I Hit SOS On My Garmin InReach. Here's What Happened.

I’m a helicopter hoist operator for search and rescue and NEVER would I or my fellow members EVER make remarks about the people we rescue and assist. Any unforeseen situation can happen to even the most experienced where assistance may be needed. It’s absolutely absurd of their lack of professionalism and arrogance. I’m sorry they plastered your story on FB. You did nothing wrong by hitting the SOS and asking for assistance given your situation. Best wishes to you and your adventures.

Another former mountain rescue volunteer here. You absolutely did the right thing. They deputies that got to you were unprofessional. It shouldn’t matter what their personal thoughts on the matter were, they had a job AND they were paid for it, unlike the thousands of volunteers out there.

Got rescued last week in Romania because it was dark and we had lost the trail. We were physically completely fine and the trail was 3 minutes away from us. The rescuers were so friendly and understanding and brought us down the trail whilst chatting with us. Props to them even though i feel like we kind of deserved to be clowned on.

I cannot believe their Facebook post is still up. The lack of professionalism, empathy and common sense from not only the offcers but the entire department is insane.

I was with my pregnant wife and got stuck in deep snow on a forest service road. We were lucky enough to get an emergency call out on a non working iPhone. The search and rescue said if we weren't sick or injured, they weren't coming out for us because they were already dispatched out earlier that day for another call. Darkness was falling and so were the temperatures. We were 11 miles from any major road and my wife was cold and scared, I was furious. A local man with a caterpillar tractor was contacted via emergency dispatch amd agreed to drive his 1937 caterpillar in to tow us out, he was NOT part of search and rescue and came with his granddaughter in the dark and cold to get us out. Moral of the story, NOT all search and rescue teams are capable or willing to rescue you...not all are equal in skill sets and there is NO one standard that they are held to. They are NOT all professionals and do NOT all act like professionals, even if they claim to be

I’m an officer of Arkansas search and rescue and this is probably the worst dispatcher and search and rescue team if I was rescuing you I would have sent a chopper and I am sorry for this bad team. I respect the hikers and backpackers and I am truly sorry and I hope that this doesn’t happen again when you said that they did not ask you if you where ok and then they posted that I am truly sorry. This story makes me so pissed!!! Please hit that SOS Button if you need it don’t be afraid.

As someone who hiked off a mountain with a broken ankle for 5 hours and had more than one sticky situation along the way, I wish I’d swallowed my pride and called for help when we were at the top. By the time I realised things were dire we were in the canyon and with no phone signal. It was by far the scariest moment of my life.

Idaho… say no more. I spent 32 years in law enforcement and my entire adult life hiking & backpacking in the back country. You did absolutely nothing wrong. The sheriff’s deputies & department as a whole should a complete lack of professionalism & compassion. I keep my Garmin up to date and like you pay for all the available SOS services (I call it life insurance). This department is why citizens dislike law enforcement… thanks for sharing your story. Stay safe out there.

Some helpful suggestions from someone who has made his share of blunders: (1) Melt with water not snow. Don't stuff your container with snow as the video shows. Snow conducts poorly, making it hard to melt with a stove. Start with what water you have, adding a little snow at a time. As that snow melts, add more. Then the melting will go much faster.  (2) A study of death on Mt. Everest had interesting results. Almost all those who realized they were in trouble and turned back short of the summit survived. The deaths were from those who got in trouble but continued to the top. You were right to trigger that Garmin SOS before your situation turned desperate. The same is true with turning back. Turn back as soon as you sense trouble. No trip is worth dying. (3) Practice preparatory situational awareness. If you're going to hike to a lake in winter, hike the route in summer. You will discover that mountain and steep slope in advance. As an alternative, use local knowledge. Talk to someone who knows that lake hike well. There are facts maps will not tell you.

Hey Jon! I’m from Washington State not far from where this happened. A friend of mine and I were mountain biking when I took a spill and broke some ribs. My friend and I tried to get out together but I couldn’t go any further. We built me a fire and my friend rode down to find help as the sun set. Around 2am he arrived back to me with search and rescue shortly behind him and they were able to get me out on a rolling stretcher except after the fact they completely belittled my friend and I on a Facebook post just like yours as being “unprepared” and “unfamiliar with how dangerous the woods can be.” I imagine it’s an ego thing with them but it’s outrageous how the people we count on to help us in need are the same that will try to puff their chests for doing the bare minimum.

I know this was posted a year ago, but I paused the video to go give them sh*t on the facebook posts, and was very happy to see the high number of people who already had. x

Man I felt your alienation when you choked up. I got myself stuck on a trail in a white out at night in deep snow. It was my first year hiking in the snow and I had very little equipment. It was my first day out with snow shoes and I just brought a head lamp. My gas burner got covered in ice so I ran out of water. I had no tent and my zip failed on my jacket. I covered 30km with no treking poles in deep snow. As I crested the last peak 5km from the car, I lost the trail. I stopped for 1 minute to gather my thoughts and my body temperature plummeted in the howling wind and constant heavy snow fall as I was already way beyond exhaustion. I was in a really bad situation only 5km from my car. I found reception on the open mountain top and did one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, ask for help. I called my sick elderly father and he called the police who organised a search party from the nearest ski village. I was so cold and weak I lay down in the snow and I just shut down. I don't know why but at some point I woke just enough to realise what was happening so I stood up and marched on the spot till 2am when help arrived. It took me a good few days to recover. It was the worst storm in memory in that area and it took a day for rescue to cut through nearly 40 trees down over the mountain road so we could drive out. The idea of being humiliated at the point of rescue, man I felt that when you choked up. I could tell the 2 guys that hiked in to me would rather be back at the ski lodge 20km away but they certainly didn't put me down. Funny thing is they lost their water bottle on the way to me so I had to plow on till 6am almost collapsing at one stage. A trivial tail I'm sure for someone who's grown up in Alaska or Canada. I live on the beach in Australia. I carry a Garmin now but I'll be funked if I'm going to allow that to happen again.

As someone who works with SAR sometimes, this is pretty unusual. It's not completely unreasonable to ask you to move a short distance with a plan and with tracking, but any competent team would have sent people down that trail immediately so you could know where it was. And they would have offered far more than just a clif bar. Additionally, while other agencies often post their stories, this is the first one I've ever heard of to actually identify their patient. Idaho County seems like inexperienced amateurs, which is very surprising given their location.

I'm not qualified to chime in on the drama but as someone who spends most of my year alone in the mountains, I feel I can offer a piece of advice: When going out solo (or in a group, really), make sure you can undo anything you do (unless you're certain there is a doable alternative). In this case, by committing to going down the slope that you were unable to climb up, you were rolling the dice that the unknown would work out for you. By recognizing this gamble at the top of the slope and accepting that the final destination is the car and not the lakes, you might have turned around. Also remember that turning around is never the wrong call since the mountains don't care about ego. Thanks for sharing your experience!

I was once on a hiking trip with some buddies up by the Canadian border of Minnesota and one of the guys hurt his knee. I had an extremely similar experience. I pressed the SOS button and got in contact with the local sheriff's office that told us to hike the two days back. When I reminded them that one of us couldn't walk and that we could make our way down to a lake where they could meet us on a boat, they informed me that they had no boats to use. When I got them to borrow a fisherman's boat and came to get us, they informed us that they would only take the injured hiker and the rest of us would have to walk the two days back. I ended up paying the fisherman to come back and pick us up but boy was I pissed.

FYI, dehydrated food only needs water to rehydrate and can be eaten cold, heating is a luxury not a necessity.

This is not a knock on good cops,I have family & friends that are cops, but 28 years working with them (as a firefighter) I can say I witnessed that attitude over and over and over and over... The way you described how you were spoken to and treated I would witness on a regular basis. It starts at the top, and it is a "cultural" thing that desperately needs to change. That's one IVORY TOWER with lot's of power. Thank you for sharing your story, I learned a lot from it.

I've listened to your report with attention. As a mountain guide, climber and lifelong explorer, I can speak to a few points that you've mentioned: 1. First and foremost, I command you on not only the quality of your report, but also the humility in describing in details your shortcomings and how you got yourself in this situation. This brought back memories of my first winter expeditions and the lessons they bring. 2. You clearly mention the mistakes that every one should avoid when going on winter trips in deep snow,. The first one for me is going alone, especially when inexperienced in these conditions. You should always have a partner especially if it's still your second time. You then mention a 8oz fuel canister, which is clearly not enough for melting snow over four days. Whether permitting, one can switch fuel for a good ol' fire, but you don't mention whether firewood is available in your area (something that can easily be spotted on satellite images prior to leaving) so I assume that wasn't an option. Finally, you clearly state that you are taken aback by the deep snow and the exertion is causes on your bodily energy. Snow tends to accumulate in greater quantities in valleys and canyons at lower elevation (in your case, 6000-7500 ft) and can make for a challenging walk, even on flat ground. Your final mistake is you should have tested yourself on a day-hike prior to attempting a 4-day trip.  3. You were lucky the weather stayed nice the whole time :)  4. Finally, as others have said, I'm not sure what to make of this whole Idaho County Police situation other that they seem to be bullying the heck out of you. Their actions sound borderline illegal, especially the social media bashing. I'm no legal expert but a publicly funded institution (aka police department) bullying and making fun of a private citizen while providing private information on their social media channel does not sound right...I would consult a competent attorney in your case. Good luck and keep making great content. Sam

First, props to you for being vulnerable and sharing your story; there is a lot of food for thought here. Secondly, as someone who is an avid backpacker and back-country skier, winter travel is not the same as backpacking in the snow; this video and the OP's experience really illustrates this. Lastly, Dan Becker, another You Tuber got himself into a somewhat similar pickle by naively (my judgement) thinking he was going backpacking in the snow in the Grand Canyon. Again, they are two birds of a different feather.

One important fact is that the dehydrated meals are still edible if you just mixed some water with them and let them sit for a little bit.