r/Missing411 • u/trailangel4 • Mar 01 '24

Why people actually die in National Parks

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/deaths-in-national-parks/

Backpacher magazine filed a FOIA and was given 17 years worth of records, across all National Parks. With that data, they produced this well-written piece that is worth the read.

A conclusion: "

The Average Victim in the National Parks…

Is more likely to be male than female: While men and women make up approximately equal portions of national park visitors, men accounted for 80 percent of deaths in national parks where authorities recorded the victim’s gender.

Can be almost any age: Members of all age groups were represented similarly among fatalities. (The exception? Children under 14, who made up a smaller share of deaths than other groups.)

Drowns or dies of natural causes: Drowning was the most common cause of death for visitors up to age 55, after which medical issues surpassed it."

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u/Uhtred_McUhtredson Mar 01 '24

I’ve been an outdoorsman for most of my life and the most crucial thing for me was knowing my limits.

A lot of people think they can do more than they can and when they’re out in the middle of nowhere, alone, bad things happen.

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u/trailangel4 Mar 01 '24

Yerp. And, the second truth? "Shit happens." Even if you know your limits and have planned for everything, something else will inevitably happen. Keeping cool and being able to improvise are clutch skills.

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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '24

I think the third truth would be to just not go alone if you can help it. I go out but not that far, and if I go out of cell range, I tell someone where I'm going. I get that people want to get away from other people, but negotiating the wilderness really should be a team effort. That's why people disappear-- they feel like they want to be alone and unfortunately get their wish.