Man survives for 5 days in Sierra without food
By Siemny Chhuon, KXTV
WEST SACRAMENTO – A West Sacramento man was rescued after being missing for five days in the wilderness.
Mike Vilhauer, 58, is now in the comfort of his own home. It’s a place, at one point, he didn’t think he’d see again.
“I started thinking, ‘I’m going to be here and this is going to be it,'” Vilhauer recalled.
He was fishing alone last Wednesday at Lower Sunset Lake in Alpine County when he went looking for bait. He intended to go on a quick hike – 15 or 30 minutes at the most. But then he got lost from his campsite.
Vilhauer went five days without food.
“I did my own version of survivor man, the idiots version,” Vilhauer said. “Drinking out of puddles, dried stream beds.”
Next time he should stay home or carry a long rope and tie one end to himself and one to his car door handle and only go as far as the rope as he needs to be tethered when away from home. Or he can try a large balloon on a rope tied to his car with a smiley face and an arrow on it.
I am trying to have empathy. But jays us christ; “all he had was a topo map” ?? Wtf else does one need?
Tie a yellow ribbon on the old pine trees when you are out in the woods ,
No matter where you go when you’re in the backcountry, no matter whether it’s for 15 minutes or 15 miles….carry a knife, a flashlight/headlamp, a lighter and a bottle of water….preferable one that has a built-in filter. This man got lucky.
And he saw wolverines? Seriously…