Alaskan Snowmobilers Survive the Night
More Articles Related to NewsA Quirky Survival Story
The Anchorage Daily News in Alaska USA reports a snowmobiling trip in the Talkeetna Mountains that nearly lead to tradgedy due to poor planning and not paying attention to conditions. However there is something to be learned from this that can really come in handy to survivors who happen to be carrying along a three hundred pound snowmobile.
It seems Thomas Quirk and his son Christopher Quirk decided to take a quick snowmobile ride. The father had just bought a new Arctic Cat M1000 sled and just couldn't wait to try it out. So they parked their vehicle near the popular Eureka Lodge and headed out into the Talkeetna Mountains for a test ride of the new snowmobile.
Survival Errors
The first survival mistake the pair of snowmobilers made was they did not bother to bring along a survival kit of any sort. They had no sleeping bags or means of making a shelter. They brought no food or water. And sin of all sins while in the mountains in winter (or anywhere for that matter) they brought no means for building a fire.
The second survival mistake the Quirks made was continuing on snowmobiling even as conditions worsened. From the beginning visibility was poor and the snow was wet and deep causing their machines to frequently get stuck. The Quirks continued on nonetheless, burning up fuel and daylight at a pace they did not realize. Even though becoming exhausted from all the extra effort, Thomas and Christopher Quirk were just having too much fun to notice.
The third survival mistake then occurred. Suddenly realizing it was getting dark, the due decided to head back. Using a GPS to navigate by, Christopher made the all to common error when reading a GPS unit of getting the bearing exactly opposite to that which they to go. As a result, the Quirk's headed north further in the Talkeetna Mountains rather than back to Eureka Lodge.
Fourth survival mistake. At some point they corrected their navigational error. But they then decided they were low on gas, with no extra supply, and decided to use a cell phone to call home. They then left the trail and decided to make a bee line directly to the Eureka Lodge, which was about eight miles away as the crow flies according the GPS unit. But they found a mountain in the way.
And a tree. It seems young Christopher Quirk nearly hit a blown down tree while going 60MPH on the new snowmachine. So much for trying to conserve gas.
Survival Shelterless
It soon became apparent to the Quirks they needed a shelter to get through the night. Of course, they had limited means of making a shelter but happened upon an old shack. Here the Quirks took refuge as the temperature dropped. Even though they were dressed in warm clothing made for snowmobiling, they began to feel the effects of the cold temperatures during the dark night. The shack had an old woodstove but that was useless to them without a way to make a fire.
Upon filling the stove with wood, Thomas Quirk had a plan on how to start a fire without matches. Quirk popped up the cowling on the snowmobile, screwed out a spark plug and had Christopher try to start the machine with the towel held near the plug. It started sparking and arcing and then the towel went up in flames.
Fire is the means of survival in winter and as long as the Quirks could maintain a fire their chances of survival were excellent. They were able to stay warm and melt snow for drinking water. But of course keeping a fire going all night can be a chore.
Even though the cell phone was not working, all they had to do now was hunker down and wait. Sure enough, shortly before nightfall the next day they heard a helicopter. Grabbing a mirror they found in the cabin, the Quirks were able to signal using the mirror and were rescued by the Alaska State Troopers Helo 1 helicopter.
As survivor Christopher pointed out, "It was quite the adventure, but I don't know that I ever want to go through it again. It was the trip from hell."
Survival Analysis
Poor planning plain and simple. In all the excitement at having a new toy, the lucky survivors headed out into a mountainous winter environment with virtually no backup plan. Very poor winter survival skills indeed.
Each of the Quirks should have had with them a basic survival kit making up the 15 Survival essentials. Especially lacking were the means of easily making a fire, a shelter, and extra food and water. Extra gas and an axe for chopping firewood could have come in handy also. These items should always be taken on any trip into the outdoors no matter how short, as a matter of course.
It also concerns me that after taking a GPS reading the quirks went off 180 degrees, or exactly in the opposite direction, to their intended course back to safety. It is easy to misread a GPS unit in this way, which is why one must take care to keep in mind the general lay of the land AND bring along a compass. Had the Quirks consulted a compass and map in addition to the GPS reading, they should have quickly found the correct direction of travel.
I am thinking the Quirks were relying totally on a GPS unit for navigation and had no compass or map. This is another common mistake people make. Sometimes a fatal mistake GPS units can fail for a variety of reasons and a map and compass backup are vital. By relying totally on a GPS unit to navigate unknown areas you are setting yourself up to become lost or unable to get from point A to point B due to natural obstructions like rivers and mountains.
Once again, I think too many people are relying upon cell phones to get them out of trouble, and so feel safe when taking more risks than ever before. And, as the Quirk family learned, cell phones do no always work.
Cell phones and GPS units are modern technologies that all too often fail, yet people often rely upon them to get them out of emergencies. The learned survivor expert knows better. To survive in the wilderness, rely upon yourself first and foremost, not technology.
Not having the means of making a survival shelter was another terrible mistake. It was just by luck that they stumbled upon a cabin for shelter. A real student of survivor does not trust to luck to get by.
The Quirks also broke the cardinal rule of always have a means to make a fire. A firesteel is best, followed by butane lighters and waterproof matches. Better yet, carry all three methods of making a fire with you at all time.
To the elder Quirk's credit, he was able to start a fire using the spark plug method. Not everybody would have thought of that and I like the idea. Starting a fire with a spark plug gap could come in handy.
In addition, the elder Quirk also recognized the usefulness of a signal mirror in a survival situation. Of course, there should have been a signal mirror in their non-existant survival kit and they were lucky there was one in the cabin.
Why do I think we will be hearing about the Quirks again?
California
I cant believe these guys survived in Alaska during the winter.
Two Rivers, Alaska
Most snowmobilers learn early on to test fire a spark plug out of an engine to see if there is spark- trouble shooting a non-running/flooded engine.. you press the threads of the plug against part of the engine to ground it out- on older machines we used cooling fins on the cylenders housing. Tools to pull a plug is simple, all machines come with a tool kit-- even the newest machine can oil foul plugs at a fast rate and changing them often while ridding can be expected.
I will add too, that if the plug is NOT grounded when you try this, after a try or two, you will FRY the coil and the ignition systed. it'll never spark after that, let alone run again. Was rather good thinking though. I've been ridding since i was verry little, have been here my whole life and have never heard of anyone starting a fire like that before.
Those two fools are lucky to be alive. I will not say that i have always been better prepared than that, i have been worse prepared in fact... but not that far out, in unfamiliar territory.
In this countryside, with what it can do to you, if you are far enough out to need a GPS or Map, or far enough that a road is not within' a single mile(generous too) walk in at least one direction, you need enough supplies to keep you alive for a few days.
You are welcome to share this Survival Topic with others. I only request that you use a short blurb (not the entire survival content) and this code to
link to the origional:
Utah