There are places in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that the old timers called "hells" they were such a tangle of vegetation. Well, a young trio of hikers realized that the hard way when they wandered off a marked trail and quickly found themselves lost.
Indeed, were it not for trails you likely wouldn’t move through parts of the national park at all. Two types of rhododendron (Catawba and rosebay), magnolia, three types of ferns, nine of trillium, holly, and mountain laurel and thousands of other plant and wildflower species conspire against you by forming a thick, leafy tangle of undergrowth. So thick and impenetrable can these thickets be that white settlers early on referred to them as “laurel slicks” and “hells,” and even questioned whether a dog could bore through the vegetation after a rabbit. The vegetative snarls can be claustrophobic, confining, and confusing.
On Monday, Jonathan Hildreth, 21, Kayla Latard, 19, and Samual Willis, 19, all of Knoxville, Tennessee, set down their packs and jackets along the Abrams Fall Trail about a mile west of the trailhead then left the marked trail to explore a social trail, park officials said in a release. The three quickly became lost in the thick vegetation, the release added.
About 3:30 p.m. park dispatch received a phone call from the trio, saying they were lost. Fortunately, officials were able to use the cellphone's signal to figure out where the three were, and rangers found them about 7 p.m. Monday.
According to park officials, Blount County, Tennessee, dispatchers were able to use the group’s cellphone to provide rangers a location in an area called “The Shoe,” so-called because Abrams Creek makes a long loop. The Shoe is notoriously confusing, so searches in that area are not uncommon, according to park officials. Rangers guided the three out to the trailhead about 8:00 p.m.
“This group was extremely lucky to be found so quickly because the vast majority of the Park has little to no cell coverage, so we would not have known they were missing until being contacted by outside parties," said acting-Chief Ranger Steve Kloster. "They were also fortunate that the call came in as early in the day as it did, or it would have been too dark to get rangers in to the area safely and effectively. They would have spent a dark, damp night in the woods.
“The best advice we can give to hikers is to stay on the trails to avoid getting turned around," the ranger added.
Comments
Kurt,
This is a good time to remind visitors to review hiking safety rules with each other and their families, starting with "always tell someone where you are going and when you will be back". (You can leave a note in your tent, trailer or car, but actually telling someone is best. That someone can be a local ranger.)
I surveyed rangers and S&R folks to get their best advice, including what to bring with you. People can keep a backpack or fanny back ready with these items, and just grab when leaving for their hikes, and parents should toss these things into their kids backpacks. Or at least keep the list handy (wallet, glove compartment) and go over before every outing, so it's drilled into your family's head:
12 Steps to a Better Hike
1. Know terrain & weather
2. Dress BRIGHTLY & for conditions
3. Bring the 12 Essentials (see below)
4. Tell someone where you’re going, when you’ll be back
5. Have a Positive Attitude
6. Stay on the trail!!!
7. Don’t push yourself/others
8. Avoid bears (be noisy; don’t run) & other dangers
9. Take cover in storms; make fire/lean-to before too cold/dark
10. Avoid: hypothermia (uncontrolled shivering), heat
exhaustion (cold clammy skin, sweating), heat
stroke (hot dry skin)
11. If Lost: DON’T PANIC!!! STAY PUT!
THINK: 1. Safety 2. Shelter 3. Signal (in that order)
12. Have Fun!
12 Essentials (Things to bring)
1. Map
2. Water (enough for all)
3. High energy snacks
4. First Aid kit, booklet, meds
5. Rain ponchos/garbage bags
6. Hat and/or bright bandana
7. Matches (water proof)
8. Flashlight (fresh batteries)
9. Communication device--whistle is a MUST; radio; cell phone (don’t rely on)
10. Pocket Knife
11. Other People (3 total if possible)
12. Common Sense & Positive Attitude (80% of success)
Other stuff that was suggested: sun protection (a must in desert locations); watch; extra shirt; gloves; socks; water purifier; lighter; compass; gps unit; mirror; duct tape; space blanket; extra batteries, toilet paper
As this recent story shows, if hikers remember just some of these things, they greatly increase their chances of finding their way out or being rescuied, and of surviving.
All parents, teachers, church groups should get the Association of National Park Rangers's dvd, "Lost but Found, Safe and Sound" and watch with even their youngest children. It's available through the association's website, www.anpr.org.
Carol Love
North Carolinians for National Parks
Good points all, Carol.
Here at the Traveler we do try to encourage folks to pack appropriately for their national park sojourns -- just last month we ran a story about what basic gear to carry, and in seasons past we've also touched on boating safety.
We can never have enough reminders or be vigilant enough.
I grew up hiking every summer in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. You learn to respect Rhododendron thickets real fast. I've become disoriented only a few dozen yards off the trail sometimes. Your faith in your senses of sight and sound quickly disappears.