Meet Mr. Hill and read his first hand survival story:
I set out by myself for what for what I considered to be a medium length, day hike of five hours in the bush in the Tararuas, in New Zealand. I initially followed an unsignposted trapline track that, although a little rough, was reasonably well defined. My trek took me to the top of a peak of 890 metres called Pinnacle, which was supposed to be the halfway point, where I stopped for lunch. I then set out along the neighbouring ridge with the intention of branching off about half an hour along and heading down to the Atiwhakatu River and following a very clearly sign posted track back to my car.
Part way along the ridge the track became rather overgrown and then disappeared completely. This was where I made my first mistake. I should at that point have headed back the way I had come and completed my five hour hike that way. However, I decided that I didn’t need a track because if I headed down I would eventually reach the Atiwhakatu River. I started to head down for what should have been a forty five minute trip to the river. The going was easy at first but then the bush thickened and I encountered some steep drops and started veering off my straight line to find an easier path. Mistake two. I eventually came across a stream and decided to follow it as it would surely lead me to the Atiwhakatu River. Mistake number three.
– See more at: https://www.acrartex.com/survivors/stories/2015/david-hill-carterton-wairarapa#sthash.93ErO5zb.dpuf
David Hill
