This is timely.... the latest Wilderness and Environmental Med J had several articles on search methods and stats:



these are not all in the mountains but you get the jist of these averages (of where they are found from site of departure). The wording is my paraphrasing and the numbers are approx from my memory of reading the article last night: :

1-3 yo infant : no route finding skills, tend to hole up in cubby hole, found within 0.2 miles

4-6 yo child: some route finding/can follow trail. Found within 0.6 miles

hikers: most common cause of being lost is an oblivious miss of trail junction, or an obscured/confusing junction. May wander around looking for clues. Surprisingly only 52% are found at lower altitude. I thought it would be more than that. They explained the stats are being skewed by people seeking cell phone reception at higher rather than lower slopes, where people normally would tend to go. Average distance: 1.6 miles

elderly/demented: no route finding skills. Do not attempt to communicate (don't know they are lost). Walk in generally the same direction until stopped by a barrier. 0.4mi. A whopping 45 % are found dead.

From another article: (1) solo hikers are the largest group of victims (2) backtracking to find where you are is more appropriate than plowing ahead, but is the least used method by the victim. (This is influenced by the lack of recognition that they are lost.)


I am surprised the man has not been found yet. This does not bode well.