Brooks Range hiker rebuked for rescue
Originally published Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 12:12 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 8:46 a.m.
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!FAIRBANKS — Even though she was paid $210, the idea of renting a room and feeding a meal to Dave Roberts didn’t sit well with Jamie Klaes, manager of the Bettles Lodge.
It would have been different had Roberts paid the bill, but the fact that the Alaska Air National Guard paid for his room and board rubbed Klaes the wrong way.
“It felt like he was being rewarded for stupidity,” Klaes said on Monday, three days after Roberts was rescued by helicopter from an isolated area in the Brooks Range by the Alaska Air National Guard. “He got a free hotel room with a Jacuzzi tub, free meals, a free rescue.
“Then he had the audacity to complain that we didn’t have the Internet here,” she said.
The fact that Roberts, an Australian who was trying to walk almost 100 miles across the Brooks Range wilderness when he set off a long-distance distress call on Friday, didn’t appear to be hurt or sick made Klaes question why the federal government would spend thousands of dollars to rescue him and then set him up with free and room and board.
“He didn’t seem injured in any way,” Klaes said. “In my own opinion, he should have had to fly out in a chartered plane by himself.”
Instead, the Air Guard gave Roberts a helicopter ride to Eielson Air Force Base, where he told Alaska State Troopers he didn’t need or want any help, medical or otherwise. One of the rescuers told Jamie Klaes the rescue could cost in the neighborhood of $60,000, she said.
Topping the whole thing off for Klaes is the fact that she and her family, who own the lodge and Bettles Air Service, refused to fly Roberts out to be dropped off for his expedition back in late September because he didn’t have what they believed to be adequate gear for the trip he was planning. Another air taxi in Bettles ended up flying him out to his destination.
“We saw it coming a long ways off,” Klaes said of Roberts rescue. “We pretty much assumed he was either going to have to get rescued or die out there.”
Goofy guy
Klaes’ brother, Tyler, a pilot, met Roberts back in September when he showed up and wanted a flight out to Nutuvukti Lake, about 75 nautical miles west of Bettles.
“He was kind of a goofy guy,” Tyler Klaes said.
He described Roberts as being in his early to mid-40s and in average shape. He claimed to be from Australia but had no accent, he said.
“We thought he was some hard-core extremist or he didn’t have a clue,” Tyler Klaes said. “It turned out he didn’t have a clue.”
Right from the start, it was easy to see that Roberts wasn’t prepared, Tyler Klaes said. Roberts had mailed winter gear to Bettles but it didn’t show up before he was scheduled to fly out.
“He had ordered all this stuff that he had never tried on or worn before,” Tyler Klaes said. “We told him to go back to Fairbanks and gear up and he said, ‘I don’t have the money for that.’”
Roberts ended up buying a used pair of Carhartt coveralls, used bunny boots and used musher mitts from a local resident, Tyler Klaes said.
“He had second-hand gear that barely fit him,” he said. “The only thing he had going for him was he had a really good Arctic Oven Tent and he was going to have to haul that and all his food in a sled behind him.”
Roberts had no idea how many miles the distance he planned to hike was and wasn’t familiar with the area, Tyler Klaes said. He chose the lake because he liked the name, Klaes said. Roberts told him he planned to write a book.
“I haven’t seen anybody this clueless in a long time who was so determined to get there,” Tyler Klaes said. “The whole idea was ludicrous.”
Jay Jespersen from Brooks Range Aviation was the pilot who flew Roberts to his starting point. While Jespersen was skeptical about Roberts’ plan to hike 100 miles across the wilderness, he was willing to fly him out into it.
“I’m an air taxi operator; if that’s what they want to do that’s what I do,” he said. “If you think you can go out and deal with environment, go ahead.”
Rescue initiated
Alaska State Troopers say the rescue began with a distress call sent to a control center in Texas on Friday morning. The locator beacon was registered to Roberts and showed that he was located in the Brooks Range. The center contacted the troopers’ Anchorage office, which notified the Alaska Air National Guard at the Anchorage Rescue Coordination Center.
“We were told he had possible frostbite and some kind of gastrointestinal pain,” specialist Maggie Moonin with the RCC’s public affairs office said. “Our best bet was to go out there and take the man to get help to where he needed it.”
The RCC dispatched a Hercules C-130 plane and Pavehawk helicopter from Anchorage and located Roberts about 5:20 p.m. about 50 miles west of Bettles. He had traveled approximately 30 miles in two months.
Rescuers could not land because of bad weather and instead dropped a satellite phone to Roberts, who had a campfire burning. Using the phone, Roberts told rescuers he was not in need of immediate help but was experiencing early signs of frostbite and he possibly had giardiasis, Moonin said. Giardiasis is an intestinal infection caused by a parasite.
The rescuers returned to Bettles until the weather improved. They returned to pick Roberts up at approximately 1:30 a.m. and then went back to Bettles to spend the night.
When Roberts returned to Bettles after being rescued, there were two boxes that had been mailed to him and he was upset there wasn’t a third box, Jamie Klaes said.
“He was totally rude,” Klaes said. “He told me he was upset that we didn’t have one of the boxes.”
As he walked out the door, Roberts said he planned to come back to Bettles next year to try his expedition again, Klaes said.
Training mission
A trooper picked Roberts up at Eielson Air Force Base and drove him to Fairbanks, Trooper Sgt. Chad Goeden said.
“We dropped him off at a hotel here, and he was making plans to fly back to Australia,” Goeden said on Tuesday.
Goeden didn’t talk to Roberts, and the trooper who did was not on duty Tuesday.
“I did see the guy walk by and he was wearing some sewn up canvas mukluks so he obviously had some footware problems” Goeden said.
It’s not the Air Guard’s job to determine whether somebody needs to be rescued, Moonin said. They were simply responding to a distress call, she said.
“If we’re told someone is distressed or in need of assistance, we can’t go out there and say, ‘You look fine. Let’s go back,’” she said. “Our guys went out there did their job. They did what they’re supposed to, and we’re going to keep doing it to make sure people stay safe within Alaska.”
As for the cost of the rescue, Moonin said she didn’t know how much it cost, only that it was paid for with federal funds and it’s considered a training mission.
“I’m sure it wasn’t cheap but in the same respect it gives our guys good, solid training doing what they’re supposed to do,” Moonin said. “It’s a shame tax dollars go to pay for this but at the same time it’s better than taking some dummy out in the middle of nowhere and saving it.”
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
Man, I can't wait to see the comments on this one! If there's ever a guy that deserves to be blasted, it sounds like this one.
Once again, the taxpayer's dime goes out to people who don't know the climate/terrain, don't understand it, and therefore don't respect it.
We provided rescue service. Awesome that we could provide it. Quite sad that it was required. It was a fool's errand. Yet we responded to it. How could those same dollars have better served the people who actually live here, year round?
For every tourist dollar that graces our remote "shores," how many additional dollars do we spend on people like this who have no understanding of the full impact of their own ignorance?
Probably was writing "Into the Wild II".
Is this one of those fools who seen "Into the wild"?....
Please, if you harvest a moose in an emergency situation
please don't bury it instead smoke it and live all winter.
I doubt this idiot could smoke a moose. Heck, he probably couldn't figure out how to stuff it into his pipe. He darned sure must be smokin' something, though.
I shouldn't complain. I'm a paramedic by trade and if weren't for whiskey and idiots like this I'd be unemployed.
I think i saw him training by the university transfer site.
No it wasn't the transfer site. He was holding the "homeless" sign out front of Wal-Mart, looking for spare change.
Idiots who risk the lives of others to be rescued need to pay back every cent they wasted of tax payer dollars. Unprepared idiots who want to explore public wilderness should have to sign a permit saying they are doing so at their own risk. What kind of message does this rescue send to other idiots?
When you live in the bush, such as Bettles, and you get injured or sick, you might have to be flown out immediately on a medevac or air ambulance plane. In many cases the patient is stuck with the bill, which is normally thousands of dollars for a one-hour flight to Fairbanks. I know many bush residents, including myself, who have been “medevaced” before from Bettles. It doesn’t matter if you would have died or not without the flight, the army is not coming to rescue you for free! It’s Warbelows or Guardian Flight and they bill you. This Aussie guy got a free ride to Fairbanks from Bettles and he wasn’t injured. This was after the Blackhawk helicopter flew all the way from Anchorage to pick him up in the mountains! The cost of a standard plane ticket to Fairbanks is about $160 one-way from Bettles. It's expensive to travel in the bush. Why didn’t he have to ride on the daily mail plane like everybody else?
Truthinnews: you so the so called homeless guy to, huh? funny how he can afford Cigarette and has the "in your face" attitude to smoke while holding the sign.
Maybe this guy in the paper needed a bus to stay in. I know where he can get one.
This has been going on for eons.
While I cant blame the guy for wanting to test his mettle, it shouldn't be for free. Nature has a far greater price and a more effective collection policy.
If the guy is grateful to be alive, he should pay for his rescue. If he isn't, he should be put back where he was found.
Don't worry the government bail him out!
I think the self affidavit of stupidity is the answer here, press hard there are three copies.
Darwin Award Runner Up.
Moose, We had one of those "homeless" guys panhandle out front of Freds one winter. Every night he had enough money to stay in the suite at the hotel I work at.
-should have just left him; the genepool would be far better off without the likes of him.
I've always believed that climbers on Mt. McKinley, hikers in the wilderness and others daring nature shoud have to make a huge deposit before venturing out - perhaps $100,000.00 for the right to climb McKinley. Then, even if they kill themselves, it will cover part of the S&R expenses. If they make it through on their own, most of their deposit could be returned.
Poor, I just hope Americans and others get the same service in Australia.
Dude sounds pretty smart to me. He had an expensive satellite enabled personal locator so he could work the system to get a free ride back to Bettles.
The Bettles Lodge owners didn't seem to mind taking the government money to house him. They could have refused him service and let him go elsewhere.
The guy was hiking in a national park. Did he have an overnight camping permit? Is one even required in GAtes? Park Service could require that hikers get rescue insurance to cover the cost of rescues.
They had to fly a chopper all the way from Anchorage? What are all those choppers and planes doing in Fairbanks?
The rescue should have ended in Bettles since the guy was not in need of medical help and there is a commercial flight available from there. He could have got a job in Bettles chasing off the grizzly beers if he needed money...
Tyler - I fully agree. At the very least, once it became clear that he was no longer in immediate danger, they should have made him foot his own bill. Granted, the chopper was going back to Eielson anyway, but if that was the excuse for taking him there, why not advertise a free ride to town to others in Bettles? Foolishness.
The previous article stated that rescuers did not want to deter people from seeking rescue by making them foot the bill of the rescue, but I think that if these people are willing to make the trip with knowledge of them having to pay for a rescue, they will be more likely to properly prepare for the trip. After all, it is one helluva lot cheaper than the rescue. Then, if they do need rescue, they simply make the choice of finances or life. Hmm... tough call.
I wouldn't worry too much about the cost to the Nat'l Guard for the 'rescue' - those guys are obligated to burn gas no matter what. In the absence of productive activity like search and rescue they just do touch 'n goes at the airport for hours on end.
I rest my case.
We'll always have "Timothy Tredwells" up here. It's just too bad he didn't make it to the Darwin list. Then it might have been worth the expense
The RCC should have a review board to determine if the rescue was really warranted. If not fees should be leveraged. It would as least keep these idiots from crying wolf every time they get a tummy ache. I am concerned that this guy will come back and cost US more money, and reduced credibility with the RCC.
In his condition he should have NOT been flown to town. I have known plenty of people in the Brooks Range that have been in a world of hurt and extracted them selves. If some one has a bear chew them up.....Plane crash.....Or other real need, then a RCC rescue is warranted.
Jack Reakoff ......Wiseman, Alaska
This man is obviously mentally ill. Give him the respect that you would someoe who has cancer. Unfortunately, in our society, if a disability is not physically obvious, the suffering individual is chastised. Maybe the guy's mother is terrified about his inability to survive without adult assistance. When will our culture grow up?
Yes, it's costly and maddening, but we've GOT to be more understanding and tolerant. Have you seen the guy at Fred Meyer West who sews his shoes out of paper bags and birch bark? Ever take the time to talk with him and notice how ill he is? If he were lost in the woods, would you want our rescue guys to ignore him and just let him die? Perhaps you would. Perhaps if it were your son or daughter you'd feel differently.
I'm glad they rescued the guy, none should be left to die. But they should bill him and force re-payment of every single red cent.
"No it wasn't the transfer site. He was holding the "homeless" sign out front of Wal-Mart, looking for spare change."
And his brother was over by Fred Meyer looking for spare change.
Hmmmmmmmm..........I think I'm with Moonin. You tell us Moonin! Training costs regardless. Which would I rather have saved? The stuffed dummy or the human dummy? Wouldn't the stuffed dummy have to be taken out there on our dime? Then, hey, let's save the human dummy who split the costs with us, okay? Sounds like we saved a nickel or two...So rejoice people! But still I sure don't like paying for his hotel room. No more free vacations Alaska, take them back to town or to a hospital in the future! Preferably the later, make it so they have to rack up a bill so they won't be so crazy then out.
SwanMom, nothing in this article suggests that this guy was mentally ill. Wanting to write a book, complaining about not having internet access after his rescue... it sounds like this guy is just an ordinary idiot, and a jerk. No need to be "understanding." Some people don't need medication, just a swift kick in the groin.
So now I have figure out how to fly out of Bettles or anywhere in Alaska for free..... I will just let my friends know that I am going to hike out in the woods, and tell then to call for a help in a couple of days because I have not return home that I mite be lost... this way I can get to Fairbanks for Christmas for free... good plan!!!
As more attention draws to the great wilderness we have, perhaps it's time for a law of "professional abandonment". Something to the effect that allows the state to fine persons or companies, who take obviously unprepared persons out into the wild, and drop them off.
Applause to Bettles Air Service for their insight and refusal to take someone out who would likely need rescued, just to make a buck.
And for the unscrupulous bush pilot (Jay Jespersen from Brooks Range Aviation), who just drops knowingly unprepared idiots off in the wilderness, where they can die, I say "bad troll! bad, bad troll!"
Swanmom, Grow up! Be more tolerant? There are nice warm places that so called homeless people can go to. And there is medical treatment offered to them. I know the homeless shelter, salvation Army and many, many organizations that hand out free, yes FREE clothes. This man choses to be the way he lives. Just like we chose the way WE live.
As far as the NG training, that is what they do and should do. No worse than seeing the state having people run around in state vehicles for personal use not official business.
and yes the business could have turned him down. what would you say then? It was wrong and they should be charged or run their name thru the mud because they did that? Grow up people. The guy was an idiot, there are ALLOT of idiots out there. Look around, read about them, know them!
I dont have a problem with the Training Mission.... I do have a problem with them paying for his food and lodging though. And I think that the Training Mission should have also cited him for NOT being prepared adequately if that was the case as part of their duty to protect people from dying in the wilderness... TEACH them that its not something to do unprepared when they see a person IS unprepared adequately ..that includes finances to do what he was doing. He should have been FINED for what happened after hearing the story from the Lodge owners. And that he was 'rude' about NOT having internet service!!?? OUT THERE!! get real man!! sheesh.... with that kind of attitude..I would tell the man if he intended to come back again.... find another Lodge to take care of him and dont stop there.
Slider: The Alaska Guard may "burn gas" either for training missions or for real life rescues, but that night (and I speak from personal experience here) they risked their lives, both crews, for that crazy man, who was totally ignorant. The weather was horrible, and the Guard fought really hard to get to him and bring him to safety (where he later refused treatment!) This was not an easy mission, but it was what they train for. However, that guy, decided months ago he would spend months on the range in Alaska in the winter to write a book. It is sad we nearly sacrificed the lives of 2 crews to rescue one idiot.
I need to mention that I shouldnt have assumed things were or were not said. Maybe the Rescue Mission DID chide him for his grave error. Forgive me. I do not know if they did or did not. But if not..Mr Roberts SHOULD have been STRONGLY admonished and made to pay with his own money even a payment plan. There is no excuse for that. What does this tell other future explorers? You can expect others to follow after to do the same thing because they have 'No Worries Mate!" just go and if you get into trouble.. Alaskans will not only bail you out of your predicament but will also feed you and give you lodging AND internet service! :) what a deal!! the Ultimate Alaskan Experience..come one ..come all!!
Setec,
Hey, spoken like someone who never took 9-1-1 calls - mentally ill people don't walk around with a sign on them saying "I am mentally ill".
-jen
Hmm... doesn't sound too terribly different than this episode:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bogu...
“It’s a shame tax dollars go to pay for this but at the same time it’s better than taking some dummy out in the middle of nowhere and saving it.” Sounds to me like they did exactly that!
“I’m sure it wasn’t cheap but in the same respect it gives our guys good, solid training doing what they’re supposed to do,” Moonin said. “It’s a shame tax dollars go to pay for this but at the same time it’s better than taking some dummy out in the middle of nowhere and saving it.”
LOL LOL LOL.
The only differeance here is the dummy took himself out there.
The irony here is that Klaes complains about the cost of rescue -- yet she still took the money. The NPS dumps $2 million into Bettles every year -- yet Klaes has the audacity to complain about money spent on rescue? Where's her outrage at government pork dumped into a tiny town in the middle of nowhere? You can't complain about wasted funds when you live in a community that exists becuase of government funding.
Just imagine if he wasn't picked off the tundra by our Nat'l Guard troops...
Let's say he really did have black feet or didn't even make it back to civilization. The trial lawyers would have had another big pay day and all the lucky tax payers of Alaska would be footing the bill -again.
Anybody remember the couple that tried to drive the Denali highway a few winters back and didn't make it?
Oh, look. Some other idiot who watched/read "Into the Wild" and thought they could pull it off.
Too bad none of these idiots actually end up truly disappearing "Into the Wild".
Frank, apparently you missed the part where this guy claimed to be from Australia but had no trace of an accent or any other mannerisms that proved it. So essentially, he's a neo-survivalist crackpot with a bad attitude who represents himself and no one else. Lay off the Aussies. They probably told him he was an idiot too, but the article proves how well this guy knows how to put his listening ears on...
Odd. Luckily the resources were available when needed.
Other than that; hopefully he'll be better prepared next time. Heck, once I moved up here a couple years back; I placed myself back in the 'newbie' setting. Knew before moving that Alaska is a whole different ballgame than running around the mountains of where I came from. Luckily I've met some good folks who have been more than happy to take me along on some of their trips and teach me what I need to know.
Gotta go with fsmnh2 on this one. It's not Australia's fault. We have our share of idiots in the states too. After all, that's where the original "Into the Wild" came from.
Those poor wolves missed an easy meal.
Wow. There is a lot anger and judgement being expressed here, by folks who have formed an opinion after reading only a short news article, filled mostly with the point of view of two (related) people. How many of you armchair quarterbacks have talked with Dave Roberts? The RCC? The Air National Guard? The NPS? The State Troopers? Brooks Range Aviation? The sheer intensity of these negative comments implies a level of prejudice completely out of whack with reality. Maybe Dave Roberts was an idiot, maybe he wasn't. Maybe real life is a lot more complex than these simple value judgements allow for.
HELP, SOMEONE CALL THE AIR GAURD!! I'M STUCK IN MY HOUSE WITH TWO SCREAMING KIDS-RESCUE ME-TAKE ME TO A HOTEL, BUY ME A MEAL, GIVE ME A BATH, AND THERE HAD BETTER BE INTERNET!!!
I would like to point out the fact that when rescue crews are on missions to save idiots! There is the distinct possibility that someone else who is not on a foolhardy escapade may die. Due to the fact that a rescue asset is tied up.
MBinAK, that is really funny.
On a more serious note, when I got up here 35 yrs ago, I heard stories about pilots and others who wouldn't take unprepared people out into the bush. It was part of the ethics of this place. We used to share information constantly. In some ways, this place has changed so much - in many ways, not such a healthy place anymore. And on another serious note, what's so completely different about this guy and the children who may be potentially locked out of houses and school buildings without adequate clothing at extreme temperatures - or even at hypothermia-inducing temperatures (25, 35 above)? Except, of course, no internet...no, wait, that's the same.
Ok here is an idea. The state should make these people buy insurance. If they dont buy insurance then fine them and send them to jail, just like liability insurance for cars.
What a fool he should foot the bill. He could have gotten someone killed for nothing. I spend a lot of time in the bush. I would have to be in a real bad way to call for help. And if I did I would expect to pay the bill.
Pat
Okay, just remember that a few years back an American (I think he was an Alaskan, too) tried to take a "walkabout" in the Australian outback. He got stranded, ran out of food and water, totally misjudged how difficult the terrain was, and had to be rescued by Australians. I'm sure the Australians were writing in to their local newspapers and demanding that he pay for his rescue and that stupid Americans shouldn't be allowed into their country if they couldn't manage the proper respect for the harsh environment.
I don't think he should pay for the rescue: He was ill-prepared and stupid, but that doesn't mean he should just die out there...and I think AUTUMNIMPROV is right, guides and pilots have the responsability to see that the people they are dropping off are equipped for their trip. When I teach a ski lesson, I make sure the student has gloves, hat, etc. or we cancel.
I think he should have to pay for the hotel and other accomodations though....
...and who's trying to be funny? I'm going insane in my own house, and I am just waiting for that helicopter to rescue me.
MBinAK, we're on our way. You do understand, though, that the kids must be left behind? There is only room for one adult in the rescue vehicle. We will take you as far as Chena Hot Springs, and our budget will only pay for enough prime rib dinners for you and the rescue team. I certainly hope that we reach you in time. Hang in there, okay buddy?
"AUTUMNIMPROV is right, guides and pilots have the responsibility to see that the people they are dropping off are equipped for their trip."
There is a slippery slope in suggesting that pilots and guides have the responsibility to oversee their passengers' preparedness, how far does that go? I certainly don't want anyone evaluating my vacation plans.
But it does remind of the old Alaskan tale about the kid that came up from the lower 48 and wanted to hire a float plane to take him out into the bush. The kid, fresh out of college with his shiny new backpack from REI, went down to the float docks and approached one of the pilots. Noticing that the kid had on heavy mountaineering boots he asked if the kid had brought anything to protect himself with. The kid pulled out a brand new .44 with a six inch barrel with a look of confidence. The Pilot said "kid, you know you should take a file to that front sight and take it clean off." The kid excitedly said "oh, so it wont get hung up when I pull it out?" The pilot replied "no, so it wont hurt so much when the bear shoves......................"
I say let the weak die and the strong prevail. That may seem cruel and heartless but so far I have survived.
the guy was from australia, lighten up! the comments on this thread are the most shallow and cold I have read so far. i doubt seriously if any of you are really from here or live here, alaskans dont act the way you are acting. "allow the weak to die", i have news for you jennings, if not for your heated home and the supermarkets you would not last long either.
our state throws money away on a large scale, our governor believes she is a fashion statement and you begrudge someone for a stupid hotel bill?
no, i douby any of you are really from here and if you are it is sad that you have learned so little in your time here.
gadzooks:
Its not the hotel bill. And I was born and raised in Fairbanks.
My predecessors traveled by foot, dog sled throughout the interior going back to the gold rush (the real one) and later on by airplane, snowmobile, and swamp-buggy. In my time I have seen and heard of situations where the propsectors got out there and either went insane, frose to death, or starved to death. Hence my comment. I feel fortunate that in our adventoures out into the bush that we never needed rescue and always went preppared to deal with the worst.
I dont think any insurance company would offer insurance to the terminally stupid. I dont think the residents should either.
Using the NG to do rescues is a noble cause. Most are true missions of mercy. But when it is revaled that the situation could have been prevented there is a duty to try to curtail future stupidity. Having had friends in the National guard, is tis clear that every mission carries risks. We should be glad they are doing the mission, and we should not expose them to frivolous or silly missions.
I dont think that where a person is from is really an issue.
When your neighbor gets too drunk to make it to the outhouse and back without dying from exposure, it's is a cruel yet unavoidable fact that the person was reponsible for his/her own fate.
GADZOOKS: On the contrary, it seems to ME that most of us commenting ARE from Alaska. That is precisely why the irresponsability that occured here bothers us so much. The majority of us probably have been on a trapline for x number of days, a float trip gone wrong, eaten our share of berries and fish to survive, etc.. In fact, the most stressful times for most of us is probably when we visit the "heated grocery store."
It doesn't matter where this guy is from, if he was from Anchorage, Barrow, North Pole, the Moon, his stupidity caused the NATIONAL GAURD to deploy, risk their lives to search and "rescue" him, then pay for his hotel bill. No one here honestly thinks the guy should have been left for the bears, but the point is, BE PREPARED or don't go. And as Alaskans who might need a genuine rescue someday, we have the right to gripe about someone from WHEREVER who couldn't live without internet.
GLOW: somedays I would gladly leave these monsters behind...Prime Rib and Chena Hotsprings sounds great!
Another idiot who need's to not breed. I can understand the idea of going out somewhere to have a strange experience so as to write about it. But going out with no training and improper gear? Stupidity on the level of a Darwin Award. Once he called for help I can see going out and rescuing him, even giving him a place to sleep and food in the nearest town. But afterwords he should be made to pay for the expenses. I like the idea of signing a waiver and having to put up rescue money, say $10,000. Enough to make people really think about what they're getting into. If they come out fine, give the money back.
Here's an idea...
People have to pay a guide to hunt big game here. How about requiring them to pay a guide if they want to go off on some foolhardy expedition?
It'd bring more jobs to Alaska (certified guiding) and minimize the likelihood of these crazies causing so much trouble. Then the guides could carry rescue insurance, require proper gear, etc.
I should clarify if it wasn't obvious... I was referring to non-residents, US Citizens or not...
If you are in a boat at sea, the US Coast Guard can (and sometimes does when they feel it is appropriate) charge a fee to cover part of the cost of a rescue. When I rafted the Grand Canyon (Colorado River) fifteen years ago, the park rangers told us that if we had to be rescued, there would be a substantial (thousands of dollars) helicopter evacuation fee. So does the ANG not have the authority to charge a fee to recover the cost of what in this case seems to be a non-emergency "rescue"? If not, should they perhaps have that authority in order to discourage this sort of thing?
There is a huge problem here. Why are you folks assuming that the one side of the story that is presented in the article is the correct version? Or the only version? Again, I urge people to listen to more than one side of the story before making up their minds. How many of you have attempted this feat? How many of you have failed at a large endeavor, only to pick yourself up and try again? The history of Alaska is filled with people who tried pushing themselves beyond their perceived limits.
The main concern seems to be the money spent. Does anybody know if he offered to pay for his rescue? Did the army ask for re-imbursement? Would they allow him to pay if he offered it? If he knew of the vitriol being spewed about him from people he's never met, would he then offer to pay back the taxpayers?
Maybe if you took the time to think about all the differing points of view here, you wouldn't have such a great excuse to be so angry at someone you consider an "outsider".
A person has the right to challenge themselves, to kill themselves, to succeed or fail at their quest. The self righteous among you who would refuse them this because you don't agree, are living in the wrong country. If your problem is only with the cost of the rescue, then get up from your chairs and start working on changing the system that offers this service. You'd better hope, then, that you are too perfect to ever find yourself in a situation where you might need help. If you've never made a mistake and needed help, just wait awhile.
No problem. The guy obviously was stupid but his stupidity provided a good opportunity for real word training of the ANG and if they didn't go and get him they would just be flying around wasting gas anyways.
maybe someone from here will break down in the Outback of his country and the Aussies will make sport of things and call him or her stupid. such jerks. traplines and the hard life? yes , watching the outdoor channel from your easy chair while basking in central heat with a cold 6 pack.
"A person has the right to challenge themselves, to kill themselves, to succeed or fail at their quest"
Exactly right trekker. He did have the right to do what he did. And when I fail at something I suffer the consequences. I pay a price for my stupidity and I show gratitude toward those who help me, assuming that anyone does. He didn't. He got a free ride and showed resentment toward those who helped to bail him out when he realized once he was out there that he couldn't handle it.
I do not deny the man the right to be stupid. But if he wanted a ride, he should be writing a check. And before he is allowed to be stupid again, he should be making a 60K deposit to the State of Alaska, reimbursible when he finishes his quest. And when he doesn't return, the money can go into the State fund for ANG training.
FYI, GADZOOKS: I do not own an easy chair, nor do I drink...I HAVE spent many hours on the trapline in subzero temperatures. LOL, this whole thing is so stupid. The guy made BAD choices...and because he did, the State paid for his rescue: fine, but he ought to feel a twinge of responsability to pay for AT LEAST his hotel bill. I I ever go to Australia and take a hike in the sweltering sun w/o water, and I need to be rescued, I deserve to be called stupid and irresponsible....but I'll pay for my hotel, at least.
"No problem. The guy obviously was stupid but his stupidity provided a good opportunity for real word training of the ANG and if they didn't go and get him they would just be flying around wasting gas anyways."
Really??? You obviously have no idea about the increased amount of risk MEDEVAC and rescue aircrews assume when the mission is someone in "danger" (fictitious in this case). Low ceilings, visibility, remote and unfamiliar areas which they sanely wouldn't normally attempt...are attempted when it is a real-world life/limb/or eyesight rescue.
This guy did risk their lives by his actions. Sometime **it happens...but it is not nice to blase about somethings after the fact as he apparently did.
Stupid hurts.
Wow poor poor guy couldn't email his mate's and tell em, I did something so outrages and couldn't even tell the world about it. And the Bettles Lodge.. WHAT?? you couldn't pamper this guy with anymore tax money.. I understand why your upset! Instead of being thankful he wasn't just left for dead, he complain's about the service giving to him!!!!
I was alerted to this story via the Expedition Portal website forum. Firstly let me say that I am an Australian but I do not take any offence at the comments here as if the tables were trned I am sure the same things would be said from Aussies. Does not matter where you go there are always idiots and this guy appears to be an A Class one. It sounds like he may have a few sheep loose in the top paddock, I bet nobody back in Australia even knew where he was or even cared.
I live in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and I can assure you we get idiots like this here from every nation. They come here ill prepared for the extreme heat and take off into the bush with a bottle of water from the supermarket and think that will see them right. They generally have no clue as to what they are walking out into which is why for the first time ever the Australian Government has closed the access to the Simpson Desert from the 01 Dec 08 till the end of March 09. Simply because idiots like this think they can veture into it and make it out alive.
Lets also not forget the multi-millionaires who think because they have vast sums of money that they are impervious to anything and everything. They get the whim to go off on some fool hardy "adventure" and sure as god made little green apples they come a cropper and immediately expect anyone and everyone to come to their aide. An example of this is the round the world yacht racers who go way down into the antartic ocean, we had to send our Navy down there to rescue one about 5 years ago and that cost a fortune. He came back the next year to do the race again.
The up shot is we will never be able to stop an idiot from putting themselves in harms way we can only hope that the brave rescue folks who are called upon to assist them do not suffer injury or death in the process.
Cheers
Mav
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.