Most Popular Ways to Die in the Wilderness

Falling

Unroped falls are the number one cause of death in the outdoors. Most of the fatal falls occur when people are taking chances attempting to get closer to the edge of an overlook or scrambling over rocky areas. Steep snowfields are also areas that commonly lead to fatal falls.

Falling

Often the fall could have been avoided altogether had the person carefully looked over the area and chosen an alternate route. As always, be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to your footing and potentially dangerous situations.

Example Falls

Fern Shelton, 72, of St. George Utah was visiting the remote Tuweep Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park with her family. She asked her husband to take her photo at the rim. As she approached the photo point she fell over the edge, plummeting 675 feet to the rocks below. Her body was lifted out by helicopter.

Bethany Pate, 19, of Cleveland Tennessee died of injuries sustained during a fall that took place on Mt. Healy in Denali National Park. Pate was attempting to go below a rock outcropping in steep, rugged terrain when she stepped on a loose rock and fell 45 feet face-down against the rocks below.

Drowning

The second most common cause of death in the outdoors is drowning. Often drowning occurs when the victim has fallen through ice or taken on whitewater and been trapped by the strong swift current against rocks or and underwater ledge. Common outdoor drowning scenarios also include backpackers attempting to cross rain swollen streams.

Example Drownings

While snowmobiling, Daniel Harper, 51, of Bellingham Massachussets tried skimming across open water near Bryant Point on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Harper didn't make it across and fell into the ice cold water. His friends were able to eventually pull him from the water. Despite efforts to revive him, Harper died.

Unidentified remains. Date found: July 13, 1979
Washoe County Coroner Case #0487-79
White male, estimated weight 200 pounds, 71 inches tall. Decomposed body submerged in Truckee River, Lockwood area, rural Washoe County, Nevada. Clad in fisherman`s waders. "DON" tattoo on left upper arm.
Cause of Death: Drowning/Accident

Heart Attack

Outdoors enthusiasts are often older people attempting to do things they once easily did in their twenties and thirty's. Sometimes these people have not been physically active in years.

If you are going into the wilderness, it is imperative that you remain fit and not take on more than you are physically capable of. Remember, walking down a city street is far different than carrying a heavy pack over rough terrain in the heat for hours or days. If you are unaccustomed to heavy labor, take it easy for awhile. The outdoors will always be there for you and there are many ways to enjoy it without overtaxing yourself and possibly become a heart attack fatality in the wilderness.

Example Heart Attacks

While hiking on Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, Bruce Dunton, 44, of Gilsum NH complained of chest pains. He and his companions took a short break. Continuing on, Dunton again complained of chest pains. Eventually he collapsed. The incident was reported to authorities by cell phone, but the phone went dead before the exact location could not be determined. By then it was too late and the cause of death was listed as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Hypothermia

Todd Johnson died of a heart attack while hiking with friends and his dog. They had been hiking for only about 10 minutes when Johnson collapsed and fell down a steep ravine. Johnson was unconscious when his companions reached him.

Hypothermia

When you lose body heat faster to your environment than you produce it, hypothermia will eventually take place. Hypothermia taxes your physical and mental abilities. You may not even be able to think rationally or do something as simple as light a match and so succumb to exposure.

In areas of high mountains and cold weather, such as Alaska and the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, hypothermia is the number one way to loose your life while in the outdoors.

It does not have to be particularly cold for you to die of hypothermia. Young healthy individuals have been known to come under its icy grip in temperatures in the forty degrees Fahrenheit range when the wind and humidity are high. These kind of conditions can prevail in the mountains and in Arctic or sub Arctic regions at any time of the year.

Heat Stress

It is important to have proper clothing for the conditions in which you may find yourself. Knowing how to build a fire can make the difference in a survival situation.

Examples of Hypothermia

A 44 year old man was found dead outdoors in Vermont. His wet clothing included a T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, two sweatshirts, underpants, pants, socks, and boots. An empty vodka bottle was nearby. Investigators reported that he looked as though he lay down and went to sleep. Cause of death was certified as hypothermia, with alcohol intoxication as a contributing factor.

A 35 year old hiker was found dead alongside an Alaskan highway. The hiker was not clothed from the waist up and was missing a shoe. The overnight temperature was 44° F with wet and windy conditions.

Heat Stress

Your body can adapt somewhat to high heat and humidity. Especially in southern or desert areas, heat stress is one of the top ways to loose your life in the outdoors. Most people who succumb to heat stress were not yet accustomed to extreme temperatures or attempted to do too much too quickly.

Lightning

In addition to gradual acclimation, losing weight and drinking plenty of fluids are excellent ways to avoid heat stress when physically active.

There are actually four common ways to succumb to too much heat:

heat exhaustion where the body looses too much fluid, leading to fatigue and possible failure of vital organs
Heat Stroke where core body temperature rises to dangerously high levels.
Hyponatremia may lead to seizures. Hyponatremia is caused by the loss of electrolytes from profuse sweating and high water intake without electrolyte replacement.
Rhabdomyolysis is caused by the breakdown of muscle fibers during times of high heat stress. This releases kidney clogging myoglobin that can lead to renal failure.

Example Heat Stress Deaths

Ian, at 5-foot-2 and 200 pounds, was in very poor physical condition and was ill-equipped for a long desert hike in midday summer heat. Ian complained of thirst and stopped walking. He was given water, but fell unconscious. Because of the remote location of the hike and wrong information given to a rescue team, an ambulance did not arrive for two hours. By then he was dead.

Avalanche

Two hikers suffered extreme mental and physical anguish before heatstroke claimed their lives. Symptoms of heatstroke had rendered the victims incoherent and defenseless against their rising body temperatures. They were found screaming hysterically, incoherent, unable to help themselves or accept aid from the hikers who found them.

Lightning

Lightning results in the death of about 75 people per year in the United States and injures several hundred more. Most lightning related deaths related to wilderness activities happen to boaters or those caught above tree line the mountains. If you see black clouds approaching within several miles or hear or see lightening in other areas, be sure to descend the mountain quickly or get your boat to shore.

Lightning strikes do not always occur from clouds that are directly overhead. Lightning has been known to travel a couple of miles horizontally from the originating cloud, sometimes striking areas where there is only blue sky overhead.

Cliff Jump

Metal objects, tall trees or high rocks are the worst places to be near when lightning strikes. In general, the lower you can get the better off you are when when lightning threatens. Try gullies, or any place lower than you presently are. Spread the party out so that one lightning strike does not disable the entire party.

Example Lightning Deaths

Two search and rescue personnel were struck by lightning while rescuing a skier. The snowmobile was hit by the lightning flash and the driver was injured. Even though the second rescuer was over 1/4 of a mile away from the snowmobile, he too was struck by the same flash.

A hunter was killed when lightning struck his shotgun. The lightning strike also injured his partner.

Avalanche

In the United States an average of twenty two winter sports enthusiasts die each year from avalanches. Most avalanches are caused by crossing an unstable slope, which sets off a snow slide.

Flash Flood

In some areas during the summer it is easy to see where avalanches have occurred. Look for swaths of timber where all the trees have been swept away or a lot of stumps all broken off at the same height. The top of the stumps gives you an idea of the depth of the base layer of the avalanche. Had you been in these same areas in the winter or spring when the avalanche occurred you would have been in serious trouble.

Understanding avalanche dinamics and where they are likely to occur is a winter survival skill you need to know in snow country.

Do It Yourself

Number eight on the list of ways to die in the wilderness is by your own hand, or the nearest cliff. High cliffs near the roadside are particularly favorable locations because of the ease in which they are found.

Insects

Ending it all in the backcountry is much less common, possibly due to the effort to get there. If a person has the energy to go for a hike far into the wilderness, they are likely to have the wherewithal to make it through another day.

Flash Floods

Flash floods can occur just about anywhere, but are more common in very mountainous areas and in the canyon lands of the southwest. The sun may have been shining all day where you are, but there may have been a cloudburst a few miles upstream, sending tons of water and debris rampaging down the the watershed.

Never camp on the sand and gravel bars of a stream, tempting as that may be. These features are there for a reason, created by the force of water. Who wants to be awakened in the middle of the night by water, or perhaps a tree, slamming into your shelter.

Snakes

Dam releases are a form of man made flash floods and are just as dangerous as natural flash floods. When hiking, fishing, or engaging in water sports downstream of a dam, stay alert to any sudden rises in water level and get to higher ground immediately. Many dams will sound an alarm before opening flood gates. Relatively benign stretches of water can quickly become powerful torrents as the volume of water per unit of time increases with the release of water from behind a dam.

Insects

Its the little guys you have to watch out for. Diseases caused by insects kill hundreds of people every year. Rocky Mountain spotted fever, encephalitis, West Nile virus are several of the many ways people succumb to insect attack. Allergic reactions from bees, wasps, and fire ants kill up to 100 people every year.

Predators

The best way to avoid disease from insects is to apply insect repellent containing DEET. Wear clothing with pants tucked into your socks and a bug net over your head for added protection.

Snakes and Spiders

Out of the thousands of snake bites in the United States every year, only a dozen or so result in fatalities. Quick access to anti-venom has been saving many lives. Spider bites, though sometimes very painful and even debilitating, rarely cause death. Always seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Predators

Although the odds are certainly against it, personally I think predation is the manliest way to go. There is something to be said for going down fighting as opposed to in an old folks home.

The big three of predator deaths in the wilderness include:

Alligators. Alligator deaths average less than one per year in the United States, usually in the suburbs of Florida or on golf courses.
Sharks. There are about 100 shark attacks per year throughout the world. The number of people killed by sharks is about 10 to 15 every year.
Cougars. Every year about one or two people are attacked and killed by cougars. Cougar victims are usually children or small adults.
Bears. Black bears take down an average of two people per year in the United States and these attacks are usually predatory in nature. The grizzly bear, often considered more dangerous, take about the same number of people but these attacks were usually defensive in nature.

Interestingly, the data points to considering the species of bear attacking in in choosing your best means of saving yourself. During a black bear attack by all means, fight for your life, The bear is attempting to eat you. But if a grizzly bear attacks you your best bet is to play dead and no longer act as a threat.

In bear country it is always wise to keep food odors to a minimum and store food away from the campsite. While traveling make plenty of noise to warn bears of your presence and avoid surprising them.

Learn From Others Misfortune

The survivor observes and learns. Study the most popular ways to die in the wilderness and learn from the misfortune and mistakes of others. Think and act smart. Always be aware of your surroundings and potential hazards. This will serve you well and keep you from becoming a member of the top ten list of the Non-Survivors Club.

Most Popular Ways to Die in the Wilderness

Falling

Example Falls

Drowning

Example Drownings

Heart Attack

Example Heart Attacks

Hypothermia

Examples of Hypothermia

Heat Stress

Example Heat Stress Deaths

Lightning

Example Lightning Deaths

Avalanche

Do It Yourself

Flash Floods

Insects

Snakes and Spiders

Predators

Learn From Others Misfortune

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