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Hikers' Skills Helped Them Survive in Montana Park

2 Virginia residents were stranded for days

By the Associated Press

Posted Oct 16, 2012 5:10 PM CDT

(AP) – Rangers in Montana's Glacier National Park say two hikers from Virginia who were safely rescued after being stranded there for days in bad weather were well-prepared for harsh, wintry conditions. Chief Ranger Mark Foust said in an email that Jason Hiser and Neal Peckens, both 32, had the right equipment and used their outdoor skills to survive. The two, originally from western Maryland, were unharmed.

Foust said the two men camped for four days at an elevation of about 6,000 feet. They rationed food, collected firewood, and sought to attract help with a smoky fire and an SOS message made out of logs. Foust said a park employee saw colored flagging Monday afternoon that led him to a tent and the hikers.

In an undated photo provided by Broad Street Veterinary Hospital, veterinarian Jason Hiser of Virginia works with a dog.
In an undated photo provided by Broad Street Veterinary Hospital, veterinarian Jason Hiser of Virginia works with a dog.   (AP PHoto/Kip Dawkins)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
MikeLand
Oct 16, 2012 8:33 PM CDT
I love the saying, "when you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  Locator beacons are cheap compared to making the park service spend hundreds of thousands of deficit money looking for lost hikers.  Satellite phones rent on a per-day or week basis and can be found in most mid to large size cities.  I mean my home town is only 1.5M residents and I can rent a satellite phone for $30 a week.  Its even better that I'm a ham operator and always take radios tuned to repeaters in my area. We are seeing a lot more of these events because people are jumping into trips without forethought to what can happen in the wilderness.  Come on people, its not the Hilton out there, its wild and unpredictable.  Have a backup plan and buying a cheap beacon is the start.
___
Oct 16, 2012 6:08 PM CDT
Hikers Get Their Secret Vacation Outed By The Media is more like it...
finkster
Oct 16, 2012 5:31 PM CDT
"You've done well pilgrim, to keep so much hair when so many are after it." From the film  Jeremiah Johnson

Copyright 2013 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 

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