That missing hiker in HI (now found)

[PZMommy]

Something does seem a bit off about this story.

[mommy111]

I think a lot of the oddities had to do with how it was reported, though. It was reported that she was in excellent condition when she was recovered. Clearly not, with infected sunburns and broken leg. Also, she appeared to be someone who would routinely go on hikes without her phone. To me that part is strange....but I have a panic attack if I’m driving without my phone on a well used highway....how will I call aAA if the car breaks down? ��

[California]

I wonder if she thought she wouldn't have cell service while out on the hike. We often experience that. Just today, my DH and DS were on a six mile hike and they didn't have any cell service- DH tried to send me a couple of photos of a waterfall and couldn't get reception. So the part about leaving the phone didn't seem so unusual to me as she may have felt she wouldn't have been able to use her phone on the trail.

[TwinFoxes]

I'm usually super skeptical of crazy stories (looking at you, Jussie...) but for some reason this time I'm not. Mostly I chalk this up to "people are stupid". As for the nap, I couldn't help but think marijuana or something. The cell phone part doesn't seem weird, there are plenty of people who like to go off the grid, even temporarily. I can see a yoga instructor in Hawaii being one of those people. The rescuers did kill wild boars to look for human remains in their intestines, so I'm not sure anyone would voluntarily spend 16 nights with wild boars. The one thing I went "wait, what?" about was not having water. We all saw her stop at the market, she didn't pick up water? But again, people are stupid.

I had never heard she was in "excellent shape." I heard she was rescued on the radio and they reported she was she was in a hospital with a broken leg and dehydration. So I wasn't instantly suspicious.

If her story isn't legit, that's incredibly cruel to her parents.

ETA: Who'll play her in the Lifetime movie? I think D'arcy Carden, who plays Janet on "The Good Place" is a look-alike.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think a lot of the oddities had to do with how it was reported, though. It was reported that she was in excellent condition when she was recovered. Clearly not, with infected sunburns and broken leg. Also, she appeared to be someone who would routinely go on hikes without her phone. To me that part is strange....but I have a panic attack if I’m driving without my phone on a well used highway....how will I call aAA if the car breaks down? ��

That makes a lot of sense. The reporting definitely painted a picture that there were just a few minor problems but otherwise she was great.
I’m the same with my phone and AAA. But, I wasn’t suspicious that she left her phone behind. I mean, a 3 mike walk shouldn’t take all that long.


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[doberbrat]

I almost never take my phone when hiking. The camera is awful. More importantly, what am I going to say if I have a signal....I'm lost. Where are you? By the clump of green trees.....

I used to take kids hiking when I worked in a residential treatment facility. They used to groan if I was a solo leader b/c I was guaranteed to get lost. Once took us 5h to find our way out of a 900 acre property.... that I had been to several times before

[TwinFoxes]

I almost never take my phone when hiking. The camera is awful. More importantly, what am I going to say if I have a signal....I'm lost. Where are you? By the clump of green trees.....

In all seriousness, you can go to a map app and get your coordinates. You can also use the light to signal someone. And mine has an alarm that I could use to signal (like having a whistle). If she had her phone and told searchers "I'm by the river" it would have been helpful.

[o_mom]

I almost never take my phone when hiking. The camera is awful. More importantly, what am I going to say if I have a signal....I'm lost. Where are you? By the clump of green trees.....

I used to take kids hiking when I worked in a residential treatment facility. They used to groan if I was a solo leader b/c I was guaranteed to get lost. Once took us 5h to find our way out of a 900 acre property.... that I had been to several times before

All (or nearly all) phones have a gps which can locate you for rescuers.

I do know how easy it is to get lost... Been there done that, but we had a map and compass and a plan if we were lost. In ravine filled terrain with thick vegetation it can be extremely disorienting.

[mom2binsd]

In this day and age, I don't understand why you would leave your phone in the vehicle, even if you don't plan to use it as a phone, it has features and gps that might have been helpful in this situation. There are plenty of ways to carry it in a waterproof case that would be easy. Even in remote places you may get enough of a signal for an emergency.

[anonomom]

What makes me suspicious is how she got lost — she said in the NY times article she was back on the path after her nap, but instead of going back the way she’d come, her “gut” insisted that she go the opposite way. And she kept on going in that wrong direction for about 10 hours. It seems to me that at some point, she’d have tried to retrace her steps. If (a) her “gut” was telling her something she knew was wrong, and (b) she chose to follow it anyway, it indicates that maybe she had some kind of cognitive breakdown?