This is a good read.  The book has pretty decent maps so you can follow along as the characters do.  Aside from being a true adventure story, it has lessons to be learned by the mistakes the two lost men make- and I also think- the rescuers.

I am in the middle of this book right now. I always felt comfortable and carefree wandering around in the woods. This book has me questioning all that.

After reading these posts, I will have to see for myself what a read this is!
About 10 yrs back, i took a river canoe trip with two guys in N Ontario. Can't recall the name right now but I do remember when the outfitter picked us up  he related how he had just come off a search for a missing camper?
Turns out this guy got up in the middle of the night from his tent camper and went to have a BM in the woods. Being half-asleep, he wandered out far enough he couldn't see his camper and wandered for 4 days until he was found!!!
All he had on was his boxers/briefs, no t-shirt or shoes!!
He had manage to get a couple miles away before he made a decision that probably saved his life??
He stayed put, coated himself with mud to keep the bugs off and covered himself with dry leaves.
He hollered for help every so often figuring someone had to be looking??
Luckily for him, there was and he was found safe but dehydrated and bug bit beyond recognition.
Its hard to believe you could get that disoriented a few steps from safety, but it happens and sometimes the ending isn't a happy one

Just started this book yesterday, funny didn't notice this thread until today    So far a good read and more interesting because of my interest in the area.

Anybody notice at the beginning how the author slighted (maybe not the right wording) fisher maps----it reinforced my own paranoia  for checking both maps and cross referencing them for differences and mistakes.

Tim

The_Beaver wrote on Feb 17^th, 2007 at 3:14pm:


I just got done with that part! My interpretation was that his fisher maps only showed one trail (the author kept referring to the McKenzie maps and how those maps had the old trail marked as well )---so he assumed that as long as he just followed the trail he'd be fine.

I think the author was trying to show how at different points in the story how seemingly little things could have a major affect on the outcome. Like how he was in REI just inches from a McKenzie map--if he would have just looked at the map he would have seen how the trail would split off and would have known to expect it. Another turning point would be what you said--not checking the map when there seemed to be two trails--even though his map did not have both trails it may have given him some indication on which one to pick.

That's why I like this read---it is just like everyday life--sometimes seemingly insignificant choices can have a major impact. In this case the impact of the choices are amplified due to the life/death situation. I better get back to the book

Tim