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The List...

of

prior accidents, injuries, and incidents

Leg spling on Mary Powell's left legWilderness accidents, injuries, and incidents are not something that only happen on other people's wilderness adventures or to other wilderness trippers. Such problematic situations have occurred, and will occur, on trips, expeditions, and SAR operations organized by Michael Neiger.

Mary Powell's totally blown-out knee immobilized by slats of old growth during a May '01 trip
to the remote, northern section of the McCormick Tract in Marquette County.
Read journal and view photos from this trip (Photo by Mary Powell)

In reading through the list of accidents, injuries, and incidents enumerated below that have occurred on the 100s of trips, expeditions, and SAR operations organized or participated in by Michael Neiger, think about how you would avoid them as well as what you would do if they happened to you or fellow tripper....think about what equipment or skills would be handy if you faced a similar situation deep in the wilderness....

2012

  • Poor fitness required aborting trip
  • Poor sledge design
  • 2 lost sledge pins
  • Head injury required helo evacuation
  • Poor fitness slowed progress
  • Inadequate cold-weather boots
  • Broken sledge trace

2011

  • Seam failure on boots; repaired with duct tape
  • Cut hand
  • Trip-ending leg injury
  • Non-personal injury car accident on freeway resulted in towed vehicle
  • Broken sledge trace attachment
  • Repeated failure of sledge trace repair
  • Broken sledge mid-trace junction
  • Ski poles forgotten
  • Frostbitten finger resulted in evacuation and amputation
  • Two debilitating back injuries and exhaustion resulted in evacuation
  • Lost nylon lock nut resulted in failure of sledge trace to waist harness connection
  • Failure of fixed stud on Survivor wood saw made it unusable
  • Broken tent zipper
  • Broken sleeping bag zipper
  • Sinus infection
  • Non-field tested mukluks much too big
  • Non-field tested mukluks too big for snowshoe bindings
  • Snowshoe buckle/strap failure
  • Several day's snack rations forgotten

2010

  • Frozen boot liners
  • Frozen water bottles
  • Stove problems
  • Exhaustion
  • Several two-wheel-drive vehicles became stuck on steep, snow-covered hill on county road
  • Tripper twisted knee twice
  • Two slip and falls injured and reinjured tripper's shoulder
  • Ice in cap threads of Nalgene water bottle allowed water to soak foot box of sleeping bag
  • Butane stove inoperable due to cold temperatures
  • Frozen water filters
  • Lack of heavily-insulated boots led to cold feet
  • Bad car battery required jump to restart car at start and end of trip
  • Water bladder hoses froze up repeatedly
  • Several trippers ran out of water
  • Incapacitating migraine headache
  • Tripper who registered for trip failed to show up for trip and did not cancel with organizer, which resulted in two vehicle searches of miles of county roads and several phone calls, none of which resolved the question of what had happened to the tripper until four days later
  • Tripper cold from lack of insulated overpants with side zips
  • 2 trippers caught common cold during trip
  • Tripper caught common cold during expedition
  • Tripper went for walk on Canadian portage trail; ascended nearby hill; became disoriented on return; brought back to bivouac spot by voice calls
  • Severe, debilitating blisters
  • Steri Pen water purifier failure due to run down batteries; no spares carried (another tripper provided her spares)
  • New pack torn in two locations from rugged, rocky bushwhacking
  • Rugged bushwhacking broke handle off Mitchell fishing reel
  • Severely sprained ankle on day 2 of 9-day expedition; taping and wrapping allowed expedition to continue
  • Tripper ran out of food on last day of expedition
  • High winds blew insulating ground pad out into pond where it hung up on floating vegetation; retrieved after a lot of swamp bushwhacking and deep-water wading
  • Wet foot after breaking through bad ice
  • Hat lost; retrieved and returned by snowmobiler
  • Sledge came free of skier on long downhill and almost fell into deep ravine
  • MSR stove failure; fuel intake line improperly placed; corrected
  • Too much gear on sledge nearly immobilized tripper; careful sorting and caching of gear in bush allowed tripper to complete trip; cached gear picked up on 2nd to last day of trip
  • Inadequate sledge design brought halt to multi-day bushwhacking trip; 8-hours of intense, late-night and early-morning disassembly, redesign, and reconstruction in the bush corrected problem and trip was completed without difficulty
  • MSR stove failure: improper placement of fuel intake line on fuel pump; corrected
  • Key locked in car; lacking a spare key, car was unlocked using stiff bailing wire from field repair kit
  • Basket lost from ski pole; another one fashioned by cross-cutting a slice of a tree, boring a hole in it, and lashing it in place with 1/8-inch-diameter cordage
  • Multiple sledge rollovers from improperly packed cargo (heavy items too high up)
  • Severe, dibilitating ankle sprain from fall required evacuation and emergercy room visit

2009

  • Case of giardia ended SAR operation

2008

  • Ill-fitting boots slowed tripper
  • Disabling giardia
  • Hiker became disoriented; was able to signal another hiker with whistle and find group
  • Bowie knife blade broke off at handle
  • Complete delamination and separation of Asolo hiking boot sole
  • Improperly attached rucksack floated free of zip line in rapids during river crossing
  • Ran out of camera batteries
  • 3-liter Platypus-brand water bladder ripped open
  • Hole worn in toe of Vasque hiking boot
  • Seam separation on Sportiva hiking boot
  • Hiking pole broke in half during fall
  • Two tarps shelters leaked
  • Piezoelectric stove igniter failed
  • Piezoelectric lighter igniter failed
  • Crock sandals melted near fire
  • Wool socks burned near fire
  • Debilitating stomach illness exhausted tripper for two days
  • Broken reading glasses
  • Trippers near hypothermic due to 48 hours of rain
  • Trippers cold around camp due to lack of warm layers
  • White gas leaked from fuel cell into pack
  • Topo map lost, and recovered
  • Two trippers ran out of compressed-fuel canisters
  • Non-locking blade in pocket knife folded onto finger causing a long, deep laceration
  • Stuff sack containing crampons, climbing rope, helmet, climbing harness, ice rescue picks, carabiners, prusik loops, and slings fell out of rear of sledge; recovered by sweep crew
  • Multiple sledge rollovers from improperly packed cargo (heavy items too high up)
  • Cracked sledge
  • Burned fingers on stove
  • Coleman Peak I tank caught fire; complete stove failure; not field repairable
  • Sleeping pad fell out of sledge; recovered hours later by another tripper
  • Broken 2" sledge harness buckle; replaced with spare carried by another tripper
  • MSR simmerlite stove failure (center bolt anchoring legs/pot supports fell out in stuff sack); repaired in the field
  • Debilitating migraine headache
  • 14 frost nipped fingers (lost feeling in finger tips for two weeks after trip
  • Plastic MSR pump housing cracked from minus 31 F temperatures, inoperable and unrepairable
  • Half dozen major gashes in brush guards on three sledges from severe bushwhacking
  • Flu-like illness forced one tripper to exit trip first morning
  • Nalgene water bottle lost in deep snow
  • Wrist compass lost
  • No spare mukluk liners led to tripper's major discomfort
  • Sledge trace hardware lost while bushwhacking, no critical backup hardware forced improvised repair
  • Cap on Nalgene bottle cracked and leaking from severe cold

2007

  • Tripper left trip early due to lack of insulating clothing
  • Tripper left trip early due to stomach illness
  • Tripper left trip early due to lower back injury
  • While trying to find an easier route around a rugged, Canadian canyon, a 4-person group became separated from main in-canyon group for several hours
  • Hiker became separated from main group in Canadian bush
  • Two-piece fishing rod broke into five pieces from rugged bushwhacking
  • Hiking boot sole delaminated
  • Hiker unable to continue due to poor conditioning had to be evacuated from remote Canadian bush
  • Waist-belt pouch with one-day's snacks and lunch fell off waist belt and not recovered
  • MSR pump-to-fuel-bottle O-Ring leak
  • Plugged MSR shaker jet
  • 4-inch gash ripped in sledge hull
  • Headlamp failure
  • Broken snowshoe crampons
  • Broken shovel blade
  • Broken shovel handle
  • Wood saw lacerated finger
  • Beaver punji-stick ripped 10-gash in sledge
  • Stump punctured and caved-in front of sledge
  • Snowshoers broke though lake snowpack into slush and through snow-drifted riverbank ice into water numerous times resulting in wet feet, 25-pound snowshoes, and iced-up bindings, buckles, and sledges
  • MSR stove temporarily inoperative due to plugged fuel line
  • Belay loop broke on sledge
  • Prescription glasses lost in snow and not recovered
  • Tripper's vehicle spun out 180 degrees on the crown of an icy road
  • Recently retroed aluminum sledge traces both broke in half
  • Panel-loading zipper on butt pack on sledge waist harness accidentally opened while trekking, resulting in the loss of an insulated jacket, headlamp, hat, etc.

2006

  • Tripper's vehicle became stuck along edge of road
  • Black bear circled camp
  • Paddler forgot bailer and rescue throw rope
  • Water filter became inoperative due to freezing temperatures
  • Silva compass became inoperative due to a de-magnetized needle
  • At end of trip, tire was nearly flat on shuttle vehicle; tire was reinflated with portable tire pump
  • GPS unit became inoperative
  • Hiking boots got wet and froze solid
  • Sun glasses lost on trail; recovered
  • Wind shell parka with digital camera in pocket fell from sledge twice; recovered both times
  • Severe cold limited participant sledging on winter expedition
  • Two hardware failures on homemade sledge required in-the-field improvisation and repair on winter expedition
  • Several items of essential equipment--water bottle, tent, sleeping bag, etc.--fell from rear of sledge during winter expedition
  • Wind-shell hat lost
  • Intestinal problems and extreme fatigue ended winter expedition early
  • Broken ski binding had to be replaced in the field
  • Windshell hat lost
  • Minus-40 winter bag fell from rear portion of sledge and could not be retrieved
  • Bivy sack fell from rear portion of sledge and could not be retrieved

2005

  • MSR stove failure
  • Leaking tarp soaked sleeping bag
  • MSR stove failure
  • Tripper cut finger badly clearing sticks from bivouac area
  • Tripper lost Esbit Wing Stove and improvised another one
  • Failure to double-check rations before trip resulted in shortage of food during expedition
  • Pine needle branch struck eye, just as glasses were being removed late in the day, and eliminated tripper's use of eye for the duration of the trip and the drive home
  • Holes punched in organizer's pack allowed river water to soak certain items of clothing and first aid kit while pack was moored for a half-hour next to a large rock on the Agawa River
  • Improper use of PIC bug coils started a smoldering, underground fire that took a lot of work to dig up and put out
  • Improper knot tying resulted in the permanent loss of one trekker's hiking boot from outside of rucksack
  • Failure to double-check rations before trip resulted in shortage of food during trip
  • Trekker's failure to come prepared, both physically and mentally, resulted in a vehicle evac and trip being aborted within 24 hours
  • OR Water Bottle Parka slipped from waist harness resulting in long hike to retrieve it
  • Broken ski pole
  • Snowshoes fell off sweep sledge requiring hike back to retrieve them
  • Debilitating blisters on bottom of toes from mukluk system
  • Broken shovel blade
  • Broken sledge trace
  • Organizer's cold turned into bronchitis during trip
  • Trip participant came down with fatiguing cold on trip
  • Point person broke through lake ice at shoreline spring
  • Tripper's vehicle spun out and slid off snow-packed county road while avoiding a logging truck's fishtailing pup; extracted with nylon tow strap

2004

  • Trip-ending groin muscle injury
  • Frostbitten hand
  • New, unbroken-in boots bruised foot
  • Inoperative stove
  • Blistered feet
  • Twisted knee
  • Slip and fall resulted in severe, trip-ending trauma to rib cage and chest
  • Swimmer had difficulty crossing Agawa River due to swift current; designated safety person assisted swimmer by finishing pack ferry and allowing swimmer to swim through current
  • Organizer got separated from group while reconning ridge parallel to group travelling in a very rugged Canadian valley that split 3 ways; heavy rain limited audible search and made man-tracking impossible
  • Group got well off course in extremely remote Canadian bush
  • One of two GPS units malfunctioned in Canadian bush (only one is normally carried)
  • Shuttle vehicle got stuck in muddy section of seasonal county road; extracted with nylon tow strap
  • with darkness closing in, tripper on day-hike could not find way back to isolated bivouac location; tripper's shouts were just barely within range
  • All layers of polypro got soaked with sweat and wet snow from wearing too much while underway on trail and then not wearing wet layers in camp to dry them out
  • Near-catastrophic tent fire (holes melted/burned in roof) from cooking/heating/drying with pressurized MSR stove inside North Face tent
  • Extreme fatigue from lack of pre-trip aerobic training
  • Trip-ending fatigue from lack of pre-trip aerobic training
  • Broken ski pole
  • Bad battery prevented vehicle from starting in cold weather
  • Point person broke through rotten river ice, shallow water
  • Slack (2nd) person broke through rotten river ice, deep water
  • Snowshoe bindings/straps did not fit large expedition boots
  • Trip-ending flu
  • Tripper's vehicle slid off a state highway during nighttime snowstorm

2003

  • Huge blisters from stiff, new boots
  • Giardia infection
  • High winds caused ground fire with esbit stove
  • Inadequate 3-season sleeping bag
  • Fall on rocks resulted in deep cut in shin
  • Trip-ending sprained ankle from unsupportive boots
  • Invisible holes in tarp allowed water to enter rucksack during 200-meter swim across lake
  • Poison ivy infection
  • Improper waterproofing soaked gear on river crossing swim
  • Sleeping bag soaked by rain during night
  • Lost compass
  • No tarp to waterproof pack and float it across deep river
  • Inoperable water filter
  • Inadequate warm clothing
  • Broke through rotten lake ice
  • Irrepairable stove failure
  • Broke through rotten river ice
  • Near hypothermia from lack of required equipment
  • Irrepairable stove failure

2002

  • Broken tooth
  • Hypothermia
  • Failed to pack enough rations
  • Failed to pack required foul-weather gear
  • Hypothermia
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Pulled quadriceps
  • Hypothermia
  • Broken tooth
  • Debilitating tendinitis
  • Hypothermia
  • Trip-ending exhaustion
  • Failed to pack required foul-weather gear
  • Hypothermia
  • Trip-ending exhaustion
  • Failed to pack required foul-weather gear

2001

  • Trip-ending, blown-out knee (tendon damage), required surgery
  • Trip-ending achilles' tendon injury
  • Giardia infection
  • Disoriented/lost after dark while venturing out from bivouac site
  • Turned ankle from boots that were not all-leather or supportive enough
  • Disoriented/lost during daylight while venturing out from bivouac site
  • Severe heat illness
  • Severe fatigue & exhaustion
  • Disoriented/lost after dark while hanging food
  • Diarrhea
  • Severe headaches
  • Numerous stove failures
  • Numerous water filter failures

2000

  • Severely dislocated finger, required surgery
  • Trip-ending flu
  • Blistering, 2nd-degree burns
  • Severe headaches
  • Severe fatigue & exhaustion
  • Soles of feet bruised so badly from lightweight boots that tripper could hardly walk
  • Numerous stove failures
  • Numerous water filter failures

1999-1984

  • Broken arm
  • 2 near drownings
  • Deep cut across palm-side of all four fingers, required stitches
  • Severe heat illness
  • Severe hypothermia
  • Dislocated shoulder
  • Torn thigh muscle
  • Immobilizing back injuries
  • Lost after dark without backpack
  • Frostbite
  • Sea sickness
  • 2 cases of giardia
  • Flu
  • Colds
  • Severe fatigue & exhaustion
  • Panic attacks
  • Sprained ankles
  • Falls through rotten river and lake ice
  • Blisters
  • Menacing/charging-- bear, moose, wolf, coyote
  • Loss of all food to a mother bear and two cubs
  • Stove and water filter failures
  • Punji stick pierced instep of leather boot and impaled foot

 

 


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In God's wilderness lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.

 — John Muir, 1838-1914, Alaska Wilderness, 1890

If you've been able to read this Web page...
thank a Teacher;
If you've been able to read this Web page in English...
thank a Veteran.
—Author unknown

Copyright notice
Content Copyright 1984 to 2010
By Michael A. Neiger

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No part of this Web page or this Web site protected by copyright law may be reproduced, transmitted, or used in any form--including graphic, electronic, Web, mechanical or other form--or by any means--including photocopying, recording, taping, Internet distribution, information storage retrieval system, or by other means--for any purpose, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages, without the prior, express, written permission of the author.

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