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A tragic reminder to always be prepared when you hit the trail–especially backcountry trails such as the Ozark Trail: http://www.tripleblaze.com/blog/2013/01 … n-missouri
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very sad… my prayers goes to the family.
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There is much more to this story than meets the eye, this was a government hit.
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"musikron" wrote
There is much more to this story than meets the eye, this was a government hit.
Wait, what? Are you serious? 😏
Back on topic, yes, a very tragic story.
David and the boys were found Sunday morning on the bluffs near Black, Mo., with their Labrador retriever, Bear, who survived. David was pronounced dead at the scene. The boys — Dominic, 10, and Grant, 8 — were carried out of the woods and died about 2 p.m. Sunday at a hospital in Ellington, Mo.“They took my babies and worked on them for more than two hours,” Sarah Decareaux said Monday, describing the efforts of hospital employees.
Officials believe David Decareaux and the boys traveled on a hiking trail from Brushy Creek Lodge south for about 8 miles, reaching Sutton’s Bluff by about 2 p.m. By then, rain was falling, and a passer-by offered the family a ride, but David told the man they could make it back, according to the Reynolds County sheriff’s office. By evening, temperatures had dropped into the 20s.
David Decareaux had a light jacket, one son wore a fleece pullover and the other a sweater, officials said.
The trio eventually hiked the 8 miles back north, but apparently missed the turn that led to the lodge, said Reynolds County Sheriff Thomas Volner. They would have been just 20 minutes from their cabin had they made the turn. Instead, they were found Sunday morning about a mile north of the turn.
So, they were slightly prepared for the weather, but not for the large swath of bad weather that has been rolling across the south for the last few days.
However, being cold and wet can do massively bad things to you. I’ve had my core temperature down to around 96F, maybe slightly lower, and was quickly removed from the exercise when people notice my complexion was turning smurf blue. The simple task of buttoning my jacket up was nearly impossible to me, and I was pulled from the 40F and rainy weather, and sent to the local treatment center to be warmed up to normal.
Hypothermia can help you miss that trail turn, forget which direction you should be going, and generally make stupid mistakes that you wouldn’t otherwise. It took them 3 hours to get 8 miles south, and the article mentions that the rain was already falling, and I can only assume the temperature had started dropping, too. You have to figure another 3 hours, at least, easily MUCH more to get the same distance back north and go a mile further. By then, all three would likely be hypothermic and not making sound decisions.
Tragic, indeed, and I do feel sorry for the remaining members of the family. But accidents like this can be avoided. It is unfortunate that we need reminders of how to stay vigilant and be aware of your situation through means such as this.
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Yes I am serious, lot’s is going on if you just know what to look for.
[url:39qwh6nd]http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread918037/pg1[/url:39qwh6nd] -
The man was Army–he had probably spent a night or two in the field under adverse conditions–one would expect him to be a low risk candidate for such a tragedy. I think this illustrates that this can happen to anybody–particularly when planning and preparation are lacking.
I definitely feel for those left behind and wish them rapid recovery and healing.
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"skibum" wrote
The man was Army–
No, he was Air Force … and an IT tech at that.
However, news articles state that he was an experienced outdoorsman outside of his military background.
Anyway, dire circumstances in the backcountry can happen to anyone no matter how experienced. Right, Jeff?
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"maddslacker" wrote
[quote="skibum":xdm3tga2]The man was Army–
No, he was Air Force … and an IT tech at that.
However, news articles state that he was an experienced outdoorsman outside of his military background.
Anyway, dire circumstances in the backcountry can happen to anyone no matter how experienced. Right, Jeff?[/quote:xdm3tga2]
Quoted directly from the link "What was supposed to be a weekend celebration turned into a horrific tragedy this past weekend in Missouri. David Decareaux, a retired Army veteran, had taken his family on a camping trip as a surprise treat. He and two of his young sons (he and his wife have 5 children) went out for a hike on the Ozark Trail."
Was there other different info I missed? In any case, one wouldn’t expect trouble here especially given he was, as you noted, an experienced outdoorsman outside his military background.
I remember Jeff’s blog well, especially since I had a very similar experience in 95 degree temps with absolutely no cover on a 38-miler on the Maah Daah Hey trail, running out of water almost two hours from the car and nary a soul in sight. Never again.
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http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/357098 … hiker-sons
A retired Air Force veteran, Decareaux and his wife and five children moved to Millstadt late last year.http://theadvocate.com/news/4926874-123 … -no-native
…attended LSU for two years before joining the Air Force in 1997.http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr … 69c58.html
David Decareaux, who was born in Louisiana, served as an information technology specialist with the Air Force for 10 yearsMy wife and I once had a run-in with heat exhaustion after running out of water while climbing Mt Katahdin on an uncharacteristically hot day. We had brought "enough" water but the unusual weather caught us off guard. I really can happen to anyone.
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those weathermen 😈 ….
no matter what, its just pure tragedy.
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"musikron" wrote
Yes I am serious, lot’s is going on if you just know what to look for.
Yes, I’m serious – please go away.
This is such a sad, sad, sad tragedy.
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