Press the SOS Button?? Injured on Solo Wilderness Trip 

Leave any questions you would like me to answer in the comments below. Cheers 🍻

gosh, I'm SOO glad you shared this. A few years ago, i took a group of 4 women into the near-backcountry in Algonquin (we'd gotten just as far as Daisy Lake for night one). Rhe next morning one of the 4 got pretty violently ill (severe diarrhea) I didn't think it was the water, as we are really careful, and giardia takes longer than that to cause symptoms anyway. So we hoped it was a stomach bug she came in with and decided to hunker down for a day or 2 until she recovered enough to be able to make her way out with us (we'd already mentally cancelled our plans for the rest of the trip by then). We were mostly hoping the rest of us wouldn't catch it... and our camp hygeine practices were on high alert from then on!! The woman got a lot worse, couldn't really walk without help (we were carrying her to the box, but honestly she didn't make it many times and had soiled things in her tent). We tried rehydrating her as best we could, with salts, etc. Finally there was that difficult decision to 'press the button' ... so I know so well the inner resistance to do it. "Is this a valid emergency? I don't want to scare my family? Can we possibly get her out some other way?" Also, in those days our old-school SPOT device had only the choice to send the SOS or the A-ok. No communication back and forth as to the nature of the injury or the timing of the responding rescuers. We were left not knowing when help would arrive, and our family members were left fearing the worst. Long story short, the helicopter came about 6 hours later, after midnight, when we'd pretty much given up on it for the night and decided we'd awaken the woman hourly (she was sounding a bit delirious and we feared her losing consciousness). I'd just unstaked my tent to pull it next to hers when we heard the helicopter, and saw its search light. We waved our own headlamps to draw it to us, as it was at a site across the lake searching. That helicopter hovering over camp flattened our tents and blew anything not staked down into the water. A couple of medics dropped down, attended our friend, then lifted her on a spinning stretcher, taking her to the nearest hospital, where she was inpatient for a week before she was well enough to be discharged. It seems she was carrying CDiff and didn't know it when she arrived for our trip--- a dose of antibiotics she'd taken for dental surgery had set it off. So, yes, its not always the dramatic --- a heart attack, a head injury, a broken femur--- that make us unable to get ourselves out! Sometimes its a gash in the knee or diarrhea. The three of us remaining were left to get the gear and our 2 tandem canoes out of the park, not knowing if our friend was ok, or if we'd made the right call. After that experience, I bought a 2 way communication device-- a garmin inreach at that time, immediately. I'm pretty paranoid about my first aid kit now too--- sometimes I laugh at myself about it, but that trip taught me a lot about respecting one's relative isolation out there and need to be prepared within reason. Again, I'm so very grateful you shared this. Sometimes folks think it will never happen to them, that it is only 'foolish' , inexperienced , 'unprepared' or lazy persons who end up calling for help, but we are merely human. I hope this video raises awareness and also the need to extend grace. Thank you

What a compelling video. I hope to hear in your update video that you have fully recovered. One of the most underrated channels on RU-vid. Hope to see more videos soon.

2 lessons from this: 1- don't hesitate to hit SOS if you think you need help. 2- turn back right away when things start to look bad. Don't just press on. People who face trouble climbing Everest usually make it back down if they turn back right away. those who face trouble and decide to reach the peak anyways often times don't make it back down.

Wow just found your channel, way underrated! Good stuff

You handled the incident very well. Very good example for others. I’m now subscribing to your channel. Thanks for your efforts in documenting everything!

Absolutly wonderful! I have been quite stressed today but watching this has calmed me down.. Thanks so much. Such a wonderful place!

Thanks for publishing this video Kev. It's a sobering reminder of the risks and dangers that hikers/adventurers can face out there and how quickly things can change. RU-vid is good at glamorizing outdoor adventuring, but as you have shared, ANYTHING can happen, and you need to be prepared. You were obviously somewhat prepared given the fact you had the In Reach. But when you do your follow up video, now in hindsight, just wondering what you would have done differently and what you learned from the experience. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy your content!

Thanks for sharing and a stark reminder of what can happen on a solo hike.

What a great video, thanks for sharing. I too have been in a solo situation where I realized i might have to ‘press the button’. I was not prepared for how much I didn’t want to do it… almost embarrassed. This is a great lesson - regardless of experience level, sometimes things happen and you need help. Glad it worked out!

Getting hurt on a solo hike away from the world. Glad you hit the SOS. Smart move. Videos like this will help others hit the button when they need to

Good reminder of how fast things can go wrong at any time. Glad you were okay in the end! 💪

Just saw your his today. The awful injury and need for rescue aside, I sure enjoyed the aerial footage of the park. Glad you’ve fully recovered. I’m a senior and my kids and family aren’t keen on my solo trips, and I do occasionally think about what might happen but I also carry a comms device and it gives me some comfort. I’d rather go solo than not at all and I enjoy the time alone. I tread very carefully.

Wow, thus is the exact reason I also have a Garmin Inreach. As much as nobody ever wants to use that service, it was nice to see the actual rescue. Hope you made a full recovery.

One of my favorite hiking videos so far. Look forward to more. Heal well. #370th sub👍

Glad you made it out of that mess. You just never know, be prepared for anything.

All my support my friend, I also hike with an SOS device. I’m so glad you got out of there safely. Excellent video keep it up !

Great videos !!! So excited to go

Glad you are OK. I and my wife flipped in a canoe in the middle of the Burnt Island Lake on a windy day. Thankfully there was a group of great guys paddling not so far. They helped us to get out of the water and called for the emergency. We did not have a spot device and would not been able to retrieve our backpacks without their help so it could turn into disaster. Immediately got inReach mini 2 after that incident. Happy to find your channel, thanks for the great content!

Kev, You're 🔥 🔥 🔥

Great that you had a full recovery. I have always wondered how a S&R operation would work out there. This was a very educational video. Well done. I also carry a SatCom device (not a Garmin however) - even on my day hikes near home as cell service isn't 100% where I live.

I bought $350 Scarpa's that are great for dry rocky hilly/mountain ascents or hikes, but the Vibram sole on these are treacherous on any low lying damp hiking. I Gotta pay sooo much attention to every foot placement to avoid damp roots/rocks and any of the portaging campsite landings where rocks below and above water line could be slimy. I slid down a minor rock slope (above water line) in drizzle on Lake Louisa last year solo like it was ice. So easy to lose it and go down on knee or completely flip on arm or head. I really need to research soles to get good ones for this because there must be one out there. I went into an outdoor store years ago and the guy helping me told me he was in killarney with a crew of guys and he broke his leg at about the furthest point on their trip. They didn't get a rescue and it took them days to get out.

Bummer!! Horrible place for a gash as every movement opens it up! Glad you made it out. Stay safe!!

Glad you are OK. As Always, Be Smart and Stay Safe.

Its a vast vast wilderness up here in the north, glad you got out ok, sweet views from the chopper, lol...where did you land I would have thought they would take you right into Sudbury

i had a semi similar fall of what happened to you, except i was in a rented house with my family. the stairs at the house were equipped with very sharp edges so when i fell, my whole front half of my knee was sliced. i could barley bend my knee (just like in the video) and it hurt a ton. thank you for sharing this video!

Oh wow, so glad your okay dude :) I did the same thing one time, don't know why but i stepped on a wet tree log and landed hard. Had a sore knee but managed to get home okay :)

Good job. Bears and other predators smell blood , some for several miles. You just have to move as little as possible and stay safe listening for the rescuers. Good luck. P.s. get a better med kit. JMHO

I am sorry for your mishap. I'm glad that you got out OK. Cheers!

Thanks

First, glad you are OK. Great job of putting together this video.This is very eye opening how something that seems so simple can be so limiting. I carry an InReach too and hope to never have to use it for rescue. How is your knee doing now?

Glad you made it out ok. Great video. I was wondering also, do you have to pay for a rescue in Canada? I believe in the USA you do, everything is a business over there.

Scary stuff. I hope the damage was not severe. I did the loop in 2016 in 5 tough days (I posted on RU-vid) with a ridiculous 82 lbs on my back (I guess having turned 55 at the time, I refused to believe I couldn't carry it anymore). I got lucky with no rain (it was actually scheduled around the weather in the Spring). There were a few descents (specifically at the north end of Threenarrows Lake where it drops into a valley and veers north) where I thought this is where I will fall, with all that weight, down the boulder field. It was brutal. Luckily I never fell on the whole loop (I encountered only 1 other hiker on the west side and north side of the loop, until about Silver Peak, and I had no satellite GPS at the time). The one thing I always have to use is 2 hiking poles. They saved me multiple times.

Hope you're feeling better and have a full recovery. Where all rescue expenses covered and will your subscription fee go up now?

Colors on the trees already!! Wow.

good thing you had the Garmin inReach! What were the helicopter extraction costs? Do you need separate insurance to cover this, I am presuming its expensive. thx! Great videos by the way, especially the epic Bruce run!

Great vid, glad you are ok. I saw you drop the link on a forum. I would have put this in your title to get more views "7 day solo hike had to use Garmin inReach SOS for rescue" or something of the sort. Just the way it works. I took a tumble going down a mountain, not a steep grade but just slipped on a rock and cut open my shin deep and bad. Luckily I was able to make it out ok but that Garmin inReach can be a life saver. I'd be very reluctant to use but there are times (like in your vid) it is necessary. What caused all the swelling? The impact?

Solo hiking can be very dangerous, especially if we don't know the terrain.

That stinks getting injured and not being able to finish your hike. I’m glad you got rescued pretty quickly it definitely could have gotten worse.

jeez it's crazy how quickly things can go wrong! Awesome that you got rescued, video was looking good until then!

Having the in reach myself I have wondered, was there any personal responsibility on paying for the extraction? I have heard stories where the hiker/campers end up with overwhelming bills for evacuation expenses.

I’d love to learn what admin side after the fact. How much did it cost? How did insurance work? Did Garmin charge you? Those sorts of questions.

I have zero experience so feel free to disregard my unsolicited advice, but 40lbs. sounds like a lot nowadays. Maybe a lighter pack would give you more stability on challenging terrain. Awesome video. Very valuable to those of us with aspirations of getting out there. Such a “small” injury but if you can’t walk what are you going to do?! Very sobering. Glad you’re okay.

What knife is that ur using to to cut wood with. I want one

Was that Parry Sound airport you got airlifted to? I'm trying to figure out why you didn't go straight to WPSHC. They have a helipad.

Kev, what if they couldn't come, what if you had no means to communicate. Do you think you could have made it out? What would you have done? I think of what Marcus Luttrell went through.

Thanks for sharing! I read below you were on crutches for 4 weeks, but did they tell you what the injury was? Cracked patella, or what it muscular? I hope one day you are able to return and complete what you started, would make for a good ending to the story!

also why is the helicopter flying so low? are they giving you the tourist treatment?

i am in Canada and i BBQ and keep my food at camp all year long. bear are so slow and fearful you would have to be REALLY unlucky to ever get a bear attack.