Topic: Wheeling 101 Why We Don't Go Alone

[Rocksurfer]

I am happy that they found these people alive and the person responsible for getting them into trouble was able to keep them from freezing to death but he is in no way a hero in all of this. He should have never been where he was in those conditions so far away from civilization that you could not walk out to a road. Yes I have been known to wheel alone but could have easily walked out in less than a day to safety. He should not be praised for this, he should be yelled at about it. What was he thinking!

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/10/missing-nevada-family-found-safe/

[Snowtoy]

Criticism not praise is what they deserve, it isn't like they ended up there on accident, i.e. following a bad map, lost in a storm, plane crash, etc., they went out there on purpose, alone, and unprepared.  While I am happy that the children didn't pay for his and his wife's stupidity with their lives, I would have liked to seen the adults suffer a little permanent injury, like the loss of a finger or toe, maybe a part of a nose or ear, etc., just to remind them of how stupid and lucky they were. 

It seems like they should have to face some kind of punishment for their stupidity, not criminal or civil fines, but something like require them to take several survivalist classes and have to wear a "scarlet letter" of some kind, like a shirt that says "I went into the woods and had to be rescued" for 6-12 months whenever they are out in public.

[mudmaster]

Why not pay for the resources that it cost to find them??

[86bobbedtoy]

Why not pay for the resources that it cost to find them??

bam

[Rocksurfer [OP]]

Usually if you are not from that county they do get a bill for those services.

[TheChewMaster]

He does have a scarlet letter, it's just 4 letters;

JEEP

I heard about this on NPR yesterday, turned to my girl and simply said" this is why we don't wheel alone"

[1985CRAWLER]

He does have a scarlet letter, it's just 4 letters;

JEEP

 

[Snowtoy]

Why not pay for the resources that it cost to find them??

They do this with skiers/Snowboarders that ski/board out of bounds and have to be rescued, and some states are considering enacting/enacted legislation to make it a misdemeanor.  Personally I don't like the idea of fining people who have to be rescued by Search and Rescue, especially when S&R teams are publicly funded/private donations and staffed by volunteers.  Requiring community service from them on an hour-for-hour basis might be a better way of recouping the costs for the community, charging them financially might also make people hesitant to call for help or report their loved ones when they go missing like this.

[mudmaster]

Stupidity should have a price short of death. Someone else could have been hurt or killed because of this.

[Rocksurfer [OP]]

If I remember correctly this happened last year to an adventurous well versed wheeler, they died.

[86bobbedtoy]

a while back some people went up in the highlakes and got stranded. I think it was a man and his kids

[MRHilux87]

Wheeling alone in the winter is a double no no.  Summer fire roads or backcountry is one thing.  Snowy roads where it gets below 0 is another.