Hindsight is always 20/20, and I think there is a rather large difference between being lost in the outback and on the ocean.

The big question is wether they believed a rescue was underway, or not. If their relatives was the kind who worry and keep in touch, it would be safe to assume so. Then it makes sense to keep close to the car. If not..
The story dont say how long they stayed together, what the weather was like and how much snow there was. It dont say much about what experience he had with winter and the outback either. Did he know how far he had to travel before reaching help/shelter?

One big difference between the sea and the outback, is that on land you can return to the site. But swimming back to the boat is not an option. Finding a single person on land is not much easier than on the ocean, but dogs are amazing at tracking and thermal cameras in helicopters can search large areas quickly. Neither methods work well when searching for a swimmer. Spotting a swimmer in rough conditions is unprobable, but finding the boat is more probable (white hulls amongst whitecaps are not easy to spot btw.). So it makes perfectly good sense to stay with the boat if you want to be found. Hypothermia will also set in slower if you stay out of the water.

Mary, what did you mean by "I understand how men think". I am not out to argument, but it would be interesting to hear how you see "men" in this relation.
Finding firewood in the snow is hard, making fresh wood burn is difficult and the resulting fire give little heat. Stomping trough snow and breaking off branches is hard work, especially if you are going without food. As long as they could run their engine, using the cars heating system would be better and this is probably what they did. I think they was doing everything right once they got into this situation, until he left the car becouse they ran out of food. Food is very important in the cold.

How could they get sidetracked so badly that they ended up on a logging road?


In Norway we have a set of 'rules' for skiers who encounter bad weather. Most of them apply to this situation as well.

1: Dont go for extended trips without training
2: Always report your route
3: Respect the weather and the forecast
4: Listen to experienced skiers
5: Be prepared for bad weather and cold even for short trips. Always bring a backpack with the proper equipment.
6: Remember map and compass
7: Do not go alone
8: Turn around in time. It is not disgraceful to turn back.
9: Conserve your strength, and make a shelter in the snow if neccesary.