What stupid Darwinesque stuff have you done that could have led to an expensivie search and rescue?

[taterguy]

I'll start.

I hiked the Grand Canyon with virtually no preparation or planning. I did the 18 mile hike from the South Rim down to the Colorado River and back in one day.

The signs say you're not supposed to attempt that hike in day. I ignored the signs because I didn't have a reservation at the Lodge by the river and I really wanted to see it.

I didn't have any experience doing long distance hiking when I set off. I carried minimal supplies, just some water (not enough), granola bars, and a bagel. No compass or cell phone.

It's not something I'd repeat but I have no regrets since it was one of the best experiences of my life.

What are your tales?

[Nay]

1. I didn't do it, but I ALMOST did it -- almost took a day hike into the

Dolly Sods Wilderness in WV. We got to the trailhead and had, like you, minimal supplies and were going to just wander about for the day. Luckily, we took the signs to heart and didn't go in; I later found out that plenty of people walk in and get totally lost. Totally. In just a few hundred yards.

The signs BEGGED people not to go in unless they were well-prepared.

[taterguy]

3. I'll add that to my list of places to visit

I wasn't concerned about getting lost. There aren't many trees in the Canyon and the trail is quite clear. I just wasn't entirely convinced I could make it out under my own power and a helicopter evac is quite pricey.

[jimshoes]

2. At 18 years old

my friend and I went camping for a week on the banks of the French River in Canada with a tent, some canned spaghetti, and some massively huge Bowie knives. We survived and we had a great time, but we could have easily gone Darwin, after all, we were young, alone and had a lot of Canadian beer. :9

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

4. Snowshoe backpacking on Mt. Adams

It was snowing when we left the trucks. Just a few minutes later a ranger stopped us and asked if we knew what we were doing. We lied and went on.

Snow continued to fall as we labored toward the timberline. We eventually crested a lava field as full-on whiteout conditions kicked in. Exhausted, all we could do was pound out a campsite (during which we discovered we were standing on top of about 7 feet of snow). We ate and went to sleep.

Next morning we awoke to utter darkness, and the wall of the nylon tent was pressing on our faces. Shoving the flap aside we emerged from what looked like a snowcave. My other friend's tent was invisible beneath last night's snows.

We later found out that we had hiked into one of the worst blizzards on the mountain in years, and 3 feet of snow had fallen on us since we had left the trucks.

Oh, and returning to the trucks, we discovered that the road up to our parking area had NOT been plowed. Three hours of shoveling later, we were able to get enough headway to get moving.

Still we were better off than the other folks who had gotten lost on the far side of the mountain, and were now plastered all over the TV and radio.

[ThomWV]

5. I fish offshore.

[TlalocW]

6. In high school

The youth group I was part of spent part of our annual retreat in Western Kansas close to Scott City, camping. Somewhere out there on the very flat plains are two pretty tall buttes in what could almost be a desert. One of them wasn't difficult to climb, but the other one was, and some of the more sure-footed, non-afraid of heights members (including one of our chaperones) climbed it, and I felt the need to prove myself. I got up okay, but I could tell that I was not going to be able to get down by myself. Fortunately, that chaperone was able to guide me down.

TlalocW

[dorkulon]

7. I love how the dad credited God with getting him out of there.

So why did God get him lost in the first place?

[shadowknows69]

8. One of those divine tests our comedian God is always pulling

[ecstatic]

9. The worst I've done is relied on yahoo maps and GPS navigation systems

:)

[Sugar Smack]

10. Well, it was sort of anti-Darwinesque. My boyfriend & I were working in Alaska

and we were stationed 1 and a half hours away from Ketchikan. We got stranded on an island because the guy put contaminated fuel in the boat (not knowing it was contaminated). We were stuck in a portion of Mink Bay that got all kinds of weather. We had a pack of cigs, a bottle of water and a fig newton between us. Luckily, I'd been in GS and knew how to build a fire. I had to swipe his phone to call the Coast Guard. We were rescued after 15 hours. :o

[Sugar Smack]

12. Also, I went to the state fair in NC with my best friend on a Saturday.

That was probably dumber.:crazy:

[taterguy]

14. You win.

Can't believe you lived to tell the tale

[Sugar Smack]

17. Oh, at one point the fairway was so packed,

nobody could even move. My best friend got extremely claustrophobic. She screamed "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" If a person had had a heart attack or seizure, for example, people couldn't have made space. So, I yelled, "MY BEST FRIEND'S GONNA THROW UP!" That tore it, I suppose. People magically made way.

I don't think of myself as a hero. ;-)

[Nay]

20. Now, that's risky! Esp if you ate a deep-fried Snickers bar!

[Pavulon]

11. Second Man situation

with a person in the water. I tried to help them and ended up in 8ft seas with no tether and no preserver. Very stupid.

[shadowknows69]

13. I wasn't in imminent danger by any means but.....

My family and I went canoing one day at a camp we used to rent and three of us paddled out to a small island in the middle of the lake. It was a nice day but a bit breezy as I learned later to my chagrin. I had the bright idea of going off alone in the canoe for a small journey leaving my family on the island where we were picnicking.

I ended up in a small cove that I noticed, to my horror, had these stone formations that came up to just under the surface of the water. They were like pillars and there were a lot of them. As I tried to paddle out of the area before I nailed one I noticed the wind had picked up significantly. I noticed this because it had become so strong I could no longer control the canoe any longer or navigate it out of the cove.

I basically paddled aimlessly for about the next hour, no doubt leaving my poor family pissed or bewildered, or thinking I was dead. Finally after cursing God, myself and even President Reagan for allowing us to own canoes, another boat came close enough for me to wave them over and they gave me a tow back to the island. Not my best moment in my limited nautical history.
S

[WinkyDink]

15. Traveled the U.S.--Mexican border without food/water or anyone's knowledge of where we were.

It was DESERT, people!

[Annces]

16. Walk across unsure ice of Lake Michigan

I had my dog walk in front, so he went in, I knew there was trouble. I was only about 12 or so, but I feel bad I did that to my dog.

[goodgd_yall]

18. Walking all by my lonesome

on hiking trails and on dark city streets. (I'm a woman so I feel especially vulnerable.)I actually think my odds of nothing happening are running out, so I don't do this anymore.

[charlie]

19. Freestyling rocks

Never had training or equipment, I used to just put on shorts and tennis shoes and do it. Once, I was crossing a cliff face, flat against it on a toehold ledge, when a boulder slid off onto my chest. You know those stories where granny lifts a Buick to save a kid? I had the strength to hold that rock while on my tiptoes, turn, and let it go into a ravine 30 feet below. I had yellow and black bruises on my arms and chest the next day.