Why the HELL aren't people talking about this Hiker's Nightmare death?
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- Опубліковано 21 чер 2023
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I was a member of the hunting party that found David but didn’t go on that trip, because my friend and I had decided to do an archery hunt there earlier, in Sept. When they returned, we were stunned to hear the details! The worst part of what we heard was that one of the rangers that returned to help with the recovery had read the journal at the site and burst into tears when David’s entry said that he could hear the planes looking for him but they could not see into the dense forest, and the ranger also realized that he was still alive after the search was called off! Ugh! Horrible all the way around.
Oh my God that is sad.
:[
This was not one of those mystery ones either, as far as how he lost his life. So very heartbreaking. I wonder if that was easier on his family or worse? Some families struggle forever trying to find out, with questions of aliens. Or predators or abductions by other horrible humans. Idk. No matter what I DO know how it feels to lose a loved one even if you know it's coming. For a vibrant healthy man to go this way is incomprehensible as far as that pain. I would struggle with the knowledge of those two traitors living on tho. I hope they have more strength than I would.💔✌️
WHY do so many people hike by themselves?
@@conmckfly Solitude.
For some reason the canceled fireworks is really messing with me. All things came together to kill this poor man. And as if his life wasn't miserable enough. I hope he is at rest.
I thought the same thing.. The whole story was so harrowing but somehow the fireworks thing hit me so hard. The last little glimmer of hope he was trying to feel.. cancelled :(
I just found a missing neighbor face down in a brook behind my house. He was missing 14 months. Somehow searchers missed him in just a few acres of woods.
I lived in the ADK's for 30 years, not far from where this happened. IMHO, Boomhower made 3 mistakes, and I wish everyone who went into the wilderness would learn from them: 1) Like many people who are not locals, he underestimated the ADK's and just how remote they are 2) It's good advice to stay put and wait for rescue - up to a point. Yes, you can make things even worse by just wandering off in random directions, but he failed to either retrace his steps or to bushwhack in a direction that would have intersected the trail he had left, which brings us to his most important mistake 3) a failure to learn basic map & compass skills. Today I use satellite navigation and I am grateful to have it, but I also carry an old-fashioned map & compass and that has gotten me out of trouble more than once. Had he set off in one direction that would at some point intersect a trail (a basic map & compass skill) he could have re-oriented himself and at least have known which trail he was on & which direction to head. BTW, one other thing he might have done but apparently didn't: build a smokey, messy fire and keep it going. Boomhower's tragic death is a cautionary tale for anyone who goes into the wilderness alone.
@karlzaunbrecher8241..And perhaps carried more provisions and or fishing gear…
Especially after seeing planes a large smoky fire would have been one thing I would have figured out if I had to make a friction for
A rule of thumb, following streams and Ravines downhill, will always lead to roads Trails oceans lakes Etc.
I would also add a person with the mindset that would stop and wait for help, probably shouldn't be out in the woods in the first place.
I'm UK cased and a couple of things strike me as being very different to the US.
Firstly, it seems you have many more well marked and well trodden trials. This results in even experienced hikers never using a map and compass because so much can be achieved by just following the trail. In the UK, at one time, all hikers would be using a map and compass to go just about anywhere in the hills and mountains. These days there is an increased problem in people relying on GPS devices though which work until it gets too cold or the batteries run out.
Secondly, peri-whistles were considered essential in the UK. A two tone whistle, 6 blasts for I need help, 3 blasts for acknowledging the call for help. Obviously they can't reach as far as a phone, but can often be heard a couple of miles away, further on a clear night. Again, these are being used less with the advent of mobile phones, but there are large areas where phones don't have coverage.
As part of a wilderness living skills school, my 5 person class did one 3-day "survival" trip with nothing but the clothes on our backs, and our knives. We did really well as a group, and I'm thankful for each of them for what they contributed. Even in a group with training and preparation, the energy depletion of simply walking to gather by day three was noticeable. Most of the success was made on our first day of shelter building, creating a fire by friction, creating pine bark containers to carry/rock boil water, and explore the area for wild edibles. Being so used to eating and drinking whenever I want was a shock to the system once without those luxuries. I admit I did not really fast in preparation, like some others, and it showed. Just standing up at the end of day two made me dizzy. I was never more happy to see food at the end of our trip.
This is a very good comment for all those who are critizicing his actions.
+ He was in very remote location and that play tricks on people's heads.
This is awesome! This should be a requirement for middle school students across the U.S.A., from inner-city to rural schools. It is empowering, life changing and truly life saving.
Wilderness Living School? Where is that?
"in 1990... But I wasn't even born yet"
_cries in old_
These stories are so mystifying for me. I've been hungry on trail before, I've been tired and dealing with injuries. I've never felt like getting off the trail and making camp somewhere was the best option. If you're on a trail and you don't feel you're able to keep walking? Absolutely stop and make camp right there on the trail and someone will find you. If you're lost? Follow a drainage to a road until you find humans. It takes more than a month to die of hunger, and most of that time your body is capable of moving at least a few miles a day until you can be rescued. Follow the path of least resistance, (downhill, following a drainage or water source). You're within 10 miles of a road almost anywhere in the lower 48 at all times. Nowadays you can buy a PLB for less than you paid for your backpack or tent and push a button to ask for help. Most places you hike this will have no negative repercussions for you at all, because sending a couple rangers to a known location is so much cheaper than having 100s of people looking for you for two weeks.
For what it's worth, there are two sections of the NPT (West Canada Lakes, and High Peaks Wilderness) that are about forty miles apiece, with the shortest way out of either one being the trail. And it's such a wet area that "follow a drainage" is likely to lead you to a sucking swamp rather than a road. (And it can be very hard to find the swamp's outlet stream to continue following the drainage - or the swamp might be a bog with no real outlet).
@@ke9tv Ok, thank you for this. My personal experience is limited to on-trail hiking with minor bushwacking forays on major scenic trails such as the AT, PCT, and well-established trails on both coasts. There are definitely areas I'm not intimately familiar with where conventional wisdom could potentially get you deeper into trouble rather than being a path to safety.
Still though, does this story seem reasonable to you from a standpoint of an experienced hiker trying to survive? I don't consider myself a badass or exceptional in any way, but I don't think I would ever leave an established trail in an emergency. I also don't think a day or two with "light rations" would get me to the point of desperation where I felt like I was in a survival situation. If anything I would just keep on my route and be uncomfortable until my next resupply. Like... starvation is a thing of weeks and weeks. Even by this person's own logbook he was at his campsite for over 55 days.
@@jgalt99 Panic does weird things to people's minds, and can make some otherwise pretty smart people do extremely stupid things. If the hiker's experience was on a superhighway like the AT, the sheer remoteness of the NPT can also play tricks on the mind. There's been at least once on that trail that I went for over two days without seeing anyone at all or crossing a road. Some people go pretty wonky with that level of isolation. The best answer is probably to learn what to do if you're lost, or if you're hurt on trail, and so on... and actually practice those skills in the field. Makes it more likely that you'll fall back on training in a crunch. (Even better, volunteer with your local SAR squad and get formal training!)
Poor guy, betrayed by his wife and "best friend" then this.
The other problem with following a stream is you can end up trapped in a v where two rivers meet. You need to look at a map see where you are likely to end up if you walk down a stream, a direction, ridge line etc.
I find it scary just how long he lived even after he really thought he was gonna die until he actually did. It would be so hopeless
Seriously, the better part of 2 months
I am sure the fact that he was by water was a big factor.
Not an expert by any means, but it seems to me that stay and wait for help only works when you're in a predictable area at a predictable time and people know you're missing soon after you go missing. I've watched a lot of your videos, and a lot of them involve someone who changes course - and - there's a significant time delay between when they get lost and when people realize they're missing.
This. Learn to get UN-lost. "Stay put and wait" needs to be coupled with "signal by any means available"!
I think this would have worked but he changed his plans and they had no idea where he was. It’s truly a sad story.
Yeah, if the plan was to get rescued he should have stayed on the trail that people expected him to be on.
Back in the 60s a friend of my brothers went elk hunting in the mountains. He was a cross country runner. Very Fit. He got cold and told his father he was going back to their truck. He never made it. The weather kept getting worse and his father went back to the truck. A search was quickly launched. With the wind and snow they had no tracks to follow. But did see occasional signs of him. For example they found his rifle. One of the searchers said "If he would just stop moving we could find him." A rancher found his body in the spring. I agree that a signaling device of some type should always be carried. But I guess on on the side of hunkering down and waiting.
Just carrying on can get you into even deeper trouble so it can be a tough decision
Stories like these are why I always carry a compass. You do a genuinely great job at telling these stories with respect. Very few can do that
A compass and map are prerequisites, as is the ability to make a fire, which would have saved him.
@@dr.doolittle4763 that is why I do not understand the hate towards bushman skills. Whether one is thru hiking or not basic bushcraft skills are essential.
@@FlowStateEnergy I agree with you 100%. I had done a lot of solo backpacking in my youth and was always overprepared. Those 'bushman' skills are essential knowledge. The quality of the food he took with him was also a problem. He should never have been worn out by poor food choices.
@@dr.doolittle4763 I do a lot of off trail exploring. Redundancy has been pounded into my brain over the years. Stories like this are hard to hear. So much about this story doesn’t make sense. It reminds me a lot of the 411 type disappearances.
In this day and age, don't just carry the essentials. Apple Watch Ultra, Garmin InReach, Satellite Phone. Plenty of things that are relatively low cost compared to your LIFE.
So sad that Dave didn’t realize/accept that he was too depleted, had too little provisions to continue at the time he encountered the man fishing. I think sometimes it’s due to the indomitable human spirit to not give up, but it seems there’ve also been studies that show an actual physiological reason for one’s judgment being affected when the body is deprived of adequate nutrition.
Some people are just too tough/stubborn for their own good.
Yea there's alot of science to our brains not being able to function well under duress or lack of nutrition, sleep etc
So much of that is born of our “American exceptionalism” indoctrination. We are always taught to be tough, and never bother other people because you’re “a little tired or hungry”. We really must learn a) What our body’s signals are to us, and b) Just ask for help if you think you might need it. It’s not like it’s going to get you in trouble for doing so. Better to possibly end up with a little embarrassment than to die a sad death like this. And, of course, there’s no such thing as being over-prepared, unless it means carrying too much stuff. Learn maps, learn foraging and survival strategies, etc.
ofc your brain function is going to be less when you're pushing physical limits ! does that need a sci. study bro
I think Dave just wanted to prove something to himself. Imagine loosing your spouse to your best friend and having to live with them until you were kicked out. He most likely needed a win and thought this trail would do just that.
In his last entry saying he was violently ill, I wonder if they did any sort of autopsy on him to find out if he'd picked up parasites from the water or something
Or picked some bad mushrooms. There are so many questions...
We are always told to stay put. I think of Geraldine Largay who went hiking on the Appalachian trail, got lost and waited for a month for help before dying of starvation and exposure. So many others. But then what about all those that the searches kept missing because they didn't stay still?!? Idk the right answer anymore.
Sometimes, it's just your time.
@@user-ky2it8qc5kSometimes, it's hubris.
Probably it's a matter of where you stay put. How deep into off the trail you are, the conditions, and what that means in terms of search ability to find you. All a bit of a dice roll, or at least worthy of deep, logical, knowledgable consideration which your average panicked, under-nutritioned lost hiker won't be capable of. People make snap decisions when they panic, or they commit to plans of action that aren't working. Difficult to accept for many, but life isn't always a matter of do the 'right' thing, get the right outcome either. Plenty of cases where someone did everything right and lost their life, and other cases where they did everything wrong but somehow survived.
Mrs. Largay was the type of person who should never, ever have gone hiking alone. It was said she was afraid of being alone and the dark. She also had problems with anxiety and panic attacks as well as a very poor sense of direction (per her husband). She went off the trail to relieve herself and then couldn't find her way back. As a hiker myself I know you don't need to go far off the trail to do that but she must have gone considerably farther than she would have needed to to get that lost.
If ever lost in Appalachian Mountains I was told keep following rivers or streams down. You will eventually get to a town, road, camp site, hostel, etc... because it's a valuable water source and people inhabit water sources.
Your videos always reinforce to me just how good an idea my spot GPS was. The location GPS system was implemented in 1998 so indeed this poor gentleman did not have it as an option at any price or weight point. The gps locators are such a safety revolution.
Even better is an actual PLB, which sends your location directly to the authorities, has a much higher power radio, has a built in strobe, and sets up an unholy racket on an aeronautical distress frequency so that any passing plane will also hear it.
Back in 1990, your options were a walkie-talkie and maybe a portable weather radio. Map and compass skills were a must
@@allewis4008 Ham radio was my go-to for comms back then (and now). But basic map & compass orienteering land nav skills are a *requirement* . GPS is great, but the more complex the tech the more things can go wrong with it. With a map, compass, good knife and flint & steel I can get out of very nearly any sort of wilderness situation even if I have nothing else. Add a few other items, and I can survive indefinitely. This is basic _Boy Scouts_ level knowledge anyone who is going to spend time out hiking or off-roading should develop before ever buying a tent and sleeping bag.
I'm doing my fourth thru of the NPT in August. I always think of David Boomhower when i pass by the sucker brook trail intersection. I have friends that were involved in this search. A couple of additional details that may help with a question people may have....The reason they didn't really focus too hard on the Sucker Brook trail is that it climbs pretty aggressively up Cellar Mt before reaching Lewey lake. No part of the entire NPT climbs that steeply or that high. In addition, if he wanted to bail from the NPT there was a Ranger Station located at Cedar River Flow just a few miles further on the NPT. Back in 1990 it was fully staffed all summer (it no longer is, sadly) and he could have got a ride or made a phone call there. The searchers figured if he wanted to bail he would have just kept going on the relatively flat NPT instead of climbing a mountain to hike an even further distance to Lewey Lake campground. He was known to have had paper maps with him and the ranger station was clearly shown on all NPT maps at the time. To this day it's a mystery why he hiked up the mountain to the east instead of just continuing on the NPT. Perhaps by the time he started planning to bail he already wasn't thinking clearly. That's the best explanation I guess.
Thank you for the info! I'll be in the west canada lakes area next weekend and will think of him as well.
@@earthlingannie3426 if you’re doing the French Louie Loop you won’t go past the sucker Brook intersection. But you will go past the dam where the fisherman last saw Boomhower.
@@adkeric you got it...French Louie loop is the plan. 👍
@@earthlingannie3426 "Ba Da Holy Feesh"
I served in Desert Storm in 1991 and we had at battalion level an early version of a sat phone. It worked fantastic but much too heavy and likely expensive for backpacking. We also had a civilian version of GPS intended for boats that could have been carried but they were very unreliable. If I was David I would have carried topo maps and a good compass
The utility of a compass and topo map cannot be understated.
Tell me please, if one knows the arc of the sun, why do you even need a compass? This is temporarily ignoring the need under some circumstances for a compass. People seem to want gadgetry instead of respect for their environment.
@@reavanante2160 I never said compasses were not used in fact I pointed out that GPS that my unit had was not reliable. I used my compass a lot both the issued compass and a wrist compass. One night when I had to lead a group thru night I watched the North star as a back up source of navigation
However to answer your question the arc of the sun is not precise at best and takes a long time and may be hard to do in rough terrain. A compass gives you frequent precise checks and can be used when the sun is not visible at all. Much better
@@reavanante2160sadly, not everyone is as magnificent as you
I know you said in another video not to carry a map but I'm old and I always have a paper map of the region along with a compass with me. I like to "feel" the topography of the area and I've had to either detour due to bad weather or flooding or terrible trail conditions before. I know phones can work but they are so small. With a map even in the ADKs there's roads and things you could make your way to. In my case no one will come look for me and my ex husband and I have discussed that if we ever get lost we'll try to hike out.
Poor Dave he just wanted some space to think and this is what happens.
Thank you for taking the time to talk about his story he is definitely in my thoughts.
Topographic map and a compass are essential, not optional.
I always carry a map... it's easy to fall and break your GPS....then you're screwed.
Love the technology of gps, but still carry the map and compass.
The ability to ‘zoom’ in and out with paper but not lose detail is more orienting for me.
But then again, I am 66 and grew up with paper maps.
Not carry a paper map??? Never heard that advice anywhere!!!
How is Garmin NOT Sponsoring these videos yet???
OnX is sponsoring UA-cam channels. Should look into it if they aren't already working together
your b-roll, lighting, and editing is great. the stories are unique and entertaining. your channel should blow up in the upcoming months.
Thanks so much!
As a New York City resident and a USPS worker this story hits hard
As a future divorcee… this hits me harder
Being an ADKer. I remember this story vividly. You covered it well. The book you reference is a great read.
Ironically I am headed up the NPT in about a month....yes I have a satellite communicator and a map and a compass. I have tremendous respect for the wilderness!
What a tragedy! Fortunately, today we do have personal locator beacons!!! IF YOU HIKE ALONE, PLEASE CARRY ONE!!!
Add a whole signalling kit for refundancy. Aerial flares, signal mirror, smoke beacon, orange marker panel. Not light, but not bulky either!
@@scowler7200 I always recommend smoke. All of the others require a clear view of the sky to use. If injured and under canopy, that might be an impossible requirement. Smoke will penetrate canopy, and orange or red smoke is not going to be mistaken for a camp or brush fire.
@@keithangstadt4950 if one is in a total whiteout blizzard, smoke is useless. Still need to carry a plb.
Three fiddy + subscription 💸
@YahyaHautamaki yep! Safety is for the rich.
Given that he had gone off his chosen trail I’m surprised he thought rescue was a realistic probability. What a sad story!
You told Boomhower's story well. It's sad that he was so close to the campgrounds but too weak and disoriented to get himself there. His story reminds me to:
-bring extra food
-sign the logbooks (and even write "low on food" if that were true)
-pay extra attention where I'm going when I step off trail
-If I find myself lost, realize that staying put MIGHT not be the best choice.
-carry my satellite communicator.
I wonder if he had any maps with him. 🤔
Not dang ol' Boomhower! Anyway, hell, carry a CB radio, there are listeners out there. Carry a ham radio, a "technician" license is dead easy to get and you don't even need a license to transmit in an emergency.
@@alexcarter8807a spot device or garmin inreach are much better and lighter options. 👍
@@alexcarter8807carry a cb or ham radio in your pack? I don’t know if you’ve ever carried a pack but every ounce feels like a pound the further you walk.
Also, don't be too proud or afraid to ask for help.
The fisher probably would have been happy to help him out.
I love the ADK mountains so much, but they are brutal.
@alexcarter8807 a cb radio? You must be living in the 70's to this day!
Never been on a legitimate hike, this would probably seem like an eternity when you realize you’re lost and running low on food.
This Was so sad. Those journal entries just heartbreaking 💔😢😞
r.i.p Uncle Dave...You are flying high and at peace. You also saved other lives with your story regarding what not to do while hiking.
Along with a locator beacon, always carry a map of the area, if available and a compass. If he had a map of the area he likely could have navigated his way out.
Unless he’s like me - compass & map would be useless. 🤤
There's always sunrise, sunset and knowing a minimum of star positions.
It would not occur to me to NOT have map and compass with me.
Bad way to go. Thots for those who loved him.
Poor guy. Hope he found a moment of peace at the end
I hope his ex has nightmares for the rest of her life
I feel like falling and drowning was a more peaceful way to go as opposed to just starving 🙏😞
@@sabrinatscha2554and his ex best friend.
Yeah, he didn't.
The first mobile phones were “bag” phones. Not small enough to carry with you. They were in a bag that used your car battery for power. I got one of the first ones sold in Missouri in 1993. I commuted on a daily basis and it eased my family’s anxiety during tornado season and winter when roads here can get extremely dangerous from ice and snow.
Guessing we haven’t heard this story because it goes against the rule of “stay put” that survival instructors consistently preach. To each there own, I’m no expert, but my advice is set camp, and work in straight lines to eventually make a circumference, know what is around you. Set a ton of identifiable markers (breaking branches, pulling bark, crossing sticks) so you don’t lose your camp. May even forage some treats while out!
yup there are basic survival skills that everyone needs to KNOW 100% before acting like they are grizzly adams ready to conquer the wilderness solo
The thing is most people kill themselves in the planning and preparation phase.
If you're competent enough to plan for your eventual lost trail scenario, you're probably not gonna lose the trail for long anyways.
@@RadioStaring true
Well it probably would've worked if he had just stayed ON the damn trail, they would've been able to see him in an opening most likely. Sounds like he went way off and just sat down waiting, that was unfortunately a horrible decision
A quarter mile is not way off track. Trails in remote areas are often so poorly marked that it's easy to mistake and animal track for the proper trail
1990 you were lucky to have “the brick” aka the DynaTac 8000x cell phone
I have read about this in In at he PerilOf The Mountains. Living in the ADK and having hiked the NPT, I don’t think many people appreciate how remote some parts of the Adirondacks are now let alone 30+ years ago. I think the NPT saw such little traffic then and with no social media, let alone internet, this story was almost forgotten. You’re doing a good job with this kind of content on your page.
Its called a channel on youtube.
@@wiskatesnownot something that needed to be corrected. Its content on a page. Does it really matter?? No.
sorry i triggered you, i was just saying
Good catch. Surely the masses would not have cracked the code. And surely I’m humbled by my error.
This really shows how important survival skills are. Yet the most important is map and compass skills.
One must remember about this story in 1990s the gear wasn't nothing like nowadays. I wonder if he was sick from dirty water. Back then filters were expensive an not very good.
I don't understand how someone could starve in the summer.
It's really easy even for those with good bushcraft skills to starve in a situation like this. The problem is that hunting/gathering takes time and energy. You don't want to stop for it while hiking if you're just trying to get out, so you start to get symptoms from food deprivation and make worse decisions. Then by the time you're lost and staying put, you've very little energy or mental clarity left to try and improve your situation. And if you expend that energy but don't end up getting the reward for it, you're in a far worse spot both physically and mentally.
There definitely are people who could get into that situation and survive just fine, but I'd wager the vast majority of bushcraft enthusiasts would struggle a lot more than they'd like to think.
PLB’s existed back then, but they were large, heavy, expensive, and highly regulated. You pretty much found them in aircraft & boats - very few hikers/hunters carried them…
I've read that hikers were discouraging from carrying them because they didn't want people taking risks that they otherwise wouldn't, thinking that help was just a button push away.
Which I guess is still a debated topic.
@@earthlingannie3426 My assumption is that if I ever need to light my PLB, I'm a goner. Rescue will NOT arrive in time.
But I know that if I don't make it back, they're coming for me. SAR is difficult and dangerous, and I can make it much, much safer for the searchers by giving them a clear indication where to find me. Search is the difficult and dangerous part of Search and Rescue.
I don't carry a PLB for my safety. I carry it for theirs.
@@ke9tv love it, and agree. But you can also hit an sos button, on a device like spot or inreach, if you're just lost, they can ping your signal, and text you directions to get yourself out too. I know PLBs don't work like that and you're point is to not rely on it though. 👍
@@earthlingannie3426 Yeah. And if I can travel, I know enough about how to get myself out that I'm not going to light the PLB unless I'm pinned down. Which means that an SAR mission is as likely as not to be a recovery. That's mostly all right - I took on that responsibility when I made the decision to go Out There in the first place.
I'd personally be OK with waving the SAR crew off, but I don't get to make that call. If it all goes pear-shaped, they're coming, whatever I say.
This reminded me of a time I had to detour around some beavers and flooding in the Wild River Wilderness NH. I was backpacking and aiming for IMP Shelter site. I had gone so far off trail, I couldn’t find my way back…or so I thought. I find a place to put up my tent and settled down with my map and compass. Before I went to sleep I knew which way would bring me to trail.
I ended up just a quarter mile off trail and quickly bushwhacked to it the next day.
I’m not sure what he had, but maps and compasses save lives.
A map and compass were essential for any overnight backpack before GPS. The outdoor stores carry, or used to carry water-resistant, lightweight topographic maps and professional "orienteering" compasses. The reliance on GPS and the goodwill of others has made people unprepared for getting hopelessly lost. I always carried several butane lighters wrapped in paper towel inside a ziplock bag for a signal fire.
@@eucliduschaumeau8813 I keep dryer lint in a ziploc, though not for signal fires. Just fire in general.... and three compasses.
I read the beginning to fast and I thought it said YOU detoured the beavers 😂 my mind automatically went to a person (you) with a sign rerouting a bunch of beavers walking in a straight line 😂😂😂😂 ADHD🤦🏻♀️
At that time the only GPS was used by the military and they were fairly big. Also, I think a little training in land navigation and a small compass can help to at least get you back on trail if you wander off.
I served in Desert Storm in 1991 shortly after this. In general the military or at least the army was not using GPS at the time. Due to a lack of terrain features they pulled it ahead for Desert Storm. I was given a civilian handheld unit meantfor sailboats. It was not heavy but very unreliable. In serious terrain I think would have been worse. I did a lot of civilian backpacking in the 1990s toinclude going over a week once without seeing anyone while moving continuously. I relied on topo maps and compasses. However today I would have cell phone and GPS and a locator beacon and would at least research a sat phone. 1990 was a very different time
I was there too. There were a few GPS's in the Army....mostly for Brigade HQ.s units on up.@@jerrymiller9039
Boomhower should have been okay waiting for rescue. It's like wearing a seatbelt: staying put when lost is the right thing to do 99% of the time. How many stories do we have where if the lost person had stayed put, they would have been found? But that 1% still exists where it's the wrong choice. RIP Uncle Dave, the whole world did you dirty, my friend.
Yes but he had also navigated away from where they'd thought he would be. If he'd made camp right in the middle of the NPT he would have been found.
@@lonesparrow
Yes but he wasn't (or at least didn't accept himself to be) in a situation where he needed to be rescued at that point. He thought he was more than capable of the fairly short hike back to civilisation.
Yes they did, bless his soul 🌹
Thing is, too many people only choose to stay put after they've gone way off course or hurt themselves. You have to stop before you're so far off the beaten path. I've been lost, and I completely understand the temptation and assumption that with just a little effort I'll get back on track. If you have a system for doing so, it's worth a try. If you're kind of clueless or it's dark or snowing, better plunk yourself down and prepare to signal for help.
I don't know HOW many people sent me Boomhower's story when they learnt that I was planning to solo thru-hike the NPT!
By the way, the NPT has been extended into Sacandaga Park. There's only 3 miles of roadwalk at the Northville end (and those 3 miles are now required for the patch).
NPT is fairly easy, technically. But you're right that it's _remote_ - for my money, more remote than the Hundred Mile Wilderness. And it's _wet_. Guaranteed that you'll be bushwhacking around beaver activity _somewhere_. I don't think I know anyone who's done the whole thing who didn't end up at least thigh-deep in water somewhere, somehow - ;having to wade, or falling off a bog bridge (I had a stringer collapse under me a little north of Plumley's Landing), or just falling in a stream. And there are a couple of fords - particularly West Stony Creek in the new section - that are really sketchy at high water. It's no joke!
Yes, I carried a PLB when I did the NPT. And a whole deck of maps covering the most likely escape routes. And I got into some trouble, but I self-rescued successfully without needing to light the PLB. I sprained a knee between South Lake and Spruce Lake - which is just as far out as Boomhower was. I managed to hobble to Piseco - wasn't sure that there'd be any help at Sled Harbor, which was the only closer way out. Heading for Lewey Lake was a horrible mistake - Wakely Dam is closer and a lot easier hike, and there are always people on Cedar River Road in the summer.
"Stay put and wait for rescue" is fine advice for eleven-year-old boy scouts who are likely to be missed in 15 minutes, or if you have a reliable method of signalling for help and being found. Too many people never get past it, and don't learn to get UN-lost. I left the NPT several times during my thru-hike, either because it was impassable or because I lost it (I wound up a couple of times going a short distance down some private trail that wasn't on the map. The owner of Lapland Lake, whom I met in a Stewart's, told me that he and his wife were practically the welcoming committee for NPT hikers, so many of them made a wrong turn onto a Lapland Lake X-C ski trail! But 'lost' for me was "I know where I am - I just don't know where the trail is!" Which is not a panic situation if you're confident in your ability to navigate.I could either backtrack to where I lost or abandoned the trail, or find a landmark on a map that the trail went to, and bushwhack for it. Which worked out fine for me, at least.
This is a pretty good review of what I can remember about this hiker. The media kept saying that David was an experienced outdoorsman. I'm sure he had some experience, but clearly far from being described as 'experienced'. I've hiked the N-P-T about five times and it's not a place where you want to wander far from the marked trail. This was probably his number one mistake, leaving what others were told was his planned hike.. When sick or injured STAY ON THE TRAIL, I'd even go as far to say set up your tent next to the trail. Someone will come along. The other thing we heard that he was drinking untreated water and had gotten giardia (beaver fever). There were about six of us hiking the N-P-T that year and there were fliers (like the one you showed in this video) everywhere. That is a huge area for rescuers to search. Help those who may be searching for you , don't leave the trail.
I appreciate your video(s).
John, adk (4295)
Your wife dumps you for your BFF, and the HE moves in to your house, and you’re dead in a tent!
Hope Karma gets both of them. Poor poor man.
We don't really know full story of their relationship. No need to speculate. Also all this "karma" thing...was his death karmic? Let's not 😐
They literally were divorced BEFORE his hike? Lol you are nuts. Leave folks alone & don't assume things.
69 ppl agree with you sushi....so far
@@ann3923whatever you say, I won't listen. They hopefully never knew peace anymore.
@@LathropLdST k
A couple of things:
1. Scurvy, a lack of vit c. It seems to be making a comeback. It can happen to anyone. There are neurological effects and death.
2. Some one brought up Missing411. Some people seem to be not present, but later are found where searchers looked. I agree that this sounds like his experience. He believed they couldnt see him because of the tree cover. Maybe. Maybe not.
First effects of scurvy don't begin for at least a month after vitamin C deprivation.
I must be a morbid individual bc these are some of my favorite videos you do. You do an awesome job
My brother in law was lost in GA back in December. He thought the gps on his phone was enough. If he wouldn’t have survived another night out in the cold wet weather. Pls carry gps and communications. It’s worth the investment
My thoughts and condolences to Dave’s family and their loss. Thank you for telling his story here. Dave was clearly beloved as everyone searched with great dedication. It can be hard to sense accurately how exhausted we are especially when multi-day hiking. The wilderness area looks quite remote and much more so 33 years ago!
Your actual experience on these trails adds so much to your credibility.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience and thoughts.
Always carry a topo map and compass (and know how to orient), a fire kit, knife at a minimum. Lots of other gear that I typically carry. Surprising to hear these stories and very few talk about attempts to build a signal fire.
the fact that he was so close to a trail makes me wonder about the search. it seems like these on-foot searches literally never yield anything, are they just spread too far apart so theyre just making grid lines as they search rather than comprehensively covering the space? cuz 1/4 mile from a trail is too close to miss
Thank you for posting these videos on back country accidents. Really learn a lot
My dad has done the NPT 11 times and has always commented on how remote the West Canada wilderness is but also his favorite part of the trail.
It's gorgeous. Although I have a really soft spot for Cold River as well.
Damn sponsored by AG1!? Buddy made it! Remember watching you at 15k subs
This channel just keeps getting better and better. You deserve your growth on here! What a tragic, extremely sad story with so many lessons. Thank you for telling it, especially from the perspective of someone with your experience and expertise.
I really enjoy your tales of hiking and surreal occurrences. Thank you.
Have you ever done any stories from the Arizona Trail? It runs from the northern to southern Arizona border. I've got some stories but believe you could do a fantastic job relating those hiking stories.
Be well. Happy Trails!
Your perspective as someone with the experience you have really does add insight to the stories you tell
as a kid on camping trips in the Sierra Nevada mtns, i often went off thebtrail into the forest because im like a homing pidgeon. Even led group of horse riders out when we got 'lost'.
Now, ive only read about this ability in one book by Stewart E. White, who spent weeks in the forest. I do get turned around in town though.
2008 - 2011, was a part time volunteer Search & Rescue in British Columbia.
Was told and taught everyone to never stay put and wait!
Not only is BC so vast and uninhabited, there is also the dangers of predators; Grizzly bears, brown bears, black bears, mountain lions, wolves, and human criminals.
Walk west and you'll eventually reach the Pacific. Walk south and you'll reach the American border. Walking east, you'll hit the Rockies, Continental Divide. Walking north, you'll begin encountering thousands of Natives in their many reservations.
Also, in my experience, one is never truly lost in BC. Wherever you go in the bush, there is always at least one Native keeping an eye on you, but almost never do anything to help you, unless you call out to them, if you can see them.
Had an experience of being lost in BC as a teenager by myself. It was an eye opening experience of living rough in the wild for several days until I managed to find a Husky (gas station). While in the gas station, a Native asked me, "Hey, what were you doing out and about in the bush?" When I told him that I was lost and wondered why he didn't help me. He told me that it looked like I had a handle on things. That shocked me!
are they on forest patrol or remote viewing or wha
@@baxpiz1289 The first 12 hours of a reported missing person, is handled by professional Search & Rescue. After they've given up, the green light is issued to volunteers and there's no time limit for volunteers. . . One time, I've had a desperate mother begging me to find her daughter, who last went to a forest rave. I searched for a whole month, all day everyday. I would've kept going, but the mother told me to stop, even though I insisted it's no trouble. She was never found. . . Actually most times, I've volunteered for S&R, I've never found reported missing persons, but I did find plenty of lost persons that weren't reported while I was out and about in the bush.
I hiked this trail with my daughter about 20 years ago (Sucker Brook). I had no idea of this story at that time. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I know it's not exactly hiking but adjacent or accidental hiking but have you heard of the Kim family? They accidentally took a mountain road in November not realizing how bad conditions would be. They made some not-so-great decisions a few times and ended up lost with their car stuck. They had a baby and a small child. Bears circled their vehicle at night. The mom breastfed the kids to keep them ok. On the final day the dad left to hike out. He was not seen alive again. It's an insane story and harrowing as hell. Might be an interesting look into what not to do when stranded in the woods or what to always carry in the car just in case
New fave YT channel. Great narration and vid quality. Keep up the good work! 👍
Just did Phelps, Tabletop, and Colden Wednesday via South Meadow to Marcy Damn truck route. About .3 to .5 miles before the split off to Phelps I jumped a bear sleeping on the left side of the trail no more than 30 yards away. Luckily it just took off up the mountain but what I’m getting at is how rare ppl say it is to see one on trail but they are certainly out there.
When I was about 8 and my cousin was 5 (both females) were up at my uncle's place in the winter in the country, very wooded area.
We went for a walk in the late afternoon.. and got ourselves lost.
Turns out we were lost for 2 hours and my young cousin was almost panicked and crying and I was trying to remain calm for us both.
Finding our footprints in the snow hoping it would lead us back to his home.
Eventually I stopped when I hit a our footprints at one point going in 3-4 different directions.
We were cold, tired and starting to really panic!
We sat in the snow. And after about 15 minutes my uncle finally found us.
Turns out they noticed rather quickly and were trying to find us. Including my other uncle, whose snowmobile wouldn't start, and of course, only began working once we got home.
I definitely learned a lot that day, thankfully it never deterred me from being outside in the woods again!
Great storytelling. Thank you for sharing this sad story.😢
I love your channel, Kyle! You and Bryan’s Mysteries and Adventures on Trail have both provided me hours of fascinated viewing. The compelling and well-scripted stories, breathtaking backdrops, and authentic energy, respect for the victims and their loved ones, and the powerful nature in which these sagas unfold, make your channels two of the best I’ve found, and may have birthed a sub-genre in the annals of mystery/true-crime: Terrible-Tragedy-in-Stunning-Surroundings Stories.
🙏🏽✌🏽💙 and Happy Holidays from Minnesota
Why would you wait that long? Staying at the same place where you’re lost at works if you’re a child but when you’re an adult, your best shot is to make a push for it especially if you end up living for weeks.
You're right... I had never heard of him or this incident... Thanks for sharing it!
Great video, Kyle. Keep on rockin’ man!
I can say exactly why its not too heard of, it's because he was found decently quick after his disappearance
What a sad story, thank you for sharing.
As always, love your content!
I’ve been to the Adirondacks, I’d hate to get lost in there. It is absolutely one of, if not THE most remote area in the state.
Total speculation but water filtration has come a long way since the 90’s. Then iodine tablets would have likely been it. So something like giardia would be a possible cause.
I thought the same thing, since he wrote, "violently ill."
True, hiking in the 80s, we just drank out of the streams.
He was sick for a long time, and that’s why he couldn’t travel far from his “site”. I was told this from the hunters who found him.
The NatGeo show about this said something about him losing his iodine tablets.
Geez this really is a sad story. RIP David 💕 I sincerely hope your ex gf & bff never have a peaceful night's sleep!
I really like your presentation style and well accompanied with photographic & videos 😊
Love your content, keep it up and thank you.
So thoughtful of you to point it out, there are such enormously ignorant brutes! Do they consider it more masculine to harass those who are weaker?
Love your stories Kyle!
Very interesting story!! Thanks for posting.
Glad u showed that sos device.
I'll have to keep this in mind when I hike the npt this year
This popped up randomly in my feed, Wow not what I was expecting, Damn tragic story. Great video
I have no expertise in this but it seems like the "stay put and be found" strategy would work best if you do it very soon after getting lost rather than after you have wondered way off the path. Sad story.
Great vid, thank you.. Also came for the comments, always learn from them. Thank you all!!
the stay put and wait for help method only works if you are still on/by the trail you are expected to be on, and if there isnt a large time delay between when you go missing and when people actually report you as missing. essentially the best way for it to work is if you are within say 5 miles of the trail and you are reported within 48 hours then the odds of you being found while staying put is nearly 80-90 percent. but if you stray off the trail and go like 20 miles off track or onto a different trail entirely while also not being reported missing within those crucial 48 hours then the odds of staying put and being found drop to nearly 0% if you have no method available to signal for help (smoke from a fire, flares, flare gun, GPS device...)
so a good lesson for everyone who even thinks about hiking or is already a hiker, the most important thing to remember is make sure others know what trail you are planning on walking and a very strict time frame of how long it should take to properly do. also make sure they know what to do if you haven't contacted them within that duration of time as well as letting them know your approximate start time (an example being "i will start the trail on may 5th at 6am and it will be a 4 day hike before i can contact you again, any later than that please contact search and rescue") this way after the hypothetical 4 days they know for a fact to get help and start searching. also, always carry extra food and water for an additional day or two just in case. yeah the extra weight isnt ideal but if you do get lost that extra bit of supplies will be a godsend for you.
I've hiked up in that area and it is challenging in remote areas. There are parts of the trail where you are walking on the root masses of bushes with running water under them, bogs, mud, streams, high tree foliage, thick bushes and steep slopes. In June, it can be extremely rainy, wet and unpleasant. The communications in 1990 would have been very limited, since cell phones were mostly hard-wired into vehicles and had almost no service in the wilderness to begin with. GPS was rare and inaccurate at that time, with most devices being bulky and the signal intentionally up to 30 meters off, due to a military security limitation at the time. Also, any GPS device would not have had transmit or receive features. I ALWAYS brought topographic maps of the area and a professional compass. If I got lost, I would have collected white birch bark and damp grass or moss and built a "smudge" fire to signal to aircraft, then kept it going 24/7. Camping in an exposed area would have helped. The forest canopy makes the ground practically invisible from the air and underbrush makes you almost impossible to see from the ground.
Assuming he had a compass, if he was able to keep walking in an easterly direction that would've worked as well. Bushwhacking in the ADKs is no small feat, though.
I always try to be aware of the closest/easiest exit direction when out. In my usual area, if I walk SSE I will hit a dirt road or river within 5 miles or so.
I also carry three compasses.
Seen a lot of videos of people getting into trouble because they can’t navigate in the woods. In 92 I got caught in a blizzard while elk hunting in the Cascades. Total white out. Couldn’t see 5 yards. But I had a map and a compass. After 3 hours I came to the dirt road I drove in on. I knew I was within a few hundred yards of my truck but didn’t know which direction. Flipped a coin and turned right. 100 yards later I walked up to my truck.
"Allegedly in good spirits" made me laugh.
The strategy of sitting down to wait for help is a good one. But not if you’ve completely left the trail you intended to hike…that was, in my opinion, his fatal mistake. He had no way of letting anyone know that he was deviating from the planned trail. Of course that’s where they were looking! Why would they consider that he has gotten lost off a completely different trail?
Why he didn’t ask that man for help or turn back the way he had come I have no idea. Honestly anything would have been better than abandoning the trail he told everyone he was going to be on…
Excellent advice on the satellite emergency device! Thank you!
Great vid man!! Terrible tragedy!! Holy smokes!
Hey… i heard your pod this afternoon. Are you goin with flossy?
In terms of what was available for safety when you were hiking in the 80's, for years "Rambo" style "survival" knives were marketed to supposedly keep you alive out on the trail. They had a compass on the pommel, and the handle was full of supposedly helpful things like fishing line and a hook, matches, etc. Satellite phones were something basically only rich people had. You were expected to have basic survival skills, to pay attention to the location of the sun, and to always carry a compass.
Even back in 1990, people had compasses. Did he not bring a compass because he assumed he would stay on the trail?
Kyle is the man , met him in Bangor .
I've watched a few of your videos. Well done by the way.
One thing I noticed... The lack of a whistle of any sort. A low energy way to make noise to signal for help/scare away wildlife.
I know we're always told to "stay put and help will find you," but sometimes help just isn't going to find you in time, and there's a point where you have to take matters into your own hands and save yourself sometimes. I've always been taught that after 3 days (or sooner depending on your unique situation), it's time to get going before you're too weak to do it. Just mark your direction of travel, and if possible, when you left. Make sure you're leaving an easy trail to follow in case searchers stumble across your camp.
I love this Channel, it's informative and the Host, likeable. David's story is tragic and there's no right or wrong in his death. There's no I would have done it this way, really how do you know ? Because we don't know and there's no moral to this incredibly sad story. Thank you for bringing this story to light as maybe we can learn from David's death. My Condolences to David's Family. 😔💔
Just a matter of a series of unfortunate incidents.
It's easy to make wrong decisions. When you're in a panic situation, your higher cognition goes right out the window.
One way to make yourself a lot safer is knowledge and training. You're well advised to take a land navigation course and get comfortable with bushwhacking before tackling a trail as remote as the NPT. On the NPT, you're very likely to get lost, at least briefly. You need the skills to get yourself UNlost, and that'll keep you from panicking when you realize you've gone astray.
In 1990 GPS was available, but civilian use was limited to an accuracy of about 100 m and pocket-ready devices weren't really a thing.
This is so sad and even more so because of his heartbreaking marital situation. I've been in a similar situation and it's the worst thing I've ever been through so far. May he RIP with the Lord.
In 1990, cell phones were not even in common use, let alone sat phones. The early phones had horrible battery life and very short range. Horrifying as it may seem, some of us had been hiking for 25 years before any form of communication was possible. Coming from these roots, no way in hell I'm sitting anywhere and waiting to be rescued. I've been lost a few times, and injured a few times, but always got myself out. Because of the lack of technology, back then we had to learn the basics of navigation and survival.
A lot of people would say "stay put and wait" as if it will save you. However, there are a lot of cases where someone has stayed put but help never came. No one really says "stay put for x amount of days before moving on", just stay put until help comes.
Weird. I just sat down to watch this while drinking my AG. Been using it for 3yrs. Good stuff. Also, nice video, thanks. :)