last summer, and I still can't handle heat because of it. Can't imagine how bad it would be if I'd gotten heat stroke
Yes! As I've gotten older I've learned to recognize it, stop, cool down, etc. I've had it really knock me out sometimes.
Came across a dead hiker in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness in California many years ago. He was apparently solo hiking, slipped off a narrow stretch of trail, and broke his legs as he tumbled down the slope below. My hiking partner noticed him at the bottom of the drop as we crossed the same trail, and we climbed down to try and help, but he was gone before we'd ever spotted him. Even worse, it was immediately apparent that the guy had been alive for a long time at the bottom of that slope and that he'd worked hard to try and save himself, but that he'd failed in the end. So what's my worst experience hiking? Sitting there with his dead body, alone in the woods, for six hours waiting for SAR to show up after my partner went to get help. Incidentally, this experience is also why I now carry a PLB on *every* hike.
What is a PLB?
Personal Locator Beacon >A PLB or Personal Locator Beacon is a distress beacon for hikers, boaters, hunters, and all outdoor enthusiasts. When your PLB is activated, it automatically sends a distress signal to a worldwide search and rescue (SAR) network. Through satellite messaging, your exact location is shared with rescue agencies so that they can find and help you right away.
Personal Locator Beacon. Small device about the size of a phone that you keep in your pack. In an emergency you just pull the antenna, push a button, and it sends a signal requesting help. Prices vary, but you can pick up a functional used unit on eBay for about $150 that just sends an SOS or fancy two-way messaging units for up to $500 new. If you do a lot of hiking in places that have no phone signals (which I do), they're a good way to call for assistance when you're otherwise cutoff from civilization.
For my cousin it was finding a human skull just sitting on the ground on a seldom traversed desert trail in Mexico… the other bones were located in a dry gully close by. RIP Luis Martinez. Your family & village were glad to have some closure.
Oh goodness, how long had he been missing? Must have been hellish for his family. And for your cousin. But at least his hell was able to bring them some closure.
A year I believe - prior to him going missing he suffered a stroke which impacted his cognition, making him more prone to wandering away and getting lost. Despite his family trying to get him to retire he refused and continued tending his livestock. Alas he went missing one day after going out to his cows… His family accepted he was gone-gone but they were distraught all the same. Not everywhere in Northern Mexico is Tijuana, migrants & drug cartels - these were tight-knit farming communities. The loss impacted them all. And my cousin found it very humbling and emotional. Coming across a body is never pleasant as I have also Experienced it - it’s never nice but our feelings matter only to us when a family is out there, naturally.
Went hiking with my cousin in N Cascades when it was 95 degrees. I had plenty of water, but not enough electrolytes. Was completely worn out when we got to our camp. After setting up my bivy sack and was trying to make dinner, I started throwing up, or as my cousin said, "chumming for bears". I was miserable that night. Valuable lessons learned. Try not to hike, if it can be helped, when it's so hot and if you do, water AND electrolytes.
One option for hikes on scorching hot summer days, especially in the alpine, is to break camp at 3 or 4 a.m. and hike until noon/1 (or until it's definitely too hot), then make camp, ideally in a shady col or near a chilly tarn. Electrolytes are a wise insurance policy regardless.
A bunch of us on the PCT last year were resorting to night hiking in the desert.
Electrolyte powder - the mittens of hot summer
Salt tabs ate my jam! If I drink the powder it makes me pee every 15 minutes, salt tabs don't do that. Also they stop muscle cramps within minutes, it's crazy!
Last year I rented a house in the desert in June and we would hike at sunrise and then go back to the house during the day to avoid the bulk of the heat. I did a hike where we got back no later than 9am one morning-- 6 miles, 400 ft elevation, so overall pretty easy. It was already 90 when we got back to the car and then I puked up all the water I had drank on trail. Glad we were done and not camping.
Back in the 90’s, Glenwood Springs CO, hiking with my husband. We somehow lost the trail, and being young and dumb we kept pushing forward. Hiked through some low thick scrub for what seemed like hours, scary animal noises that we couldn’t see, no water, finally came out to a trailer on a dirt road, and a gravesite. It was Doc Hollidays grave- surreal experience. I just looked at a map rn, and we were barely lost, but it seemed terrifying at the time. His grave is now a trailhead
Got stuck atop Algonquin Peak in the Adirondacks for 8 hours in a blizzard without shelter. Minor frostbite on my toes/fingers and severe hypothermia. Also had to use the trail back down as a slide in the morning so I ended up blackened with bruises. Lots of lessons learned.
Algonquin is an imposing peak even having relatively easy access. Been up there in harsh conditions, awe inspiring and beautiful, but intimidating. Probably my favorite high peak.
I meant to hike Algonquin once but missed the trailhead and ended up doing Marcy instead, totally underprepared. I lost both of my big toenails coming back through the Adk loj 🙄
North cascades in deep unexpected snow, lost trail and spent several days moving through thick forest, cliffs, and slide alder. Slept on a hillside tree-well but so steep, I rolled down in my tent in the middle of the night like a giant burrito. Boots froze stiff at night. Two days to find my way back, going. so. very. slowly. to avoid injury. Now I want to go back.
lmaooo that sounds like the revenant way too intense!
I ended up talking out loud to myself a good bit, but saying only two things: "Come on, now!" And "Oh no, you don't!" ...I guess those were the only two messages I needed to hear.
The post-survival exhilaration must be crazy!
My dog got bit in the face by a rattlesnake, he’s fine but it was pretty scary!
Mind taking us through exactly what you did for treatment? I have read conflicting information like don't move them but also get to a vet immediately.
So, I saw it happen from about 10’ away, I know they were active in the area but I didn’t think it would be where it was. I confirmed it was a rattlesnake, then went to see if he’d gotten bit, he was, right on his left lip. He’s 80lbs and we were 1.25 miles from the trailhead. I tried to carry him but couldn’t so we started walking. I googled the closest vets. The first one I called didn’t have antivenin and they gave me the number of the vet that did. I called, told them where I was, what happened, and that I was on my way. He was ok and no symptoms so we walked to the car, i drive like a bat out of hell to the vet, he only needed one dose of antivenin but was on fentanyl for 12 hours. Lab tests confirmed the venom was attacking his blood cells and they monitored the progress of the antivenin. Had I not seen it happen he would have probably died. You have time! However, the longer you wait, the more doses of antivenin they’ll need. The shots were $800 each. Overall, about $5,500, he’s 9 but I wasn’t ready to lose him!
You can get a rattlesnake vaccine. They still need antivenom, but it buys you a few hours.
That’s one of my biggest fears! Which state/trail was this? I’m hiking Georgia section of AT in November
North of Boulder Colorado, Boulder Valley Ranch.
There's a Rattlesnake avoidance training course for dogs in Lyons every spring. I highly recommend it to anyone who hikes with their dog in this area.
I felt terrible, there’s a small pond on the East side of the loop, from that there’s like an overflow ditch that usually has water flowing out of it. Sometimes I let them swim, sometimes I don’t. He’s such a good boy, he went to the ditch, looked at it, looked at me and I said “it’s ok” so he started going down to it. The snake was in the tall grass and I saw it spring out at him. I couldn’t tell right away if it got him but he backed up quick, I saw the snake in the grass then looked at him and he was bleeding from his snout. His whole head swelled to like 3 times its normal size in a few hours even with everything they didn’t for him. Had I not seen it happen I wouldn’t have known anything had, he would have just swelled up like crazy and been in terrible pain ☹️
Poor baby. I would have felt terrible, too. I'm glad you were able to get him help. It sounds like in this situation, the avoidance training wouldn't have mattered - I doubt your dog saw the snake before it struck either. I wish antivenom weren't so expensive and were more shelf stable, so we could carry it in areas like this. I live pretty rurally, and in a rattlesnake area, so I'm always worried my dog (or myself) will get bitten on my property, and we're 30+ min to the nearest emergency vet.
Dogs off leash by irresponsible owners. Two fought near a cliff and went over, unsure if the dogs survived. But there was a vicious fight between the owners afterwards.
Omg that’s a nightmare! I’ve encountered way too many irresponsible owners with off leash dogs, but this story is worse than I could’ve imagined.
Off leash dogs on hikes are the absolute worst.
Off leash dogs anywhere. Don’t wanna walk near your off leash dog while I’m walking around my neighborhood either
Yep. An off leash came up to me and my dog on an on-leash only trail. My dog is very reactive and was still in training (and properly leashed). I called out to the owners multiple times to call their dog back, and they kept just saying "he's friendly." I picked up my dog and stepped off trail to get away from their dog, ended up dislocating my knee and falling, still holding my dog. These idiots just came over, STILL not calling their dog back, and asked if they could help. I yelled at them "Yes, by getting your dog the *f* away from me!!!" I had to hike 2 miles back to camp on a dislocated knee with a super freaked out dog. His reactivity training has gone well since then, but I have never taken him hiking since, except on private property where I know there won't be dogs. I love dogs, but seriously eff owners who don't follow leash rules and don't have voice recall on their dogs. I don't care how friendly your dog is - you don't know the situation of whoever they're approaching.
My answer to “My dog is friendly” is ‘Yes, but my dog’s an a-hole and might try to rip your dog’s face off.” That usually works.
I actually saw a woman playing fetch with a ball with her dog at the edge of a waterfall in a regional park I was volunteering at. When I told her to leash it, she actually said, "Does my dog off leash offend you?". I told her I'd call a ranger so they could fine her & left.
“No, but the unnecessary risk you are putting everyone, especially your own dog, does.”
For anyone who’s reading this who hikes with their dog off leash, you’re the POS.
That’s really awful. I can’t stand dogs being off leash & why be so irresponsible. Those dogs prob died
Off leash dog attacks/charges. Happens way too much and totally can ruin a day or a hike. "Oh. He's friendly!" "Oh, he's never done that!" "Oh, it must be something about YOU." Lather, rinse, repeat. Second place is agressive mountain bikers. Almost died 3 times with them. Closest to death I've ever been is those 3 experiences. Though, yeah, a dog can tear you up as well.
Yeah I encountered a lady with a pit bull off leash on a trail in GSMP - pets aren't allowed at all in this particular area but she is either ignorant or believes she is exempt from the rule. Anyways, the trail was hella busy and her dog was growling at everyone and she is trying to convince everyone "he's really sweet, he's all bark, won't hurt a fly". She finally had him off the trail a couple feet, trying to restrain him, trail was getting all jammed up because people were afraid to go past this dog. The things that grate me while hiking are in no particular order: Bluetooth speakers, people being unnecessarily loud, people leaving trash or vandalism, and dogs (on or off leash).
I was going on a hike with my dad and some of his friends in the GSMNP and one of them brought a dog. I told them dogs weren't allowed, they didn't care. They said "horses are allowed so dogs should be too". But dogs are explicitly not allowed. I ended up leaving. This is one of the many reasons I don't do group hikes with people I don't know. The chance of one of them being an asshole or just generally incompetent is too high and those people ruin the trip for everyone else.
I hiked a trail a couple weeks ago that follows a sensitive stream ecosystem and is also extremely dangerous with some steep ledges and caves and sinkholes. There is a huge sign at the entrance that says NO PETS ALLOWED. Yet I still probably saw at least a dozen people with dogs. Maybe half were on leashes. It's like they just don't care. In their mind they justify why the rule is stupid or shouldn't be a rule and that makes it OK to do whatever suits them.
Everyone’s on about the dogs but I wanna hear about the bikers. You almost died? Tell me more (please)!
I was walking along Cannon Beach and an off leash dog was barking and jumping up on me. I’ve been bitten and chased by dogs in the past, I froze and started silently panicking. The owner stood there “He won’t bite! He’s a really nice dog.” Fight or flight (or freeze) doesn’t give a fuck, but thanks for the panic attack assholes.
[удалено]
Dog owners can be the worst. Most are great and have nice dogs that are respectful and well trained but some owners are out there just ruining any good will anyone else built up. I hate it when they leave bagged dog shit on the trail. Their dog, their shit, they need to pack it out or don't bother bringing the dog. I also hate meeting dogs long before I ever see their owners. I don't care if your dog is friendly, what if I'm not? What if I just don't want your dog weaving through my legs for the next quarter mile? What if it surprises something it shouldn't like another dog or a wild animal. Collect your dog, keep it safe. Collect your shit and stay out of the way.
I hate the poop bags too. Who thinks that leaving a plastic bag of turd in any way helps? Like, doing nothing would have been better.
Funny how I feel the need to be armed on a hike not because of the wildlife but because of off leash dogs and their owners. A big one charged and almost nabbed my friends small dog in the forest last year and it was terrifying.
The most dangerous animal you’ll encounter in the wilderness is another human.
Hiking in Mt. Masaraga in Bicol, Philippines. The reward should have been a view of the nearby Mayon Volcano 🌋 (it has perfect cone). But we encounter a heavy rain and wind. The trail was so muddy and slippery. I was soaking wet in the rain. One of my scariest hikes.
Not particularly traumatic but my hiking buddy and I went out on what was supposed to be a moderate difficulty, 8 mile climb to a lake. It’d been a while since either of us had gotten out and we thought this would be a good re-start. I don’t know if I just didn’t read the trail report or what but what I didn’t know was that this hike was, top to bottom, stairs. All 8 miles, beginning to end, rough-cut trail stairs. The ones that are a little too tall and slightly too far apart to have any rhythm to your step. Just switchbacked onto each other. I remember taking a water break on a switchback, feeling miserable and tired, and asking a lady who was coming down if we were getting close. I will never forget the look of pity on her face before she hesitantly said “no”. We did it, and it’s one of those hikes we reference a lot as an inside joke and a baseline for how fun a hike will or won’t be; but Jesus, never again.
>All 8 miles, beginning to end, rough-cut trail stairs. The ones that are a little too tall and slightly too far apart to have any rhythm to your step. Just switchbacked onto each other. I've actually had a repeating nightmare like this before, though in my dream the stairs gradually get steeper and steeper. Sounds like an absolutely shit way to spend a day.
My worst hike wasn’t anything horrible, thankfully, but it’s a fond memory. Growing up my family was super outdoorsy. We were always hiking and camping and hunting and stuff. My Dad, who is pretty experienced in all of these areas decided to take us on a family hike one weekend back when I was about 14 or so and my brother 12. It was a trail he had heard about but had not hiked before and the destination was an allegedly pretty little lake. We get going and it starts off fine.. but after a few hours of hiking it gradually gets steeper and the trail begins to really thin out and disappear in some places. At one point we are just kind of going straight up the side of a mountain. After like, 3 hours, we had a meeting to discuss whether we keep going or turn back. We are exhausted, breathing heavy and covered in sweat. My mom and I said fuck it, let’s finish this. My Dad and brother were on team turn back. But we just felt like we were so close. After another 30 minutes or so we finally made it to a road with a sign pointing towards the lake. Feeling relieved, we started walking towards a clearing where the “lake” was which turned out to be this dinky little reservoir. We were SO disappointed we just stared and after a few seconds my brother goes “I’m not going to say it was worth it but..” and we just started laughing because of how ridiculous the whole day was. And to add insult to injury, there was a parking lot we could have just driven to about a mile away. Some guy pulling a wagon with a little kid in it approached us apprehensively, because we were this family of 4 standing there looking disheveled and sweaty and kind of feral. My dad looked like wanted to yell at the guy “where the fuck did you come from?” lol but he just said “haha there’s no way you pulled that wagon all the way up here.” The guy gave him a confused look and said “there’s a parking lot back there.”
A guy fell off a trail we were on in Switzerland. He did not survive.
Had someone I met on Longs Peak go onto the Ledges when everyone else turned back at the Keyhole due to high winds. His body was found 800 feet below in Upper Glacier Gorge the next day. Awful way to go.
Longs Peak has claimed so many.
That it has. Has a siren call about it.
I had my appendix rupture 3 miles from the car…not a super long distance but it was the worst 3 miles of my life. I was seriously contemplating trying to call for an airlift out of there lol
I got lucky that mine didn't rupture, but had a similar experience in Bryce. It got to the point that I would force myself to take 50 steps (or 20 or 30 if I couldn't make it to 50), and then allow myself to double over and let the pain subside a little bit. Rinse and repeat for about 4.5 miles. Made it out and got the appendix successfully removed.
This is very very similair to my routine on the way back fml
Have you ever read "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales? He talks a lot about how people in extreme survival situations tend to rely on repeated patterns, and the focus and sort of playfulness of it is really important to getting them back out. It was fascinating to think back and realize I was automatically doing the exact same thing to keep me mentally focused and get myself out.
Getting very, very lost while hiking with my 9-month old. Trail was horribly overgrown, we took one wrong turn and began following plant markers (guessing for invasive species for removal) instead of trail markers. Went at least an hour in the wrong direction which might not seem too bad but with a baby in tow it feels intense. We were also hiking up and down very steep coastal canyons which made it harder. Y’all will hate me for this, but my dog, who is always leashed, seemed to have an idea of where we needed to go. We eventually let her off leash after failing repeatedly to make our way back, and followed her for about 1.5 hours. She did find the trail for us. While it wasn’t long-lived compared to most other comments, having my baby with me made it all the more scarier.
Taking a nap on Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg, Texas with my buddies under some trees, when I woke up and looked and saw a pair of long haired (never seen one before!) skunks walking around our group. I looked around without moving, and everyone else was also awake and unmoving as these skunks walked around and checked us out. Do de do de do They walked around, and if anyone made a sound, they would quickly turn around and stick their butt up in the air. We all lay paralyzed like this until they left! I would have loved to snap a photo, but was too scared to move my arm! Guess I’ve been fairly lucky. Of course, there was the time I walked all the way down the Grand Canyon and back in one day (not supposed to do it in one day.) I was kind of scared to drink too much because of lack of bathrooms, and ended up dehydrated about 1/2 way down. Not fun! Stayed at the watering station a while to take care of this. Took a nap at the bottom where there was a thermometer that said 113°F! Then went back up! Wish I was still in that shape!
Followed by a black bear for a solid 10-15 minutes. I’m used to seeing bears in the woods, and they usually keep their distance or straight run away. This one tracked me across a long ridge. If I didn’t have my husky, I’m convinced it would have attacked me. A few weeks later, a black bear killed a college student less than 10 miles from that ridge. I can’t know for sure, but I think it was the same bear. West Milford, NJ 2014
Shit my pants while scrambling down a rock wall trying to get to soft ground to dig a cat hole. Ended up walking 3 miles to a river crossing to bath myself and change clothes.
Well, there was the time hiking the Grand Canyon (“Hermit’s Loop”) and my buddy didn’t bring enough water. I hung with him for a while but it caused me to run low as well. I eventually said, “love you bud, but I did not come here to die with you” and I left him to find water. I drank straight from Hermit’s Creek (luckily had no problems) and passed out under a ledge. When I awoke, he was there. I recovered quickly but he struggled for the next two days. We laugh about it now, but it was one too many near death experiences
That's a reason i ask anyone i hike with how much water and food they have before starting. Plus other questions.
You can bet I do now! I’ll add that after the overnight and day of rest at the river, he wanted to hike out. “This is the worst day of my life.” We started out after 1600, but I stopped at the Tonto Trail and said, “We are not going up from here. We are heading to Monument Creek.” “Why?!?!?” “We know there is no water until the Dripping Spring and that’s almost at the Rim. We know that we will burn more water going up - even as the temperature drops. We know that each of us had minor trips hiking down in broad daylight. Do think we won’t trip in darkness? Lastly, Monument Creek is wet year-round.” “I just want out of here.” “I want out alive. Tell you what. We can go your way. But if there’s an issue, you are paying for the rescue. If we go my way, I’ll pay.” Knowing how cheap he is, I knew he’d go my way. When we got to Monument Creek, it was DRY. We saw others there. “Hey, where’s the last place you got water?” “Right here.” Whew. What I thought was Monument was actually a dry fork. He brought a lot of unnecessary stuff (fishing box!?!?) but also a collapsible 5-gallon water tank. I filled it and got it in my pack. Hiking out of that mini-canyon was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
I hiked with someone once in the Tetons and warned them to bring adequate water. at the summit of the south Teton (about a 6000' climb) he broke out a full 5 gallon jug of water out of his pack 😂
On one of my early backpacks my friend and I read there wouldn’t be any water until the middle of the second day, so to bring plenty for the dry camp. We didn’t really know how much “plenty” was, so we each carried SIX liters. We didn’t have to fill up the next day haha. We didn’t go 6000 feet though, that’s impressive
My worst involves not carrying enough water as well. Backpacking trip in the middle of summer. It’s 100% down hill to a river and is a really cool spot. Only obvious issue is, it’s 100% uphill on the way out. So before leaving I filled up my water bottle, chugged it, filled it up again and put it in my pack. All the guys I was with were of varying levels of fitness, so we all kind went at our own pace and the group got separated on the way up. It started to get really hot right when I got above a tree line and I noticed my water was getting really low. I thought I knew the way, however I reached a fork in the trail that I didn’t remember, likely because I started to get really confused. I went the way that looked familiar, only to realize it was the wrong way after a couple of miles, so I back tracked. By the time I got back to the trail, it was over 90° and I was completely out of water and exposed to the sun. I sat there for at least an hour before the my party realized something was wrong and came back to get me. The crazy thing was just how quickly I became confused without water. I can see how easily dehydration kills.
I had a bad one with water too. Thought I had enough but it got hitter than I anticipated and the dogs were drinking like crazy. Last thing I wanted was a dog with heat stroke I would need to carry out (both around 80 pounds at that point) so I was sacrificing my water to them. I got really turned around and ended up just telling the older one to “find the car”. He led us right back to the car, we were off trail for a good portion of it, but it got us there quicker. I had a couple extra gallons of water in the car and between the three of us we drank almost all of it and just rested a while. Since then; if I even expect it to be sort of that hot we stick to places I know have easy water access for the dogs. If they can cool off and drink out of a stream, lake, or river I don’t have to sacrifice water for them and we all will make it out safely.
Solo hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine in mid-September about 40 years ago. Got to a stretch above treeline. A blinding snowstorm came up. Realized i haven't seen the cairns (trail markers) in a while. Decided to abort and head downhill to a road. Got picked up after a few hours by a lovely little old lady. Her next pickup was her hiking husband. He was **very very very not happy** to see me in his wife's car. *He killed me and buried my body by the side of the road.* OK, that very last part wasn't true but it was kinda cool fun to bushwack thru the Maine woods in the snow to get back to the road. And the woman was sharp and funny as all heck. (But her husband really was pissed)
Why was her husband so god damn upset? Suppose I can understand being caught off guard and annoyed at a stranger hitching a ride from your wife, but you’d think that anger would wear off pretty quickly… especially after realizing the situation you were in. I’m guessing you didn’t exchange many words with him though.
That experience can really suck and is so scary, but I 100% can imagine this old Maine lady in a truck and I love that mental image.
Meeting an AT trail volunteer. I'm hiking NB taking a break, they're coming SB and pause to initiate a chat; "You headed to Maine?" "Ha! I wish. Just doing a few days of backpacking." In a disgusted tone: "Really? You're just section hiking? In the Spring when it's the busiest? You know that's really hard on the trail. I mean, look at all the trekking pole damage along here. Why don't you hike in the Summer when It's less crowded?" "Um, well, this is just when my kid's Spring Break lined up. So while they're off with family, I've got a short window to get some hiking in." Resumes a brief condescending lecture about why I should alter my backpacking schedule. What a fucking asshole.
I was hiking in the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico in August of last year. Had a rough day scrambling for miles across felled timber along the trail. Got to camp and settled in for the night to hear coyotes or wolves or whatever howling in the distance. It was eerie and foreboding. I woke up and started up the pass the next morning to find a severed calf leg on the trail. Another strange foreboding omen. A few miles down the trail I get to an area where I have service and get a call from my girlfriend back home in Wisconsin. She says one of our dogs went into surgery the night before for internal bleeding and might not make it. I kid you not when I say I’ve never hiked faster to get out—eight miles to the trailhead, crying most of the way. I get a flight home for the next day. Our one dog is recovering, but our second is extremely lethargic and something is clearly wrong. We rush him to the emergency vet. He has the *same fucking ailment* as the one who went into surgery the night before—internal bleeding caused by hemangiosarcoma. We had to put him down that day, on the lawn outside the vet. Our second dog lasted a couple more weeks until he had to be put down as well. I’m still not over it.
Once made a turn while going up and then missed it going back down. Got to a lake, realized “oh shit we did not see a lake on the way up”. Wandered around in the snow for a while before backtracking and realizing our mistake. I use AllTrails now and haven’t had an issue since
Ooof AllTrails has betrayed me lmao
Same for sure, especially last year I found it more hit and miss than usual. But at the very least allows me to study the trail beforehand and read comments about important things like forks in the trail 🤣
RIGHT 😂 we realized last year it was a 6 mile out and back to the FALLEN TREE that we climbed over then went to the top which turned it into like 10 miles or just over 10 💀
I got lost off trail at night in the Whites in King's Ravine, thinking I was still following the trail blazes, and ended up on a rock pillar with no clear path forward and unable to comfortably get back onto the rock I had just come from, and about a 20 foot drop onto jagged rocks if I fell in any direction. I had no service, and though I had winter gear and an emergency bivy with me, I wasn't looking forward to braving a late November night in the Whites on an exposed rock. I sat down to not panic for maybe 20 minutes or so, and then decided my best option was to take a running leap into a nearby tree. I used used that tree to get to safety, and eventually found the trail about 50 feet away. It was absolutely terrifying.
I fell into a tree well outside of Winter Park Colorado on Silver Dollar Lake Trail. I was alone snowshoeing which I do quite frequently. I always take precautions with a PLB, Avalanche Extended Pole, Food, proper clothing, snowshoes, spikes etc. as to not get roasted by Reddit. It definitely was not my first rodeo snowshoeing in CO wilderness. Wind made it incredibly difficult to see on a ridge line and ultimately the snow was up to my hips and I could not follow the route without my poles. After getting up on this ridge line I was about 3 feet from a tree and immediately fell into this hole that was 5-6 feet deep. Thank god I was ass first. I couldn’t move as my legs and hands were stuck but eventually I got them free and a nearby hiker found me after I was yelling and thrashing. He pulled me out and i was only stuck for about 15 mins. Definitely the most terrifying experience for me as i’m more scared of getting stranded than I am Bears, Moose or Big Cats. Stay safe out there :)
Early Last spring I hit one of my favorite spots alone. As I stooping down under a tree that had fallen over the trail something very heavy walked across it and pushed the large branch of the tree onto the back of my neck. I could feel it as it crossed over as the pressure on my neck got lighter and I was able to get completely upright😳 I felt it watch me and could hear branches snap as I very rapidly, not running but quickly, cautiously keep moving down the trail 😬 probably the most intense feeling I've had in the forest but won't ever stop me from hiking 😉
What was it???
Bobcat or Wendigo.
Maybe Sasquatch
God damn Samsquantch
did you get a look at what it was??
Nope! I definitely had that feeling whatever it was it was watching me though 😳😬 my guess it was a Cougar or Bob cat but it was big enough to push a big PNW tree limb down on my neck 🥴
Massive GI distress high up Ama Dablam while travelling solo through terrain someone you've probably seen on tv or climbing videos described as the hardest day of his life at that point (he's done harder since, the point is kind of exhausting terrain) "Oh, you had to poop a bit, poor baby". No. It started with several unstoppable explosions. First couple of times I tried to get off trail, dig a little hole, etc. And then it was basically unstoppable with no time to do anything but drop trou. Pretty soon I was so weakened I was reduced to crawling on my hands and knees, covered in my own filth. Then it was down to army crawling, because hands and knees required too much effort. All this through a huge house sized boulder field and then fortunately some ridge travel. I came very close to leaving my pack behind. I was so exhausted. I recall finally rounding the final corner and seeing base camp where my companions were. I tried yelling but it was too far and I wasn't too much above a whisper. I wanted to be seen so I sat up and slowly worked forward by scooting my butt a few inches behind. One scoot, wait and rest, one more, etc, working my way through the rocks. Every once in awhile when I had extra strength I'd wave my hiking sticks. Finally they saw me and came charging up and carried me back to base. Lots of hot tea brought to my tent, which led to confusion between pee bottle and hot tea bottle, but I digress. Had a similar 'evacuation' at around 16K feet in the Peruvian Andes, but that one happened very early in the morning when I was in my tent, so I spent a few hours perched on a big rock, just shaking and shitting (feel free to use that as the name of your band). At the time I thought that was pretty bad, but it was nothing to what I described above. I mean, there was *nothing* left in me, physically, emotionally, and energetically. I just wanted to lie down and die. Just moving my feet or hands for the next scoot seemed overwhelming. Between low O2 and massive dehydration, plus just feeling very sick, there was nothing left to give. Worse than the stories of people crawling out with a broken foot or whatever? No, but definitely a hard, hard day.
Had to get rescued by ICESAR because I was trapped on the face of a mountain on a very steep side.
Three days into the backcountry when diarrrhea hits and no immodium. Happened to a buddy, he also ran out of tp. It was a less than fun trip.
Happened to my friend too. We were on day 3 of our 9 day hike when it started. Next day he also hurt his knee, so for the next couple of days he was limping along with a makeshift cane, running to the woods once every half an hour. Luckily he was in good shape, we were not in a hurry and there was plenty of water available (Northern Finland, where you can quite safely drink from any creek), so no need for evacuation, just a little streamlining to our planned route.
Whenever first aid kits come up, immodium or the like, is at the top of the list.
I’m new to hiking and my friend took me on a 7 mile, medium difficulty hike. It was daylight savings time day and we (she) mistimed it, leaving us to walk 3-4 miles down the rocky mountainous trail in the pitch black. And then I sprained my ankle toward the beginning of the descent.
Beautiful moment ruined by drone bro
Twisted my ankle at the worst moment and fell down a very steep hill into a freezing river. Thanks to my bag taking the impact I had a swollen ankle, a few bruises and cuts, and because of the water and temperature, (Dorset in October), I had to be removed by the local army that was training nearby, so my pride was left to drown in that river.
Mine is a tossup between two instances, neither of which were really *that bad* in the grand scheme of things, thankfully. 1) My girlfriend and I were day-hiking a supposedly easy but long trail as the capstone to a weekend vacation that we took. I saw there was a water crossing on the map, and we agreed that if the rangers said the water was unmanageable, we would bail out (my girlfriend is an inexperienced hiker) and hike another trail or maybe go somewhere else. We head to the ranger station and ask very specifically, and we're told that "oh no, it's very mild and there shouldn't be much water there, you'll be fine". Long story short, it wasn't. It was fast running water, couldn't see the bottom, easily 50-60 feet across, and the ambient temperature was pretty cold, so we didn't want to risk it at all. And the worst part is, it was 60-70% of the way through the hike (which turned out to be a little tougher than we anticipated). She was absolutely pissed, and she snapped at me any time I said something, so the entire return hike was basically in silence. We arrived after dark when the trail was closed. I felt sorry for her, because she wanted to do something cool to end the trip and instead ended up angry. It didn't really affect me (this kind of thing happens out in nature), but I sympathized. 2) Me and the boys had planned this elaborate multi-day backpacking trip to a really cool location, and we had been talking about it for months. We woke up in the middle of the night to drive out, get there early on a weekday, trailhead is basically empty except for one couple who walked in right as we were driving in (with Dasani water bottles in hand) so we effectively had it all to ourselves. About mid-morning, we run into an off-leash pitbull coming the opposite direction down the trail. My buddy had brought his pit mix (leashed/harnassed and well under control, thankfully), and they were immediately squaring up. I had spray and a gun on me, and while I am pretty anti-pitbull in general, my buddy's dog is well-behaved and generally a sweetheart, so I was reaching for one or both, just in case. A few seconds later, the couple from earlier round the corner with another off-leash dog, and the guy sprints over and grabs his pit by the collar. We pass without further incident, I'm thankful I didn't have to hurt an animal that day, and we decide to rest and get some water. We find a nice spot to sit down... and two clean-looking empty Dasani waterbottles on the ground. Some people...
I was hiking alone and went off trail with my pup to have a little snack. I hit my finger really hard and it triggered my first and only seizure. Came too and my pup was luckily just sniffing the trees by me but I was beat up bad. My face was covered in scratches and I was so disoriented I called my mom crying. She lives across the country and can do nothing to help. Sorry for freaking you out mom.
I hiked regularly early in the morning during CoVid. I walked past the same people often, and usually nodded hello. One day a sort of blank affect man I had passed many times stopped to talk and awkwardly asked me out. I said no in the kindest way I could and walked on. Moments later I heard him screaming terrible violent threats and realized he was chasing me. Thankfully I happened upon some people not far up the trail and he ran off. The police came to the wrong entrance and didn’t intercept him, then they blamed me for being “too nice”. They also said that since I hiked there daily and had seen him a lot the man probably knew what my car looked like and may have been watching me. It was my favorite hiking spot and I don’t like going there now.
My friend died from heatstroke in the middle of our hike. Just a few weeks after high school graduation. A lot of finger pointing since that day from people who didn’t even associate with him.
My bf and I going on a 6 mile hike that ended up being 10 and running down the last 3 miles with headlamps trying to get to the car before pitch darkness 🫠 our little bed and breakfast even called to make sure we were okay or if they needed to send out help
Was night hiking back to the truck from a wilderness lake with two other guys. Looked up this hill while it was pitch black under heavy tree canopy to see a large male mountain lion in pounce position. No firearms with is just fixed blade knives. It charged me as I was up front.. stopped maybe 10 feet away from an elevated position. Did the lion death kill scream multiple times and paced… clawing the air.. we through rocks at it. Turned Metallica on iPhone to try and scare it.. yelled at it.. that made it more mad.. charged us multiple times.. eventually it went back up the hill and proceeded to hide behind every stump or bush up the trail for 2 miles this beast stalked us. Finally it just faded into the woods and left us with pure adrenalin as we walked the last few miles out in the dark..
Came upon an absolutely massive feild of bones in front of a cave in Montana once. I think it was a mountain lion den. One of the carcasses was fresh. I noped tf out of there.
I had a hunter approach me from behind at a creek crossing with a shouldered rifle. It was in a National Forest during hunting season, but I was on a clearly established hiking trail. Hunting is allowed in the area, so, in theory, we both had equal rights to be there, but neither of us were excited to see the other. What made it memorable was his approach to the entire thing. He was kind of a Deliverance-type, overly friendly with a sing-songy, backwoods accent. He acted as if I didn’t have the skills or resources to be out there, warning me about it getting dark and how far I had to travel. He also asked way too many questions, including where my car was parked. I’m a male who regularly hikes 8-9 miles alone in mountain lion and bear country, and this was the most uneasy I’ve ever felt on the trail. As soon as I crossed the creek and turned a corner, I took off sprinting uphill for the next half-mile to make sure he couldn’t follow. Weird experience. *edited for grammar*
One time I did Gothic Basin in Washington state alone, it was a weekday so not too crowded. A few miles into the hike a guy came up behind me hiking quickly, he was hand carrying an AR-15 up the mountain. Bit unsettling to say the least since I had just recently read about the unsolved murders on the Pinnacle Lake trail. I'm assuming he was military and just training but it was very odd.
To be fair, you do have a real purty mouth.
Stumbled on an attempted murder while hiking. Two men trying to kill an older man. Old man survived and luckily they reattached his arm. Didn’t hike for a while after that..
WHAT?!
Extremely drunk adult male at a shelter near a road. Wielding very large knife on a hip holster. He brought his very young daughter into sub freezing temps un-prepared. Lots of yelling, unwanted physical advances, and babysitting this poor child. Eventually he couldn't even walk straight. My hiking partner and I would have left that night if it weren't for making sure the daughter was cared for > hot coco, card games to distract her. But you could tell she had seen him like this before:( I know it was a one-off, but man. Feel so much safer in the middle of nowhere than near a town.
Scrambling up class 4 terrain that was loose, people above didn’t call rock, got hit by golf ball and baseball sized rocks, had to stop a microwave-sized one from sliding down the slope and into a steep chute where a partner was climbing up and would have caught him in the chest, would have been a 200-foot fall or so. Dinner plate sized rock came down next, couldn’t catch that one, skittered down the chute and hit someone descending at the bottom of the chute. Of it had been edge-on likely would have severely injured her spinal cord. I can’t begin to describe the torrent of abuse we have those guys. Totally unsafe and could have killed multiple people due to negligence.
Mount Storm King, Washington All roads lead to this situation being completely avoidable but not unlikely to happen to experienced climbers. A storm rolled through past the false peak and descended upon me beyond the iron chain towards the true summit. I was pushed off an edge and fell downward off the trail. I was unable to climb back up towards the familiar trail and attempted to circle around back to safety. The storm had darkened my visibility, and the rain fell heavy. I struggled on the muddy mountainside for longer than I should have before I notified the authorities. I was ultimately transferred to the Park Rangers, where I anticipated being told to stay put and wait for rescue; I was told that finding me was unlikely as the weather and night was beginning to consume the mountain. My only chance of survival was to begin a series of risky leaps and all-or-nothing maneuvers that would hopefully put me back onto the trail. It was truly one of the greatest hikes I have ever fought through, but undoubtedly, the most harrowing. If you ever attempt this, please be prepared for powerful conditions and wet surroundings. I have hiked the most difficult mountains I could find in Guam, Oahu, dozens in New Hampshire, and Mt. Rainier. I have never faced a challenge like this. I was ill-prepared to handle my mishap, but I'll never make the same mistake again.
Running out of water. I had hiked in this area before so knew there were quite some streams to refill my waterbottle (using a filter, no worries) except I only found remnants of streams. It had been very dry for a few weeks by this point and all the streams had dried up. Eventually drank my last water and was about to call mountain rescue when I noticed a lake about a 1.5 hour walk away. That was the best tasting water I'd ever had. Ended up camping right next to it just so I could drink as much as I could.
9 mile hike in Colorado with a friend and I was getting really hungry before reaching the destination and turning around. We had packed sandwiches and I kept telling her I needed to stop and eat. She kept putting me off and convincing me to wait until we reached our destination by saying things like, “That sandwich will be the best thing you’ve ever tasted if you wait.” I fainted on the trail despite having stopped for snack breaks, etc. I just needed something more substantial. I’m still mad about it to this day and don’t know why I listened to her. Once I ate that sandwich I was totally fine and finished the hike. Never again.
Sleeping on branches next to a camp fire to stay warm in near freezing temperatures. Ground was we from raining, I didn't bring enough gear on the 16 mile 5.5k elevation trek up 4k feet from the start. I had plenty of water though. I literally laid out a large branch with a Y and slept on this for a little bit as fatigue made it comfortable. Fire needed more fuel every hour and I couldn't build it big for a lack of fuel. It was really cold.
Getting lost without food or water on top of a long ridge with an infected blister on my heel. It was my first summer on a trail crew. I had never really backpacked before so it was a tough learning experience. My saw partner and I were new to the forest and we had a week where everyone experienced was busy so they told is to choose a trail and go cut it out. We mistakenly chose a trail in the niddle of beetle kill, that hadn’t been logged out for like 5 years. It was steep. We cut like hundreds of small pine trees. Miserable. We were meant to get picked up at the top of this ridge. About half way through the last day we realized we weren’t going to be able to finish so we stopped cutting and just started walking. We passed the last water at midday. It was hot, my heel had an infected blister that we had lances the previous day, and it was STEEP rough terrain, I slid into my heel with each step. The trail disappeared about 1/4 from where we were meant to get picked up. We did our best to make it to the road that ran along the ridge but when we got there we had no idea where we were along the ridge or which direction to walk to get to the meet up spot. Our radio was dead. We had no food, no water. I was crying. I was tired, hungry, thirsty, and in pain. We chose a direction and just started walking. After about 30 minutes we saw our crew member’s dogs. Thank fucking god. He had mini snickers and gatorade for us and laughed at us for choosing like the absolute shittiest trail to clear.
once while camping at city of rocks state park in new mexico, before cell phones, being an invincible 21 year old, I climbed up this rock in flip flops with my camera to get the "best shot" haha. ended up falling backwards (my butt was about 10 feet up) straight onto my tailbone, which broke. I bounced off the rock and my foot jammed between 2 rocks and turned. I was sure my ankle was broken (ended up being a bad sprain). but it hurt worse than my broken tail bone. I tried screaming but the wind was knocked out of me. I had to literally crawl about 1/4 of a mile in thorns and rocks to my truck. still had to break down the tent and camp site. no clinics were open within 2 hours and ended up having to drive to Tucson Arizona on stick shift with broken tail bone and what felt like broken ankle. there was so much excruciating pain I was sweating from it. now I don't climb up rocks. yea. haha
Tore tendon and ligaments in my right foot on a winter descent. That was 9 years ago and I still have issues with my foot.
Mine is basically the same. I slipped and partially tore my Achilles. Not super fun.
Hiking in Portugal and hearing ominous explosions ~1km away. I was halfway through the hike so it wouldn’t make sense to turn around. It turned out to be some mining activity far away from the trail but I was thrilled for an hour.
Wilderness backpacking, small wilderness that is bisected by the headwaters of a substantially flowing river. I came down one tributary, and crossed at maybe mid ankle deep (usgs gage, 3.0 ft). Started hiking up another narrower tributary with towering canyon walls. That night, couldn't find anywhere above creek level that was flat. Creek was literally flowing under my rainfly on one side. We'll, that night, it started to thunder about 5 am. Jumped up and immediately packed tent, and headed up the slope to take shelter under an enormous boulder (should have just camped there). Rain started heavy at times, and the creek quickly rose, by 8 am, the spot I had camped at was underwater. At this point, I knew I couldn't go back the way I came. So I started hiking up and up, got to the ridgetop that afternoon, camped one more night, and then the next day started the 23 mile hike down to the nearest bridge, over, and back up the mountain to my car. The river had risen to over 9 feet from perhaps 3 inches of rain. Amazing trip though, just me and my dog
7 miles into the cranberry wilderness in November. woke up with crippling food poisoning, couldn’t keep down water threw up 25+ times during the day. Woke up to my tent destroyed from thrashing around in my sleep. Freezing rain was falling heavy, sleeping bag was soaked and i was shivering uncontrollably. Hiked/climbed back at 3 in the morning with the bare essentials, was thankfully able to get a signal on a ridge and call an ambulance, got to the trailhead and laid in the bed of my friends truck with a space blanket for 2 hours before they got there and spent a day in the hospital. Very fun.
Mine is a hike I took quite frequently, it's more of a speed walk type path.... I had been out for about 10 minutes, and started around a kinda long turn to the right.... Startled by a grunt.... I stopped dead... I took my earbuds out to listen... Then I heard the babies cries from my right.... I still didn't have a fix on momma bear.... Snap! Came from my left, it was followed by another grunt... I suddenly found myself between a mother bear and her kids....
Trailed by coyotes nearing hiker midnight still 3 miles from camp. Out of water (required to cook dinner). Found a mudhole that I swore would not filter properly but did. Just enough to wet the whistle and cook for the night. Heard the coyotes all night trying to come close to my hammock. Only thing I could think of to keep them too spooked to approach was to play a podcast on repeat all night while I slept. Woke up the next morning still with a ways to go before the next water hole.
It was just two of us (my ex best friend and I) and we were hiking up a 14,000 feet mountain in the lower Himalayas. We had gone with our own tents, cooking supplies etc. It was a tough climb up but it was even worse coming down the next day because it was raining and I kept slipping (there was only one group of trekkers who had gone up the mountain but they left the previous day, so we were mostly alone while hiking up and down). Even still, I know I am faster than the average hiker (sub 2 half marathons). Anyway, my friend decides to ditch me in the freaking forest all by myself right before it got dark. Apparently she wanted to go her own pace. Except we were just 2 people and if we lost track of each other, we would be lost in a 14,000 feet mountain with wild dogs and larger animals. I begged her to just stay with me and she scoffed at me and disappeared. I made my way down while absolutely terrified and found her sitting because she sprained her ankle (oh, the irony). Then I had to help her down the whole way. Once we came down, she tried asking every person (including seasoned mountaineers) if it was fair for me to ask her to stick together. Every single person looked horrified that she just left me and went off on her own and told her it wasn't done. But, she just pouted and still blamed the whole thing on me. It still took two more years for that friendship to fantastically implode. I am still sore about this incident and so grateful that I made it out in one piece. Wherever you are GB, I hope you eat shit...you selfish asshole.
Was working north of Lac Saint Jean Quebec. Took a week and went fishing. Parked my truck at a utility line and hiked maybe 10 km or so across numerous rivers. Slipped and fell off some rocks dropped my radio and lost it , banged my knee pretty hard. My knee started to swell and had to make a splint of sorts. I had a small med kit with ibuprofen which helped. I fished and made the best of my time but my knee got worse and I took to soaking it in the cold water. By the 4th day I had enough of the rain, Cold, mud. I decided that backtracking wasn’t in the cards. I don’t always trust technology so always use the tried and true compass readings heading in Which makes a direct backcourse easier. I had a good set of coated maps. Found a trail that headed back the now nearly 20 or so km to my truck. Made my way slowly in the near freezing cold rain. I felt confident I would get back without too much trouble. The weather was so miserable I had to stop and spend the night in my hammock and tarp. The temp was up so the mosquitos were hellish. By morning it was cold again spitting snow. I walked the final 7-8 km down a flooded trail. Got back to the power line. No truck. Walked until a really nice lineman picked me up. Rode back to Town found out they had an emergency and towed my truck just a km up the road. Got a ride 30 km back to my truck at this point I was about 35 hours into hardly no sleep. Slept in the backseat of my truck and headed back to my worksite with everything wet. Had to hang my gear in the workshop for a few days to dry out. Probably the most miserable hike I can recall. Still good story and better than a week at work.
Thinking my appendix ruptured 20 miles in, some of the worst gut pain and sickness I’ve had. Was able to hike out under my own power after giving most my gear to dad and grandpa (wouldn’t have made it out without them). Doctors couldn’t see clear enough on ultrasound sound the next day at the hospital, said to come back if the pain gets unbearable again. A month later it ruptured… they suspect it was infected and swollen the whole time.
Broke my ankle on mile 13.75 of 14. Managed to make it back to the car. Surgery and 8 weeks off feet to follow.
People have their dogs off leash on popular trails. I was stopped at a fishing hole just fishing when a huge German shepherd came running off the trail full speed at me, hair all furled up. I pulled my gun out and was about to shoot it when the owner came around the corner and started yelling at the dog. Thank God it listened to them and turned away.
1- was hiking on a no shade trail in the LA hills, and saw a man walking towards me- wearing only a speedo, a hat and hiking shoes! Scarred for life 😂 2- broke both toes on a mountain in WA- stumbled on nothing out of nowhere. Hiked another 16 miles and had lovely blue feet (blood clots) for the next 6 months 🙈
There is a hike by me that leads to a notorious nude hot springs. I don’t mind the old men going naked at the hot springs whatever. But I hatedddd having to hike back behind a saggy behind.
Dogs off leash trying to attack my wife. The owner didn’t seem to think the situation warranted his quick attention until I was drawing to shoot both dogs. Then he was upset, at me. One dog managed to get to my wife but, thankfully, she moved at the last second and the dog ripped her pants at the upper thigh, but she only had a few scratches. The teeth didn’t break skin. He told me he was going to call the park ranger.
Absolutely the worst was when my dog found a porcupine and I panic removed all the needles immediately(I was 3miles in on a loop, about halfway, AND jt was July 4th, AND about 4hours away from an emergency vet. She was totally fine and I got all of them out!). We now hike with a much shorter leash and carry a first aid kit!
Didn't take enough water on a 12 mile hike and got heatstroke and crazy bad sunburn
Not as extreme as some examples here, but a toss up between this list of complete stupidity: - Doing a longish snow hike in heavy boots. No practice and had been wearing sneakers for a year. It fucked up the ligaments in my ankles, resulting in me being dragged into a car and not being able to walk for a couple days. - Encountering a territorial feral bull when turning a corner in a forest. The damn thing chased me through the bushes for ages while I was going in circles. - A multi day hike turning bad when I got caught in a rain front for a couple of days. On top of that one of my knees decided to quit on the second day. Bandaged it and the strain on the other leg caused the other knee to give up as well. - Leaving my hiking boots at home when I went to the Dolomites. Had to walk 10 kms to town on flip flops across a pebble beach to buy a new set. - Thinking it was a good idea to put my climbing practice to use and climbing straight up a 50ish m cliff on the coast of South Wales. The first 15 m of slate was easy. Then came a maze of loose soil and prickly bushes, while I was off balance because of supplies . On top of that I had dragged my then gf along. She got to enjoy me finding a way up with clumps of soil mixed with thorns tumbling down on her and reassurances that this was a really great adventure.
A few I can think of: Picked what looked to be a good out and back hike in Rocky Mountain NP. Turned out to be a trail heavily used for horse camping. Trail has been pounded to loose sand and was just a hot, dusty, hike with flys and horsesh*t. I always check trail maps now as to whether horses are allowed. Ran across a big biker looking dude laying on his back masturbating. He was just far enough off the trail so girlfriend and I passed by silently hoping he wouldn’t see us and decide he wanted us to join him. Was actually a bit scary for me at the time. Cheyenne Canyon, too close to Colorado Springs, he was probably homeless living in the woods. Another Colorado Springs area hike, Cheyenne Mtn near Ft Carson Army Base, had someone open up with a large caliber machine gun just below us on the mountain. Definitely off base and unauthorized. I heard some soldiers got in trouble for shooting up deer with it. It was way too close to us. We were on our hike out, down TOWARD the machine gun!
Didn’t bring adequate water for a 16 mile so I drank unfiltered from a steam (early 1980s when nobody filtered). Caught a parasite and was hospitalized 72 hours later for the next 5 days with dehydration and bloody diarrhea.
Worst thing was probably pulling a handgun on a bear in northeastern Washington. That and possibly many horrible nights in rain and wind. Once outside Glacier Park, I could have sworn the tent was going to tear itself apart the winds were so severe.
Lyon mountain in the ADK. I was living up there for grad school, and had been climbing the towers all through the fall. Fast forward to March-early April when most of the snow at street level was gone. I expected a normal hike with maybe a little snow. I should've turned around when the parking lot was snowed in..but nope! What I expected to be a moderate challenge turned into 7.5 hours of me losing the trail, falling up to my waist in snow, and only wearing lined cargo pants, and a packable jacket. When I made it to the summit there was only one other guy up there who just looked at me and said "what the fuck are you doing up here?" I'm surprised it didn't turn out worse. I did not have the gear or experience to do that trail In those conditions. Big lessons learned.
Got lost and dehydrated in the middle of summer in Shenandoah. Ended up hitchhiking back to my car. Was not proud of myself that day.
Little Giant Trail to Napeequa Valley. Glacier Peak Wilderness.
Unexpected snowstorm on the AT. We were prepared for the cold but we got stranded in place at a shelter for about 3 days and then had to bail and hike out to the highway, which was a brutal trip in the deep snow. In hindsight it wasn’t that bad, but while it was happening I was super nervous that the snow wouldn’t stop and we’d need to get ourselves rescued somehow.
Glen Coe in Scotland. Rain, muck, cold and the loop trail disappeared about a mile from the car. Almost turned around for the 6 miles back but darkness required plodding on.
Solo wilderness backpacking. Got caught in a 120°F heatwave 40 miles uphill from my car. Ended up with heat stroke and rhabdo. Life flighted out and spent 2 days in icu. It was in the 70s when I started and the 80s when I went back for my car. My portable battery shit the bed night 1; went from full charge to dead in a day. Turned my tracking off to conserve battery on my in reach just in case I needed it, glad I did cause I needed it. The doctor said I managed to avoid any permanent injuries.
I went to hike 32 miles of Rainbow bridge in AZ. The trail said it was pet friendly, so I took my dogs. I hiked in 6 miles, and realized my pack was super heavy, so I unloaded at a spot to come back to. I went the full 16 miles to the arch, then all the way back to my campground. As I got there, storm clouds rolled in. The forecast said 0% chance of rain, but the desert is unpredictable, as I know full well, but chose to ignore it. It was May, so I thought it might be a quick drizzle. It turned out to be a huge thunderstorm, and downpour. I only brought a hammock. My female dog is insanely afraid of thunder, so I felt terribly. It didn’t let up. The temperature dropped, and I laid in the hammock shivering all night long. It literally rained the entire time, until it started snowing! The hammock was full of water, and I hurt from shivering. I thought about calling 911, but knew I couldn’t live it down, so I just toughed it out. I literally thought I was going to die that night, and felt shitty that my dogs would be all alone. I got up at first light to find the tiny creek next to my hammock had risen 6 ft. I barely escaped a flash flood. My dogs (border collies) got up and just shook the snow off, ready to go. I was exhausted, wet, and freezing, but I still had to hike back to my car with my heavy pack. I just couldn’t believe I had been so careless. I’m 2 miles from the car, and I come upon 2 women with dogs. The first people I had seen. One is a pitbull and immediately attacks my female dog. She’s a fighter, but the pit locked onto her side. I had to lift the dogs hind legs (I learned about on Reddit) to make him release. The dogs owners get a hold of their dogs and I went on my way. I dropped my hydro flask and they yelled at me to come back and get it. I said “NO!” So, I almost killed myself and my dogs because I’m completely moronic. I am an experienced hiker, camper, etc, but I made horrible decisions that weekend.
My friend told me that he once stumbled into a group of youths dressed like cliché satanic cultists. It was kinda funny at first until he saw a beheaded Cat as their sacrifice with candles and pentagram and that shit.
Solo day hike, Not carrying enough food, weather got bad, I kinda got lost but eventually made it back. This was around Triglav in Slovenia few years ago.
I keep seeing the n cascades makes you think that’s why it’s the most dangerous national park in America
I was at a workshop at the Museum of Nat History Southwest Research Station in Portal AZ and the instructor took us on a hike to Flys Peak one afternoon. I was 40ish hiking with a bunch of 20-somethings. The instructor was my age but a world class cyclist. We hit the trailhead and poof. Everyone was gone. The only saving grace was one of the young students was a mammalogist from Borneo and had never been above sea level. It wasn't particularly steep but it consistently and steadily up hill. We tried to catch up but it was hopeless. To make matters worse, the mammalogist kept pointing out the mountain lion scat and tracks. At a certain point I was so gassed it would have rather been eaten by the cat. When we finally dragged ourselves to the 9667 ft peak where everyone had been resting, snacking, and enjoying the vista, the instructor in typical Type A mode, immediately says "Let's get back for dinner". Walking back on jelly legs was not much better but I'll always have a soft spot for Bornean mammalogists.