News: Bicyclist rescues man near death

As widely reported via national and international news outlets, Tomas Quinones while bikepacking in the remote backcountry of eastern Oregon by sheer chance encountered a 72-year-old man — severely dehydrated and near death — who had collapsed after walking for four days from his stranded Jeep.
Tomas tells the story in his bike blog: http://adventuring.bike/2019/bikepacking-the-obc-day-6/
(Photo from Tomas Quinones blog)
10 response to "News: Bicyclist rescues man near death"
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That is one incredible story!
As low tech as I am, without Spot Tracker things would not have turned out as they did?
Probably a good message there.
Thanks for posting.
Before my health fell off a cliff, I had been riding in more and more remote locations where I would sometimes not see a car for up to 36 hours at a time. I also learned that you really only have about an hour to get med assistance after an eastern brown snake bite (very common here, highly venomous) and that you really shouldn’t move after being bitten…. So I researched spot trackers and EPIRBs and was about to purchase an EPIRB when I got really sick. I had never considered I might need to use it for someone else! Once I can start traipsing into far-flung places again on the Salsa, I’ll definitely be getting an EPRIB (about $225 and last for about 10 years).
Yep, I think my ace support crew — who loves to go off gallivanting in the woods and hills by herself — will be getting a PLB or Spot for birthday or Christmas. Maybe a perfect anniversary gift!
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/personal-locator-beacons.html
Yes, I figured it was a really good investment.
The PLB (EPIRB must have been what we called them back in college when we had them on wilderness trips for some of our courses) can pinpoint you more accurately. That was one of the features that made me go that way vs SPOT (plus I don’t want to subscribe or need to send messages to anyone).
Thanks for the link — learned a great deal!
(Once driving around Iroquois County we got so lost we hit the OnStar button.
Reply came back “Where the Hell are you?” JK!!)
Glad you’re thinking ahead!! In fact we all should…….with all my recent new adventures into health it feels like I need to do the same…..however, yesterday common sense took control. I went with another photographer to go for a shoot in Big Sur and she had said the hill was steep but when we got there it was STRAIGHT up and down for about 300ft. I was clinging to a plant and said I just don’t think I can do this…….a first for me!! But/and it was ok…….
Great story!
Thanks for the link to his actual account – I had read a news report but not his journal. I hope he is okay going forward. I was in a position to save a friend’s life back in college. I did some things right, some things maybe could’ve been done better. But my friend survived with little disability. HOWEVER, for some time afterward I was plagued with “What Ifs” – thinking about how things could have turned out so differently if I had done just one thing wrong. I was pretty upset thinking about how I could have been part of how he died if things hadn’t gone as well as they did. I sure hope this guy doesn’t have to deal with those thoughts in coming weeks and months. After the distance/shock/adrenalin of the event, it took me a good 6 months to just be happy that my friend was okay.
What a story! Thanks for posting it.
Great read……..