Said Van Tilburg, “The stories that made the cut were selected partly for their fantastic nature, but also because they highlight important lessons that show what to do – or just as often, not do — in a life-threatening situation. In many cases, the people on this list made critical errors which led to the predicament they found themselves in, or at least prolonged it. Thankfully, all of the people on the list did enough things right to ensure their survival. That and a healthy dose of dumb luck didn’t hurt either!”

1. Woman survives four days in Oregon forest. After plummeting off a 50-foot cliff and fracturing her leg in two places, 28-year-old Pamela Salant of Portland, Oregon, survived for three frigid August nights in the rugged Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, wearing only a tank top and shorts.  She had no cell phone and no water. How she did it: Salant ate wild berries and caterpillars, drank from creeks, used moss for warmth, bandaged a cut with her underwear and used her upper body strength to drag herself down a canyon to the shelter of thick trees. She was plucked from the wilds by an Oregon National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk. The lesson learned: even for a short hike, take the 10 essentials including a cell phone, proper clothing and a small survival kit. In this case, Salant got lucky: instead of staying put, she moved deeper into the wilderness, farther from rescuers, which likely prolonged her ordeal.
   

   Salant recovering in hospital following 3-day ordeal.

2. Man survives two days in Pacific Ocean. After the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan in March, many miraculous survival stories began to emerge. Top of the list concerned 60-year-old Hiromitsu Shinkawa from Minamisouma, who returned to his home to fetch items, only to be whisked away by the flooding. He grabbed the nearest potential flotation device at hand – the recently separated tin roof of his house –on which he floated in the Pacific Ocean for two days, drifting 10 miles off shore. A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer eventually rescued him. How he did it: He improvised. He looked for the closest object that offered the strongest flotation potential, grabbed it and clung for dear life. The lesson learned: Never go back to the scene of the disaster; instead, seek high ground. Also, for an urban crisis, pack a 72-hour emergency kit. that includes a communication device, clothing, food, water and depending on where you live, a life jacket.
3. Hiker survives 17 days in Brazil jungle. Denise Ciunek, a 38-year-old Brazilian woman set out to solo hike the 25-kilometer Caminho do Itupava, a steep 17th century track up the Serra do Mar Mountains in southern Brazil. When accosted by a gunman, she fended off attack—and imminent rape— by jumping into a river. She lost the trail, and was rescued 17 days later. How she did it: she holed up in a valley between waterfalls and waited for help. The lesson learned: unless you have the tools and skills to navigate, it’s best to stay put. Oh yeah, and don’t hike solo. There’s strength in numbers.
4. Mother, daughter and friend survive three days in Death Valley. After following a dashboard-mounted GPS named “Neil,” Donna Cooper of Pahrump, Nevada, took several wrong turns in her car, got lost, and ran out of fuel. She kept asking the GPS to take her home, but the electronic device led Cooper, 62, her 17-year-old daughter, Gina, and her friend, Jenny, down abandoned dirt roads. This was Death Valley in August. In 100+ degree heat. The problem was that her GPS (thanks for nothing, Neil!) relied on outdated maps and led the woman in circles 128 miles off route. How she did it: Cooper and the two teens stayed alive for three days by finding shade, and then located a private travel trailer with running water and a few cans of food. Gina Cooper’s boss alerted authorities that she was missing and the three were eventually spotted and rescued by a search and rescue helicopter.  The lesson learned: GPS is useful and convenient but not 100% reliable. Keep one foot in the analog world — take a map, a compass, a signaling device and follow road signs. Oh, and stop me if you heard this song before: tell someone where you are going and when you are expected to return.
5. Woman and son survive tornado in North Carolina. “I flew a football field length in a bath tub,” recalled Cindy Busick, who survived a tornado by climbing in a bathtub. Part of a record-setting tornado season with 25 touching down in North Carolina alone, this twister ripped through at 140 mph and leveled Busick’s 4,500 sq. ft Sanford, North Carolina home. How she did it: after the tornado had propelled her and the bathtub a distance of 75 yards from her home, Busick crawled under the tub, using it as a shield and rode out the remainder of the storm. The lesson learned: In tornados and earthquakes, dive in bath tubs, stand under door jambs, crawl under big desks, or back up against a brick wall.  Taking coverbehind such barriers will increase the odds you’ll make it through harsh weather in one piece.
   

   NC resident Cindy Busick (pictured right) post-tornado following her unbelievable bathtub ride.

6. Canadian woman survives seven weeks in forest. In March, Rita Chretien, a 56-year-old British Columbia resident, was lost with her husband Raymond in Nevada’s Humboldt National forest when their car got mired in mud. Her husband left the car to seek help after being stranded for three days and as of this post is still missing. The couple wasn’t reported missing for 10 days, when they didn’t return home to Canada. How she did it: Ms. Chretien stayed with the car, rationed her scant trail mix, and ate snow. Although losing nearly 30 pounds, she was found alive by a group of off-road-vehicle riders after 49 days.  The lesson learned: stay with the car and (here it comes) tell someone where you are going; for trips longer than a weekend, schedule check-in points by phone. Also, eating snow in subzero temps is not advisable: it lowers your core body temperature and can spur hypothermia. Rita Chretien had luck on her side. Don’t test yours. Pack a survival kit with an all-weather firestarter and stainless steel container for melting snow into water.
7. Couple trapped for five days in roadside ditch. John and Pat Norvell, both age 63, traveled from their home in Vancouver, Washington, to the snow-laden mountains in Cougar, the foothills of Mount St. Helens. On snowy roads, their car slid into a ditch and they got stuck, despite having four-wheel drive. What’s more: both the Norvells are diabetic. They were found five days later, after Mr. Norvell was able to flag down another motorist. How they did it: they rationed water and intermittently turned on the car to run the heat. And they stayed put. The lesson learned: use caution when traveling in foul weather on mountain roads. Four-wheel drive doesn’t make your car invincible. When stuck, stay with your car and break out your vehicle emergency kit. Always carry one.

Chris Van Tilburg, M.D., is the editor of WMS’s Wilderness Medicine Magazine and the author of eight books on the outdoors. His most recent book is Mountain Rescue Doctor. Van Tilburg is also a member of Hood River Crag Rats Search & Rescue Team. He lives in Bend, Oregon.

On this day we were “blessed” with rain, making our water crossing on the Dixie Pass difficult to say the least. Our party of 12 had almost reached the last campsite before the pass when I slipped during a water crossing, severely gashing my knee open in the process. While I could not see the wound initially due to the rain pants I was wearing, I knew it was severe. I put my pack down and walked away from the group about 15 feet, unzipped the pants down the leg to the knee and assessed the damage.

Blood was running freely and I made those standing within earshot aware of the damage. They quickly came over to assist, pulling my pack over to sit on once they removed the Weekender First Aid kit and Suture kit from it. Fortunately, one of my compatriots is a doctor, who has always performed this type of work in the sterile doctor’s office or operating room, not out in the wild. I seriously think he was more nervous about all this then I! I, of course, was more than happy that I did not have to stitch myself up. As a Marine, I’ve had to do it before. Fortunately, the sky had cleared up about two hours previous, so we had great sunlight to work with. The doctor worked quickly with the assistance of another fellow camper acting as nurse and placed seven stitches into my knee once the wound had been cleaned up.

Later that evening we used a syringe we set aside loaded with Iodine to clean the wound and then bandaged it again. The doctor was very impressed with the kits contents! I’ve already ordered another Suture Syringe Kit and have to say, your products are worth their weight in gold! Thanks for putting together such a well thought-out product!

–Johnny Hernandez

AMK Response: Thanks for the feedback, Johnny. On your next trip, it wouldn’t hurt to throw in a pack of QuikClot Sport Silver, too, should you ever need — and fingers crossed you don’t — a more powerful method for stopping problem bleeding.

Hello,

I would like to take a moment to give a heartfelt thanks to you guys. If it wasn’t for your HeatSheets Emergency Bivvy, we would not be here today.

Click image to view video of climber Paul Warman's rescue near summit of Bugaboo Spire.

Long story short, in August 2008, myself and a friend were trapped on the top of Bugaboo Spire in a bad storm awaiting rescue for 56 hours. When pulled, we were hypothermic, out of food, water and hope. The silver emergency blanket we had taken along was shredded by the wind and we were forced to spend the final 20 hours on a super narrow ledge with your Heatsheets blanket “bag,” which we sliced to cover us both.  It was probably about the most intense field test one could subject a product to — high altitude, UV,  snow and rain, windy as hell, etc. I still have the tattered remains of the bag. It did the job where the others had failed miserably the first night. This thing kept going – providing a 20 degree increase in temperature, I’m guessing — and was enough to keep us alive.

As a climber who tends to be a bit on the cheap side, I had seen your bivvies at Mountain Equipment Co-op before the climb and thought that they were too expensive. I opted instead to buy a cheapo silver one – BIG MISTAKE.  Following my experience on Bugaboo Spire, I don’t even let friends go out without your Heatsheets Bivvy on trips. If they complain about the price, I calmly pose the question, “How much is your life worth?” and then slap a new one in their hands.  Because there is no doubt that the durability of the silver ones just doesn’t hold up.

In fact, I still have both blankets from the trip (or what’s left of them) and the silver ones look like a shredded sheet of clear polyester. Yours, although no longer really usable (crampon spikes don’t like anything soft), would still work in a bind.  The bright orange coating helped greatly in enabling the helicopters to locate us when the whiteout cleared for a few quick seconds, allowing for a quick extrication off of the mountain.  By “quick,” I mean there was only a four-minute window for the next bunch of days, which means if we hadn’t gotten off the ledge when we did we would not be here today.

My message to you fine folks is of genuine heartfelt thanks. Your Emergency Bivvy Works! Others just fail in comparison.

Sincerely,

Paul Warman,

Cochrane, Alberta

The younger Mason had been solo hiking near Mount Clay when he hurt his ankle, tried to take a shortcut through a river pass and got lost. Rapidly melting snow had swollen the river, making it impossible to cross and Mason was subsequently forced to hunker down for the next three days, before being found by rescuers.

Mason after 3-day ordeal in White Mountains

What’s not so gratifying, certainly for the Mason household, was when the N.H. government slapped Scott with a bill for $25,734.65 to cover the cost of a three-day search and rescue mission it had initiated after he was reported missing. Even though Mason, an Eagle Scout, showed tremendous survival savvy — at night he slept in the crevice of a boulder for shelter and used an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to start fires — the N.H. government determined that he was negligent because he veered off of a marked path and did not adequately anticipate the problems that melting snow would pose in finding a route back down the mountain.

Mason has since hired a lawyer to negotiate a settlement. One of Mason’s scoutmasters also started a Facebook page  — “Rescue Scott Mason – Again” — to help raise money to offset the hefty fine and the family’s legal costs, which according to a recent wall post now total $5,000.

Currently, New Hampshire is one of eight states with laws on the books that allow it to recoup the costs of search and rescue missions. However, lately New Hampshire is the only state that has attempted to bill people. Last year, it strengthened the law, allowing it to suspend the hiking, fishing and driver’s licenses of individuals who refuse to pay.

In a recent AP article, New Hampshire State officials argued that the threat of a fine should encourage outdoor enthusiasts to be better prepared before they head out on the trail. Not all in search and rescue (SAR) services, however, are convinced of the benefits of this policy.

Dr. Chris Van Tilburg, editor of Wilderness Medicine magazine and a member of Crag Rats Mountain Rescue, located in Hood River, OR, says the law is highly problematic.

“If hikers or climbers are concerned about the costs they may face, they may put off calling for help, which can hinder their chances for survival,” says Van Tilburg, who was part of the team that attempted to rescue three climbers who became stranded on Mt. Hood, in 2006.

“We don’t charge people requiring law enforcement or fire department services, so charging for SAR services seems unfair,” he added.

What do you think? Should outdoor enthusiasts who aren’t prepared be charged for search and rescue missions? Should Scott Mason have been fined?

They proceed to empty their backpacks, which is when we see the Adventurer kit, strewn amongst clothes and other items.

Spoiler Alert: Zev and Justin are ultimately eliminated by the end of show. Oh, well. Good to know reality TV stars select the best medical kits available.

It’s not the first time Hollywood has taken an interest in AMK’s products. A few years ago, an episode of The Ghost Whisperer included the Pocket Survival Pak.  AfterBite had a walk-on in the 2007 Scarlett Johansson flick The Nanny Diaries. And more recently, the producers of Survive This, hosted by survival expert Les Stroud, used several of AMK’s survival kits and bivvies.

Upcoming: AMK’s AfterBite insect bite and sting treatment as well as Natrapel 8 hour and Ben’s insect repellents are slated to appear in the new disaster flick 2012, due out November 13th .

If you see an AMK product in a movie or TV show, e-mail us at questions@adventuremedicalkits.com and — if  we haven’t heard of it — we’ll send you a prize.

Dear AMK:

I just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much I enjoy your medical kits. I’ve used them for several years when traveling in Colorado and Moab. They’ve always served me well when an injury occurs. With this experience, when it came time to update the first aid kit for my SWAT Team I choose to use Adventure Medical Kits. Well, it turned out to be a great choice! Last week we were conducting our “SWAT Applicant Test” and we were on the Missouri River bluffs, outside Leavenworth, Kansas conducting some land navigation courses when one of the SWAT applicants collapsed. We immediately moved the applicant to a cliff and I began evaluating his injury. The first thing I did was grab my AMK “Adventurer” kit and pulled out the “The Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine”. The guide helped me determine that the applicant was suffering from heat stroke and shock. I immediately treated him based on the guide’s advice. We summoned an ambulance and had to evacuate the applicant off the cliff and over a quarter mile down the river bluff and through some dense woods. I’m please to say, that after a two day stay in a local hospital the SWAT applicant is back at work.

I can not stress enough how much your product has helped me in critical
situations and therefore you’ll have a customer for life.

Sincerely,
Paul Carrill, Captain, Platte County Sheriffs Department

I am happy to report that your survival kit helped me to survive an unplanned night in Point Reyes this past January. A friend and I went hiking around Abbott’s Lagoon. At the end of the trail, we walked along the beach. It was an overcast, cold day and we didn’t realize how late it was and so it was almost sunset when we headed back towards the trail. It seemed simple enough to follow the beach along until we saw the trail that went around the lagoon. But we got completely disoriented and were not sure where to pick up the trail. We tried to follow close to the lagoon to pick up the trail but this didn’t work (In the morning we realized that had walked to a much further end of the lagoon.) We were lost. And it was already cold.

Before we left for the hike, I returned to my car to get my hat. When I went back I noticed my Survival Kit, which I usually leave in the car. I bought it after I read about the Kim family who had been trapped in the wilderness, in their car, which scared the heck out of me. I took the kit along with me as an after thought. Afterall, it was only a 4 mile hike and it was on a well marked trail in Point Reyes. I rarely bring the survival gear with me for such a short adventure.

Well, we spend thirteen hours there in the darkness as it was January. It got down to the low 20s. We were right near the ocean so we didn’t have a lot of coverage. Luckily we found a little area that was mostly protected from the harsh wind that was blowing. It took us a long time but we were able to build a fire with your kit and keep it going all that time. It’s amazing how much wood it takes to keep a fire going that long.

The sky was cloudy and at one point it started to drizzle. But that only lasted a little bit. Very early in the morning, the clouds passed and we could see the star filled sky. I’ve never felt such relief! In the morning, we were able to find our way back to the trail. We weren’t that far from it, but who knows what would have happened if we had kept wandering around the night before.

Bringing the kit was a last minute decision. I don’t know what instinct made me do that or what angel was looking out for me, but I am so thankful that I took it. I know that hypothermia in windy, cold weather can set in quickly. And there is no more vulnerable feeling than being disoriented in the wilderness at night. I am thankful that we were able to stay put for the long night and set out in the morning. The tools in your kit helped save our lives. So thank you.

Also, it says that if we use this kit, we’re eligible for a replacement. We used most of the tinder, pencil, duct tape. I’d love to get a replacement!

Thanks for the life-saving kit!

Sincerely,
Tara, Oakland Ca.

AMK Response:

Tara- Thanks for passing this story along to us.  We love to hear that our kits are helping people enjoy the outdoors safely, and it’s great that you were able to stay warm during a very challenging situation.  We’re based in Oakland and familiar with the Pt Reyes area (and its winds), so you impressed everyone in the office by being able to get a fire going in that environment.

I’ll put a package of some replacement supplies together and send it your way.

Thanks again! The Team at AMK

Crossing the finish line!!

The race began on August 14th and Team iMoat finished the race in Rapid City, SD after approximately 7 Days 11 Hours of racing. Congratulations to Team iMoat and Kyle on their incredible race!

Kyle after mountain biking and waiting for his turn on the ropes course.

Update from Eco Primal Quest : The sixth team to complete the 2009 Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT is Team iMoat, who arrived as the finish line a short time ago. Amongst their requests, other than the pizza, ice cream, and champagne that was awaiting them, was for a bottle of shampoo. I think the team is ready to hit the showers.

The 600 mile race was the longest Primal Quest event to date and one of the most challenging adventure/endurance races of all time. The Badlands are a challenging and brutal section of terrain to navigate – just look at the picture below – the view for as far as the eye can see…..

Team OrionHealth.com finished the race in first place in approximately 6 days 10 hours followed closely by Team Salomon/Crested Butte and Team Merrell/Zanfel.  The final standings are still undecided until the race directors have a chance to review and assess possible time penalties.

I took an Ultralite .5 First Aid kit and added these Adventure Medical Kit items: 1 person HeatSheets Blanket, Signal mirror, Firestarter, & Whistle.

It is compact, fits easily in a pocket and weighs about 7 oz. Plus it looks cool!

My two cents. Kurt

Response:

Thanks for the comment Kurt! Our Product Development team loves to hear feedback from our customers about how they use our products.  Keep the ideas coming….

If you have a story or product idea to share with us, you can submit the info using this form.

I just came back from a ten day surf trip down to Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica and I had to send you some photos because to be honest, my Adventure Medical Kit saved my entire trip. I got the World Traveler kit last summer when I went down to Costa Rica to surf the first time because it was designed for travel to Third World Countries.  This time that kit came in handy as I ended up taking a fin above my eye and getting a minor gash in my forehead.

I was very lucky and the only other person in the water was an American ER Doc and he ended up stitching me up that morning in a restaurant allowing me to go out and surf a four hour session later that afternoon.  Without the kit, my surf trip could have been over.

Thanks!

David S.

Got a story to share? Click here to send us a message!

The fog hit hard on the morning of November 23^rd and I awoke knowing that something was not quite right. Although the Big Sur area is well known for its low visibility and dense fog, I knew that I should be able to see more than I currently could. That’s when my longtime friend and trusty campmate, Todd, looked at me from across our tent and politely exclaimed, “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!”.

Before I could decide if I was more offended or more worried, I couldn’t help but look back at Todd and ask him the exact same question.

After a bit of bickering about who was uglier and the nuances of backpacking without deodorant for several days, we came to the obvious conclusion that something was wrong with both of our faces.

Let me rewind a bit – The trip started out as planned near the Andrew Molera wilderness area in the rugged central California coast. After a few days of surfing, hanging out at the beach and “testing” some of AMK’s Freshbath and Hand Cleans products on our deodorant-less bodies, we settled into a nice camp site overlooking the ocean. The night unfolded as they usual do – a nice big dinner of freeze dried food, far-fetched stories about the awesome waves, great weather and adventures of years past and a roaring campfire.

At some point not too long after this, either Nate or Todd (depending on who you ask) volunteered to gather one last armful of firewood to warm us up before the long night. It was not until the next morning and our respective “face woes” that we realized that this was no normal firewood – someone (depending on who you ask) had accidentally gathered a large bundle of Poison Oak (poison ivy to all you east coasters) and inadvertently burned it all. If anyone is familiar with Poison Ivy and Oak, you probably know that standing over a fire of the burning toxic oil is not really a great idea.

So there we were the next morning – both of us with both eyes swelled shut and itching like mad men. Although it’s almost funny in retrospect, Poison Ivy and Oak reactions, particularly with combustion, can be quite severe if not deadly and we were lucky to have each other to solve the problem. Being trained in Wilderness First Aid and familiar with reactions of all sorts, I quickly pumped both of us full of as many Diphenhydramine (benadryl) as was recommended in Dr. Weiss’ book. This reduced our swelling enough to be able to see clearly, soothed our itchy bodies, and allowed us to hike the several miles back to our car without an ambulance or airlift. Another adventure saved by an Adventure Medical Kit and another great lesson learned about being very careful when gathering firewood.

-Nate is AMK’s Product Manager. He takes his work seriously and rigorously tests all kits that he designs. From now on – you can count on him putting lots of Diphen in as many kits as possible.

Here is a story about my Ultralight & Watertight .5 that I am sure you will enjoy.

I have lunch with my parents every Tuesday while they are volunteering at the local hospital. A few weeks ago I was walking thru the hospital parking lot at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center, Cambridge, Ohio, when I recognized a client of mine. He is in his early 80’s and also volunteers. His shift starts at 1 pm. He had just stood up after tripping and falling on a curb in the parking lot. We walked into the hospital lobby/waiting room and I used the supplies in my medical kit to wipe up some blood on his cut fingers, and scrapped knee. I put some antiseptic on his knee, and put Band-Aids on his fingers and knee because NONE of the employees in the hospital in the lobby/waiting room or at the front desk had anything. No Band-Aids, no gauze, absolutely nothing. Employees and nurses went to look for Band-Aids, gauze, and some antiseptic and could not find any. Absolutely nothing!! I have to say that again. Absolutely nothing!!

So here you have it. This Ultralight and Watertight .5 medical kit was of more use to him than the entire hospital and these hospital employees and nurses running around like chickens with their heads cut off looking for supplies.

Adventure Medical Kits saves the day again.!

Do you have a story to tell or a comment to share? Click here to tell us….

I wanted to advise you of a recent accident that I had while hiking in Northern New York State. I have attached a news article from the New York State Department of Conservation. The article does not specifically mention one of your products but I want to advise you that it helped save my life. I purchased the Thermo Lite Emergency Bivy Sack at Eastern Mountain Sports, and I stayed in this shelter during my long night out. Please read the article attached and be advised that I truly can say that I was glad that I had this with me. This item along with food and staying hydrated kept my body temperature at 97 degrees for almost 18 hours while I was stuck outside, in temperatures that dropped to -23.

Thank you again,

Peter B.

Read the story here….

http://www.dec.ny.gov/environmentdec/30547.html

Do you have a story to tell or a comment to share? Click here to tell us….

At AMK, we hear stories all the time from our loyal customers about our products saving the day! We love to hear from you and we think that others will too…..

Do you have a story to tell or a comment to share? Click here to tell us….