Topic: This is why you shouldn't go wheelin' alone .

[iNfErNaL]

 http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=844594   


 Pretty sad , just thought I'd pass it along to my fellow wheelers .

[JanMarie13]

Ohhhh wowww....not cool.   I hate hearing people say they went/are going wheeling alone.  Sucks this fella had to become a statistic to prove that point.  

RIP to him, and prayers to his family for sure.

[Blingn]

Wow why would he go alone? Horrible story.

[junya92toy]

In the winter i keep a sleeping bag a tent and some canned food in my truck...

[axled89]

x2 jerry and that's right.  and pack like you are lost.

[Stocker]

 I hate hearing people say they went/are going wheeling alone. 

Agreed... and I feel the same about anyone riding motorcycle alone.

Condolences to his family & friends.   

[79coyotefrg]

In the winter i keep a sleeping bag a tent and some canned food in my truck...

thats just it he HAD all that

Mono County Sheriff SAR team members found Lafontaine deceased on Forest Road 169, about 2.5 miles from his vehicle. Sheriff officials say that Lafontaine was the apparent victim of hypothermia.  The exact cause of death is still under investigation.

It’s unclear exactly what exactly led to this tragic outcome, but it appears that the driver became stuck in the snow and started to walk down the road toward Mono Lake, perhaps thinking that he was not expected home for days. Camping gear, like a tent, sleeping bag, and food were found inside the vehicle.

[junya92toy]

Well you cant fix stupid then.

[JanMarie13]

Well you cant fix stupid then.

  Nobody was out there to know the whole situation but him.  For all we know the situation was perfectly under control and the man had an unexpected problem like a heart attack that nobody could have foreseen.

[junya92toy]

True true, I guess that old rule keeps ringing in my head. STAY PUT. But what I find that is weird is, why didnt he take his gear with him?

[*** YELLER ***]

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- The body of a Pleasanton man who was reported missing after failing to return from a camping trip last week has been found more than 200 miles away from home in a park east of Yosemite National Park.

A Mono County search and rescue team notified Pleasanton police at 10:30 p.m. Thursday that 48-year-old Jay Lafontaine had been found in Bodie State Park, about three miles from where his black Jeep was found earlier in the day.

Lafontaine was expected to return home Dec. 2 and last spoke to his family via his cell phone on Nov. 27, the day he left for the trip, according to Pleasanton police.

Investigators believe Lafontaine's Jeep got stuck in a ravine. Footprints in the snow indicated he was trying to walk out of the area for assistance, police said.

Authorities indicated there were no signs of a struggle or foul play. The cause of his death hasn't been determined.

[*FFC*]

Oh that's so sad It's a sad reminder that no matter how capable you think you are - do NOT take nature for granted

My prayers go out to his family. 

[David]

If he was at 10,000 elevation he could have had a problem related to lack of oxygen, compounded by walking any distance. An unknown circulatory or heart condition may not show up until you reach a certain elevation then it gets you. It can also cause a person to make unwise decisions without them realizing it. I've a worn out heart and it happens to me.
 Sad though whatever caused this to happen. Condolences to the family

[BLACKDOG]

 RIP

My thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends.  

Lets all take this as a learning experience, and not let his death be in vain.

[crawlerdad]

That is why you always carry an O KIT. Food, Water, Meds (if needed), Fire starting tools, Etc. Everything you would need to go a couple days stranded in the area you plan to wheel. Snow, Desert, Mtns, or where ever you plan to be. There are a lot of websites that will help anyone learn how to cope stranded in the out doors. First and foremost don't go alone, if you do tell someone where you are going and when you should be back.   

[46&2]

RIP 

[Plekto]

Real shame.

He had the full kit.  Back at his truck.  This is a reminder that your "kit" in your truck also needs to include a large backpack so you can haul the whole thing with you if need be.  Some times the truck is a brick and it's better to abandon it. 

My educated guess here is that he got stuck and decided since it was likely still light out to try to hike a bit to see if he could get some cell coverage.  And had a problem with the cold/altitude/physical condition/etc.  He also could have walked 5 or 6 miles and started walking back when he realized it was getting dark and it just got too cold once the sun went down.  2-3 miles doesn't seem that far, but when the temps are dropping fast, it's a real problem.

It's terribly easy as well if you are hiking downhill to go several miles without much effort but then get punked on the return which takes 2 times longer and 2 times the effort.  1 hour down can turn into 4 hours back in a worse case scenario.  

[Rocksurfer]

Hate to say it but I've been down this road but with a little luck survived it. It was when I was young and dumb but even still was prepared for what could happen. I was wheelin' alone in SBF in early spring, nothing I haven't done before and since but due to erosion the road had washed out and there was a large opening where the water cut across the road about 3 ft. deep. Since I had crossed worse I was not very concerned about it so I dropped in got to the other side and tried to climb out, well I was stuck couldn't go forward or back. I tried digging out I tried everything I could but to no avail. After about 4 hours I was losing daylight so I got my camping gear out (which I always carry) and set up my tent figuring I was going to be staying there for the night. I also had my cold weather gear (which I always carry) and got into them.

I could have survived there for several nights without a problem but just as I got things squared away a CHP helicopter came overhead and then actually landed by me. He informed me that there was a severe storm coming and that we needed to get out of there since it had already washed out and the ground was currently unstable and my truck was now in the path of any water flow that may occur. I had set up my tent away from this area so again but he advised me that the entire mountainside was possibly going to give way so we should leave since there was no way they were sending anyone in to help.

Now I was looking at the prospect of loosing my truck, so I grabbed my backpack and was just about ready to hop in when another Toyota 4Runner came down the trail because he saw the helicopter land. The pilot gave us 10 minutes to get my truck out before we had to leave, it took us 5. He wouldn't let me pack up my tent and such so I left it all there, you probably can guess that when I went back several days later to retrive my stuff it was all gone, washed over the side of the hill.

I learned a valuable lesson that week, even though I do still wheel alone at times I never do anything so hard that I may get into trouble, and I check the weather forecast.

This is a sad thing that happened and I hope anyone reading it will learn from it.