Ways to help you live a better life.: Pioneer Peak and what NOT to do.

Pioneer Peak

This is the post in a Facebook Group called What's happening in MatSu Valley.

The story in the news:
Pioneer Peak, Palmer- Lost Hiker Sunday evening 08/25/19; AST has been contacted.

Hiker had a cold and wet unexpected overnight on the mountain. she and her dog are bushwhacking their way down the mountain to the road. (12:28pm Monday-almost at road, still navigating around terrain and vegetation obstacles). SAR personnel are mapping her progress and in communication with her.
UPDATE: Hiker made it off the mountain 2:30pm !
Thank you to those that kept in contact with the hiker to assist her in getting off the mountain. It helps that she knew how to get her lat/long coordinates off her smart phone (open the compass app) to text those supporting her efforts.

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This is the story told by me, after all, I am the lost hiker and Gypsie is the dog.

Sunday around noon, I started hiking Pioneer Peak Mountain. 6000 ft up.

This story really starts on the way down the mountain. Hiking up was beautiful and uneventful.

I made it to the top, and then was on the way down. I knew Gypsie was thirsty and there was snow for her, so we walked that way to get snow. I hiked past it on the way up, so took Gypsie down to get a "drink". She drank/ate snow and I looked for the trail. But I couldn't find the trail, and all the people that were on the trail.....not one was around now. :/ I walked for awhile looking around, nothing........ So finally I called a friend, Marty, told him I was lost. I asked him to look up the trail. He got my coordinates and sent them to a friend of his, Stacy. Stacy does search and rescue, Marty search and recover. Stacy did her magic and found me. Marty then told me to keep going straight. That I would come right out to the road and he would pick me up. Me calculating the time it took me to climb the mountain and knowing that I would be going straight down, and not be doing switchbacks, thought, ok this should be easier. hahaha wrong. The first portion was easy, a long stretch of short brambles. Then I started going down hill, that is where I found nothing but devils club. Now, if you don't know what devils club is, well, think of a plant with spikes, spikes on the leaves, spikes on the stems. Little tiny spikes that go into your skin and have to fester their way out. It was warm, but I put on my gloves, to help with the devils club. I didn't have my hiking poles, so I found a stick and started bushwhacking my way through. I know the road was not far, after all I could see the little town of Butte in the distance.
I ended up going through not only devils club but streams. At first the stream bed was dry. It's been a very dry summer here. The further down I went there was water in the stream water. Knowing that I was only 1/2 hour away, I thought no big deal to get my feet wet in the cold water. Going down the stream kept me out of the devils club and so faster going. Talking to 911, yes they too were called, he then told me at the pace I was going I still had a long time before I would get to the road. Marty, trying to keep my spirits high told me I had 1/2 an hour left and to hang in there. He of course didn't know I would take a stream. Now my feet and part way up my pants are wet and cold. Along with my bottom, since I fell down and it touched. Plus, to top it off, I lost my bear spray in the water. It floated away fast. :/ Now, I know I have to leave the water and dry out as I hike. 911 tells me if I go higher I will get our of the devils club, it likes to live around water. Nice to know. I went to my right and up out of the stream, and he was right, a lot less devils club. Still a lot of bushwhacking, but a little easier. I found a few animal trails, to travel on, making hiking out easier. I am sure these were bear trails, since I saw scat everywhere. The scat was old, at least and hour old for some of it. :/ I continued to hike, repeating the same, beating devils club, stepping on it, pushing it out of my way, crawling under it...... Thankful when I found another bear trail to walk on. All the while I would snap a pic of my compass for Marty to send to Stacy. She then would pin me and Marty would send it back to me. There were times, I would think.....dang I didn't get anywhere. But then realized I was still moving forward and I was doing this every 15 minutes or so. I am thankful I had a battery back up charger in my backpack. I was able to charge my phone while I hiked and again when I spent the night. Yeah, I spent the night. I'm getting to that. :D

After bushwhacking until around 1:00AM, yep 1 AM. I decided to call it quits. I had fallen twice. Gypsie had gotten lost, I had the light pointed in the pack, and was looking in the pack, so I was quiet, she didn't see me, nor hear me and started to cry. I called to her, she came running and was wiggling all over. I did have a head lamp, thank goodness, that too was in my pack. 911 and Marty asked if I was ok sleeping in the woods. I guess! Do I really have a choice? haha Did I have an emergency blanket?, nope, That one was taken out for the Chilkoot trail and not returned to the back pack. I didn't have any extra clothes either. But I couldn't not go on, or it was going to be a rescue mission with me being hurt. I came to a place that was surrounded by trees, NOT devils club, and it had ferns all around. I smashed the ferns down a little more, Gypsie laid down and so did I. I gave Gypsie some food. I didn't eat anything, since mine was all sugars. I would save them for the morning. I use G's butt as my pillow and she curled up having her feet into my belly area. We slept, not the best sleep, but we did sleep. I kept my backpack on to keep warmer. I thought I had toe warmers and hand warmers in the pack, but couldn't find them. The sun comes up at 6, I was awake and went potty. I let G sleep longer, while I ate, that is when I found the toe warmers and hand warmers. I found them in a diff pocket in my pack. Those went in quick. My toes started to warm up, and the hand warmers went into my pants pockets for the time being. My hands were warm. I knew once I started to hike I would get a lot warmer. At 6:30 am, I sent the Trooper a text, saying I was on the move. I had his cell phone number. :D Nice guy. 911 called me right afterwards to let me know they were back to tracking me. Marty too was at the bottom of the hill soon after, working with Stacy. I had lot of help and prayers.

I had picked a very good spot to spend the night, for right off to the right was a very nice trail. It was a bear trail, but I was able to make great time on that one. Had I not stopped for the night I would have missed that trail. I hiked and hiked, I was beat at this point, but knew I had to keep going. I came to a ravine, I navigated my way down this. Yep, more devils club. I was sooo sick of devils club. G and I went down this ravine for about two hours. This was a very steep ravine, slick with dried leaves and mud. I slid a few times, Gypsie cried at one point, it was too steep for her. I talked her into coming to me. She slid right into my back, which was ok, that is where I wanted her to go. We slid down the ravine together for awhile, her at my back. We went down slowly but at least it was downward.

After a few more hours of going down this ravine, I heard some guys voice, I yelled, but he never yelled back. I asked Marty if it was him, he said no. So I was not sure where it was coming from. But just the idea of someone being close was a good sign. Marty drove the road and honked, I heard him LOUD AND CLEAR. What a sweet sound. I knew I was close. After another hour or so, I SAW A ROAD!!!! I sent a text to Marty, I asked him to drive the same road where he honked. He did, I saw him pass. I was still in the woods, but could see him go by. I sent another text and asked him to come back, I saw him!!! By the time he turned around to come back I was OUT of the woods!!!!!! SWEET JESUS, I WAS OUT!!!!! I was standing on a real road!!! Even Gypsie was happy to be out. 2:30 PM and I was FINALLY on a real road!!!

Marty and I hugged for awhile, laughed and hugged some more, he asked if I was ok, yea, now give me food and water, I said. We got into his truck, we are still standing in the middle of the road. hahah

Marty drove me over to where I was parked. I came out, just where Marty said I would, just up from my car. hahaha

Marty had water and SUGAR for me and food for Gypsie, in his truck! When we got out Gypsie drank from a mud puddle in the parking lot.

Then we hopped into my car and FINALLY I drove home. Gypsie went in and laid down on the floor, not moving most of the day.

I went to the shower, washed my hair twice, TONS of misquotes and debris fell out of my hair. Then I filled the tub up with water and laid down, time to soak out the devils club spikes. Those tiny little things HURT. It's now been 6 days and I still have a few in there that need to find their way out of me. I was so tired, I fell asleep in the tub, my leg falling over is what woke me. I got out, went in and fixed some food to eat, sat on the couch....doing nothing. :D Needless to say, I went to bed early. I gave Gypsie a CBD treat to eat before bed and another one the next day. I took her for a walk to stretch out. NOT far, not far at all. hahaha

Chester had called me twice and sent a text message, while I was lost. I kept telling him I would call him in two hours. Those two hours turned into a VERY long day...... he of course was worried. I called him on my way home, and filled him in. Since then he has bought me a GPS! hahaha He cares!! :D

In the middle of this whole ordeal, I sent my boss a message. "lost in the woods, won't be at work". He thought I was kidding and skipping work. hahaha After my shower, if I had the energy, I would have went to the state fair and sent him a picture. hahahaha I just didn't have the energy to get up and go.

Will I hike again.....OF course. Will I get lost again, i'm sure I will. But now I have a GPS hahaha Thanks Chester!

I found out later it was only 3300 FEET to the road, but that 3300 ft when you are going over ruff terrain and thick devils club, it was VERY slow going. I can normally hike UP a mountain 1.5 mph. This was down hill, so, it should have been easier...... 3300 FEET = .625, NOT even a mile!! It took me 14 HOURS!!!! That is just crazy! I would like to say Marty's calculations were off, but I know they weren't. But next time I will wait for Stacy to tell which way to go is best. :D

I do have to say, I love my crazy life!! The crazy and all! God kept me from being eaten by a bear. THANK YOU! Not really the way I want to go out. :D

Sandy