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Amanda Eller, Hiker Lost in Hawaii Forest, Is Found Alive After 17 Days
- Thread starter Dalek
- Start date
Boy do you have to reach extremely hard to turn that into a "dur millenials" post.
I'm actively avoiding a hike today out of pure laziness but the posters saying they'll never do it is madness to me. It's such an easy, safe, rewarding activity that anyone can do.
Maybe she just sprained her ankle and assumed it was broken.
Having no medical background and never breaking anything, I feel for the worst whenever I fall and land awkwardly.
Medical reports say she did have a broken leg along with her other injuries.
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/...-with-emotion-after-intense-community-search/
EDIT: On an aside how are people getting that new link format to show up, where you get a small box with a preview of the link?
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/...-with-emotion-after-intense-community-search/
EDIT: On an aside how are people getting that new link format to show up, where you get a small box with a preview of the link?
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OP
OP
That's crazy. That's on the road to Hana.Here's a map for context:
Here's a map for context:
Are you sure that map is correct? Looking at it on Google Maps, it makes her look even worse, like she was purposefully hiking into the rough forested areas away from any clearings, and also taking an insane amount of time to do so. Like, if you took the road around the area, it'd be a little less than a four hour walk.
Can anyone find pics of where its thick in that park? The only ones I found must not capture the bad parts. Nothing youd need a machete for. I want to get an idea of the rough stuff in that park.
Helicopter rides are expensive in Hawaii. I think the wife and I paid $600 to do it in kauai. Hmm... You might be on to something.
/s
It's a 3 mile hike. At some point I gotta wonder if any of the cynics here even go outside or stepped into a forest. There are hiking trails all over Vancouver and folks aren't bringing compasses, GPS watches, maps, etc. Like, who the fuck brings a map and compass for a 3 mile hike? That's some useless baggae. Plus, who the fuck owns a compass and map?
Folks arent going by themselves with nothing. Or if they are, they shouldn't. And if they do, they shouldnt leave the trail to....nap? And then refuse to turn back because of your gut and stubbed toes and falling tree branches.
People get turned around in the woods and make dumb choices. Everyone does it even experienced people. To sit back and say, "WELL, JUST DO THIS OR DON'T DO THAT" in hindsight is easy. All it shows is either y'all are perfect human beings at basically anything or you don't do anything.
Hmmm. North Shore Rescue probably wishes people would bring those items.
It's a bit unrealistic because 1) I doubt anyone's ability to use a compass properly, and 2) where are you going to get maps? You need the governing body to make them. You can't just give general maps of the area without any landmarks or trail routes. Not many people know how to read that in conjunction with a compass. Shit happens. People get lost all the time. A lot of folks get lost driving around because they don't even know how the street numbering system works.
I have a compass in my keychain and offline maps of my area in my phone. If never hiked a day in my life, I just have it.
lol come on, experienced people don't go off trail unprepared or wandering in the opposite direction of where the trail is cause of gut. That's just stupid
They got lost for 5 days. Shit just happens when you're lost. It happens. No need to pour salt in her wounds just because you feel you would be better at this than her.
I don't hike alone. When I do, I usually take 1 physical map, 2-3 offline apps for mobile, and 1 dedicated trekking gps unit. And even then, sometimes I kinda lose my way. Getting lost in the woods, even in places that aren't very remote, is easy. That part I agree. What I find odd, is how she got lost so fast, and so deeply into the forest, specially since she was not prepared for a big hike (not taking water??). I mean she said she hiked something like 12 hours straight the first day (well before the injuries), how can she do that in Maui, and not find anything? It's like she has negative orientation skills, but apparently extremely strong survival skills.
A map and Compass barely weigh anything. I take that along with other essentials like water, and a first aid kit. I also take my camera, extra lens and tripod and only feel it's a burden on the last mile back to the trail head. She's yoga instructor so I assume she's more physically fit than I am.
But it sounds like when she got lost, she decided to trust her gut and keep going in the same direction. That's stupidity. I'm a shut-in and even I know that you're supposed to either retrace your steps or stay where you are. Hell I wandered off in the woods following my brother when I was like 6 or 7, getting separated from the babysitter, and that's what I did
3 miles isn't really a big hike. It's a 20 min jog or less. Lotta folks can do that without water. Maybe she just said fuck it and didn't want to bring it 'cause a lot of times walking and carrying stuff for that short of time is kind of bothersome. I sometimes leave my phone in the car for a 10km hike in the mountains because I don't like the way it dangles and weighs down my shorts since I don't even get cell service there. And carrying water is hit or miss since it's 10km and I'm done in under 2 hours and not really exerting much since it's cool weather up there. Shit happens maybe she got dehydrated too fast because she underestimated what she got and that helped turn her around a bit and the panic of being lost didn't help either.
But her hike wasn't that long. She wasn't trekking 40km over the mountains or whatever. A lot of folks aren't going to load up to carry that for so little distance.
You can't argue a point then say, "I'm a shut in and even I know that you're supposed". You lose all credibility. Plus, if you've ever been in dense forests you will know retracing your steps isn't as easy as Man Tracker makes it out to be.
People in this thread are super quick to shit on this lady for surviving longer than most people in this thread would.
Yeah - even if you bring it and turn transmission off, just having your mobile phone as a compass is important when going hiking.
Anyways, mistakes are mistakes - glad she's ok and very impressed she survived (eating moths that landed on her body!)
No wonder there's so many accidents then. If you can't correctly identify cardinal directions by looking at the sun or the stars, bring a compass for anything that isn't your daily commute to work (and if you work at 20+ miles, then bring it too). You never know what's going to happen.
Yup, and when people make dumb choices, they get called dumb. I am calling her dumb, for making a dumb choice. That does not mean I have never made a dumb choice, and I'm not sure why youd think it does lol.
It also does not mean I'm not glad shes safe. I honestly think theres more to the story.
that situation is totally different from this case. Shit happens I understand, but what she did is absolutely stupid and go against every rule of hiking.
Wait, you're saying they were unprepared? They survived in part to having a life straw packed, of all things.
Whenever accidents happen, it's useful to identify their cause so we all can avoid them in the future. In her case, she made a lot of obvious mistakes, many that don't require hindsight to identify. I do agree with you and will generalize your position even further: we've all made stupid choices that would have gotten us killed or injured and many of us were lucky to escape consequence free. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with discussing those mistakes and learning from them.
This reminds me a bit of the James Kim case where a series of poor decisions, which don't require hindsight to identify, led to his death:
Or this fictional account of how hypothermia can set in:
For the record, I think I've done the hike she was on several times (it's never explicitly said which one she did, but if it's the one I am thinking of it is very well marked and trafficked and technically on private land), and I've done all marked trails in Maui, including the overnights on Haleakala where you emerge on the southern section of the Piilani highway. After her series of poor choices that plunged her deep into the jungle, I applaud her will to survive and resoucefulness, and it doesn't surprise me she made little progress once she was in dense jungle. That terrain is very unforgiving and a complete slog to get through(dense foliage, streams, cliffs, huge changes in vertical, etc.).
Yeah, actually no one is doing that if you read the thread. Nice try though.
I've often wondered what I'd do in that scenario on Kauai- which would be a lot simpler in terms of direction and size- but I'd head for the coast and flag down a boat because they circle the coast every single day on the na Pali side.
But this also shows that if you get lost in the wilderness then a wet jungle with no large predators or snakes is about the best option you could have. Also a good reminder that you are only ever one small mistake from a series of really big ones.
Bet she's eaten all the moths she's ever gonna though. I wasn't with her so I have no clue how she got that lost - I've hiked that trail and it's really well marked and traveled - but the only truly dumb thing she did was set off without water. Always take water. Even if only so you have a container to drink stream water drink from.
Imagine how happy her people were though. After five days you have to start assuming the worst, let alone fifteen. And them never giving up on her is precisely what saved her in the end.
But this also shows that if you get lost in the wilderness then a wet jungle with no large predators or snakes is about the best option you could have. Also a good reminder that you are only ever one small mistake from a series of really big ones.
Bet she's eaten all the moths she's ever gonna though. I wasn't with her so I have no clue how she got that lost - I've hiked that trail and it's really well marked and traveled - but the only truly dumb thing she did was set off without water. Always take water. Even if only so you have a container to drink stream water drink from.
Imagine how happy her people were though. After five days you have to start assuming the worst, let alone fifteen. And them never giving up on her is precisely what saved her in the end.
Victim blaming? There's nobody to blame but the person who decided to go into the situation wholly unprepared. Accidents happen, but she sure didn't do herself any favors. And she's 35 for crying out loud. I'm not saying I've never been taken by surprise by the weather, or caught underprepared for a situation, but you've got to at least check the boxes of some fundamentals if you want to be ready to handle some shit instead of having the situation go to shit.
User Warned: Backseat modding and antagonizing other members over a series of posts
Mods should just lock this thread, no real conversation going on other than shitting on this woman for no reason other than salty assholes wanting to be emotionally outraged for no real reason
Who is outraged, or salty? She did something dumb, but she survived. Do people really think a guy who went hiking completely unprepared and then followed his gut into the most dangerous part of the park wouldn't be getting called dumb for the exact same reasons?
Women are allowed to be dumb, and to be called dumb after doing dumb things.
Nah Big Brother because she can't get lost in the house.
And you, mine.
You've got nothing to say but be antagonistic to other users and call them salty assholes, you probably shouldnt be in the thread. Oh, and backseating. Quality post lol.
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I completely believe she didn't bring anything. 3 miles is relatively short, and I would estimate on the local hike I do with some frequency, maybe 10% of people are carrying water 5 miles deep in a 10 mile hike. And practically no one is carrying food or any other supplies that might be useful beyond a phone. I always think it is really stupid, but apparently other people don't. I'm in decent shape and about 8 miles or so my feet and legs start cramping really badly even with adequate hydration. And you have people out there bringing their 5-10 year olds like it is no big deal too.
