Turner's Diary... the short saga of another lost hiker

Codger_64

Codger_64

Moderator
Joined
Oct 8, 2004
Messages
62,324
This report is unfortunately one about a recovery, not a rescue. Other than carrying a PLB, not deviating from his trip plan, or hiking with a companion, I am not sure what he might have done to change the outcome. At best, this story is an example to us all of just how quickly things can go South, an enjoyable hike becomes a survival situation.

The following article appeared in the September 10, 1998 edition of the Pinedale Roundup

Lost hiker's body found near Browns Cliffs
Journal entries chronicle hiker's last days while trapped between boulders

By Yasmin Braban
Roundup Reporter

The Fremont County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that the body found on Monday, Aug. 31, is that of Presbyterian minister Mike Turner.

A hiker found the remains in the Browns Cliffs area of the Fitzpatrick Wildemess, about 25 miles from Elkhart Park where Turner started his journey on July 30. Personal effects and the wallet found near the body indicated it was Turner.

Turner, 48, of Caldwell, Idaho, became trapped when a large rock shifted while he was walking across a boulder field, causing his legs to be trapped between two boulders, on the third day of his hike, according to the Associated Press. Unable to free himself using a camera tripod, he wrapped himself in extra clothing and his tent for warmth, and prepared meals from his backpack using nearby fuel, matches and a single-burner stove. At an elevation of 11,500 feet, Tumer melted snow to obtain liquid then tried to free a bottle of water from a rock crevice with a pair of pliers. Pinned by his legs, Turner was unable to reach water, although he was just 25 feet away from the lake's edge.

Near the body, in a Zip-Lock type plastic bag, Turner's journal was found. Turner had written personal notes to his family, and he had made a conscious effort to protect the joumal. Entries from Turner's jounal indicated that he became trapped during the afternoon of Aug. 2, and he doubted if rescue teams would find him, as he had deviated from his originally planned route, according to the Associated Press.

Turner also wrote that Andy, his labrador-mix dog, had spent a long time lying on a ledge above him. Andy was found by backpackers on Aug. 28, 17 miles east of Elkhart Park and the dog's backpack and flea collar were found among the boulders near Turner's body. The body is currently in the custody of the Fremont County Coroner in Riverton. Fremont County Coroner Larry Lee said Wednesday that following the autopsy and a review of Turner's journal, Lee determined that Turner was trapped on Aug. 2 and died on/or about Aug. 11 of exposure to the elements: hypothermia and dehydration.
Click to expand...
 
C64,

For a minute I thought you were refering to the Racist Turner Diaries ...:jerkit:

Mike turner is also the name of my congress critter too...

But sad story, sometimes when your number is up it's up...even if you are one of us prepared types...(just take a gander at arligton cemetary, penty of prepared Heros there...)
 
Now that is just a crappy situation to be stuck in. He made it about 9 days stuck in the elements; I would say he did everything he could.

Sad story.
 
Last edited:
It's really sad to hear about this.

Carry a SPOT and a Ham Radio if you're going solo.
 
bulgron said:
It's really sad to hear about this.

Carry a SPOT and a Ham Radio if you're going solo.
Click to expand...

There is mention in the Survival issue of Backpacker magazine as to turning or switching something in your cell phone to allow it to be triangulated by searchers. I'll have to reread that part to see if it is possible with all or just some cell phones.
 
hate to read things like this, but you just can't cover all the bases all the time. Luck plays more of a role in survival than we like to think.
 
Mannlicher said:
hate to read things like this, but you just can't cover all the bases all the time. Luck plays more of a role in survival than we like to think.
Click to expand...

If you really think hard about it, there are a few things he could have done to put the odds of survival a bit more in his favor. Of course we are viewing this in retrospect and without a lot of the details that might show the exact circumstance including how he was equipped, and his level of knowledge.
 
Backpaker did a several page article on him a few years ago. Very interesting and sad write up. He wrote in his journal as the days past, went from denial to being pissed to acceptance...
 
Horrendous way to go being trapped like that. Accidents on solo trips are always potentially lethal.
 
Codger_64 said:
There is mention in the Survival issue of Backpacker magazine as to turning or switching something in your cell phone to allow it to be triangulated by searchers. I'll have to reread that part to see if it is possible with all or just some cell phones.
Click to expand...

This assumes cellular service. When I get away from the beaten path I don't like to rely on my cellphone. In fact, in the future I'm planning on leaving it in the truck. The SPOT (which I don't own yet) and my ICOM IC-92AD seem like way better things to carry. Besides, it's fun to play around with HAM equipment. Next summer I look forward to seeing what contacts I can make from the top of the Sierra.

Note that I recently upgraded to an Android-based smartphone. It's heavier than the average phone and it has awful battery life. This plays a big factor in my thinking about wireless communications while on the trail.
 
ejes said:
You can read the story in full detail here. Pretty interesting and sad at the same time: http://www.backpacker.com/june_2002_feature_survival_hiker_mike_turner_wyoming/articles/4585
Click to expand...

"We knew an extended solo hike could be dangerous, but I've always believed that to live fully sometimes involves risk," she says.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Well, that does fill in a lot of details that were missing from the brief report I found and posted.

I have, over the years, put my own life in jeopardy while going solo into the wilderness. A couple of times the circumstances were quite dire, easily admitted all these years later.

Hypothermia when caught in an unexpected snowstorm, wedged tightly in a cave I had no business entering alone, caught on the river after dark with no landing in sight, running rapids at night on a wing and a prayer, encountering a hungry bear where no bears were supposed to be.

In all of this, more than anything else, I was lucky. Sure, some skill and preparedness helped. But I've made it a point to never repeat the same mistake twice. Once... you might get lucky. Twice is tempting fate. I must say I learned some valuable lessons the hard way and took them to heart.

I still travel solo. Earlier, it was because my children were too young and few other people wanted to join me on winter wilderness treks. Now, I live alone and have few friends who have the interest or the time. I suppose I can think of worse ways to go than on a wild river or mountain. So I'll keep going as long as I can. And in the meantime, I intend to keep learning from my own mistakes and the mistakes of others. Who hasn't crossed a boulder field on giant boulders that tetered like a rocking horse?
 
I have spent a great deal of time alone in a variety of environments. For me, it is part of the attraction. Should I perish on one of these trips, far better than in a hospital bed or nursing home.
 
ejes said:
You can read the story in full detail here. Pretty interesting and sad at the same time: http://www.backpacker.com/june_2002_feature_survival_hiker_mike_turner_wyoming/articles/4585
Click to expand...

Incredible story. He had the survival mindset, faith and will to live but didn't make it. What a presence of mind to write everything down that he went through. I think most people would have panicked long before him. I think the only thing that would have saved him would have been a PLB (but to be fair, most of us don't use one of those)...Another thing to bring along is a buddy. THough it is hard to experience the same solitude & closeness with God's creation with another hiker IMHO... Buddy or Beacon...

But in the end he was saved by his faith. We all die; I wonder if many of us will do it as true to his faith and with dignity through suffering as Mike Turner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top