Sheriff: Stranded Oregon Man Kept Diary as He Starved, Froze to Death

[Bob Hubbard]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/1...egon-man-starved-froze-death/?test=latestnews

When the body of Jerry William McDonald was discovered deep in the Oregon woods on a one-lane dirt road pockmarked with holes, the first hint of what led to his death was the Feb. 14 entry on his calendar: "Snowed in."

About a month later, catastrophe struck. On March 16, he noted: "No Fo." He had run out of food, on the same day that six inches of snow also fell.

It would later surprise searchers that McDonald, just three miles (five kilometers) from the town of Marion Forks, made no attempt to get out and walk to town.
On April 15, he made one last entry -- "rain." He also noted that he had been in the area for 68 days.
Authorities say he left behind no special note. Perhaps he didn't know it was his last day.

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

wow that sucks... I would be willing to bet he had no clue that he was only three miles from a town.
I guess this a huge lesson for anyone doing the same to invest in a compass, GPS, map, etc. If he had known he was three miles from a town he could have made that trek fairly easily even in fairly bad weather. Sad.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I get the feeling he was the independent type. Type who would pull into a town, do some odd jobs to rebuild the cash roll, and fund the next little bit of the wandering.
Could be wrong. But today, a map, gps and cell phone are serious safety gear.

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

it said he had 5000 in cash on his body when they found him.
I would agree with you from the article that he was an off the grid type of person who did this often. But I figure getting a cigarette lighter charger, or a standard battery operated gps would cost less then 300 dollars... so say 400 dollars or less for all the stuff he needed, with 5k in his pocket, seems like a waste...

 

[bushidomartialarts]

Reminds me of that kid they made a movie about -- "Into the Wild." He died (either starvation or exposure) because he didn't know the area. Thought his trail had been washed out, but there was a bridge just a mile upriver.

The moral of these stories? Do your homework.

 

[granfire]

Is that recent?

I heard about a case like that 15 or so years ago...when they found him in his camper, the battery still had juice, after weeks of being stuck.

(good GPS systems are as low as 100 bucks these ays..)

 

[MA-Caver]

I read this story a little while ago and he was just three miles from town. He should have already known that. I've been stranded out before and held out a day or two... with some friends. We had enough (combined) to last us for a little while. But weather changed for the better and we headed on out.
As one who is used to walking for miles at a time I'd no problem trying to make for the nearest town. Seems to me that this guy found himself an excuse to just call it quits. He was going through the motions of survival. You know where the road is if you pulled off of it, snowstorm covering or not. You should've already been prepared for cold weather knowing the time of year and present conditions so hiking out to the nearest highway/paved road shouldn't have been too much of a problem. Generally they're plowed very soon after the snowfall... especially so close to a town. With five grand it would've been easy to get someone with a tow-truck or a winch to help get his vehicle out and he could've moseyed on his way.
Granted I don't know the whole story... if they release his diary I'd be interested in reading it and then stick or change my view of his circumstances.
I take wilderness survival very seriously. My vehicle and my back-pack is permanently packed with tools that I need for just in case. Other stuff gets loaded as they're needed for whatever it is I plan on doing and for however long I'll be doing it.

 

[Flea]

Is that recent?

Speaking as a local, yes, it's recent. We had another case of an experienced hiker who died of hypothermia last fall. She didn't know that she was only a few hundred yards from her car on the other side of a hill. She was foraging for mushrooms in an area she'd been visiting for years.

Several lessons can be drawn from these stories. For me the main lesson is never to hike alone, as my sense of direction turns to cold oatmeal at the sight of a single tree. No idea why that is, but it's been proven again and again.

 

[shesulsa]

Also local.

We've had (and continue to have every year) stories like this of hikers getting disoriented or being found only 100 feet off trail. All too often these hikers are unprepared - they go up the Horsetail Falls trail for a day hike without a backpack with water, clothing or provisions. I imagine they do this counting on the notion that since they are within a 15 minute drive to town they are safe and wouldn't get lost.

1. Don't hike alone.

2. Take provisions and be prepared.

3. Dress in layers.

4. STAY ON THE DAMN TRAIL UNLESS YOU CAN ORIENT YOURSELF WITH A COMPASS ALONE.

5. Carry some kind of signaling device - either a tracker or a cell phone and make sure it's fully charged.

It takes a lot of the three E's (education, experience and exposure) to be dropped somewhere in a forest and know exactly where you are.

 

[granfire]

Also local.

We've had (and continue to have every year) stories like this of hikers getting disoriented or being found only 100 feet off trail. All too often these hikers are unprepared - they go up the Horsetail Falls trail for a day hike without a backpack with water, clothing or provisions. I imagine they do this counting on the notion that since they are within a 15 minute drive to town they are safe and wouldn't get lost.

1. Don't hike alone.

2. Take provisions and be prepared.

3. Dress in layers.

4. STAY ON THE DAMN TRAIL UNLESS YOU CAN ORIENT YOURSELF WITH A COMPASS ALONE.

5. Carry some kind of signaling device - either a tracker or a cell phone and make sure it's fully charged.

It takes a lot of the three E's (education, experience and exposure) to be dropped somewhere in a forest and know exactly where you are.

a handy little whistle only costs a couple bucks...

 

[Carol]

Bring a gun! The sound of a pistol scares off predators, and if you shoot a gun outside enough times, you WILL get the attention of rangers/LE...which is exactly what you want if you become sick or injured in the backcountry.

 

[shesulsa]

Bring a gun! The sound of a pistol scares off predators, and if you shoot a gun outside enough times, you WILL get the attention of rangers/LE...which is exactly what you want if you become sick or injured in the backcountry.

In Oregon? Mmmm ... yeah, maybe. In Washington (right across the river), not so much.

 

[Carol]

Up here in the little states, then. Sound doesn't have as far to travel. :lol: