smlobx
Wanderer
A Garmin InReach and a note to myself to never leave your vehicle in remote places….
Sad End to This Cautionary Tale, As Folks Start to Head Back Out Into the Wilds, Pls Be Careful
- Thread starter AbleGuy
- Start date
A Garmin InReach and a note to myself to never leave your vehicle in remote places….
I was hoping someone would close the loop on this story. Thanks and Cheers!Since I started this thread, I’ll finish it up before going mostly offline for the next few weeks.
Here’s the wrap up of the original sad story that started this thread:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2021/08/01/girlfriend-
honors-tucson-veteran-congressional-aide-who-died-camping/5446121001/
Girlfriend of Tucson man who died camping says legacy will live on in bill for veterans
Every weekend for the past two years, Emily Henkel and her boyfriend, Alexander Lofgren, would spend time together exploring national parks or the outdoors.
Lofgren would show Henkel parks she’d never been to, and whenever they visited a new park, Lofgren’s eyes would fill with excitement, Henkel said. He was a combat veteran who used nature as therapy after serving in Afghanistan.
“He just had this absolute wonderment and complete awe of all these parks and just would be so excited to show me,” she said.
The Tucson couple both loved nature — they dreamed of opening their own plant nursery one day and had plans to visit many parks. But on Easter weekend this year, Lofgren, who worked as a caseworker assisting veterans, died in a hiking accident on a short camping trip with Henkel in Death Valley National Park.
Now, in honor of Lofgren’s love for parks and helping veterans, Henkel said his legacy will live on in a bill that would give veterans and Gold Star families free entry to national parks for life. It passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.
The bill, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, in July, was named after Lofgren, 32, who worked as a congressional aide for Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, before he died.
Henkel told The Arizona Republic she traveled to Washington, D.C. for Lofgren's final celebration of life and memorial last week, about the same time the House voted to pass the veterans' bill.
"It was a very emotional weekend knowing how, you know, the last time I was in D.C., I was with him, and this time I was by myself watching live from my phone from a restaurant," she said. "Every time another congressman or woman was up and voted yes, it was just a whole new slew of emotions — very bittersweet emotions."
Henkel remembers Lofgren's love for parks, helping veterans
Grijalva and others expressed their condolences after Lofgren's death and said he was passionate about helping veterans and nature — something he found therapeutic for himself and wanted other veterans to experience. It's why Grijalva wanted to name the veterans' bill after Lofgren, he said.
"Alex working with us here saw that nature, our open spaces, our state and federal parklands and wilderness areas and public places were therapeutic, that they were important in the reintegration of veterans back into our civilian life hereafter they completed their service to the nation, and he was a huge proponent of that," Grijalva told The Republic.
Henkel lived with Lofgren in Tucson and had been dating him for more than two years, she told The Republic. "We had an amazing relationship ... we were both beyond happy living life to the absolute fullest together," she said.
While together, Henkel said she and Lofgren explored countless parks across multiple states. The parks, Henkel said, meant an "incredible amount" to the couple — she said they frequented Saguaro National Park and wanted to get married at Valley of the Gods in Utah.
"The whole entire foundation of our relationship has been on our shared loved of nature and national parks and national lands, exploring them together," she said.
In July, shortly after the bill was introduced, Grijalva worked with Miller-Meeks to rename the bill in honor of Lofgren. Henkel said it was an "overwhelmingly amazing feeling" to see that Lofgren would be memorialized "in the absolute perfect way."
Lofgren was hired for Grijalva's district staff as part of the Wounded Warrior Fellowship program and worked as a caseworker helping veterans in Tucson after serving four years in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer and deploying to Afghanistan in 2011.
"It led onto a whole new range of emotions of just remembering ... all our memories in the parks and just how much this is exactly what he would have wanted," Henkel said.
As a liaison in Grijavla's office, Henkel said Lofgren proved he was capable of "absolutely amazing things" and wanted to leave the largest impact possible on veterans he helped.
"The amount of love and dedication that went into each and every 'case' and every constituent spoke volumes about how he was as a person," she said. "He could not go to bed at night if he knew anyone was suffering in any way."
Lofgren would spend his own money buying groceries on a Friday night for a veteran who didn't have enough food to last through the week, Henkel added.
"He was the type of person that would call and check up on a constituent well after the case was 'resolved' to make sure they were still doing okay. He is exactly the kind of person you would have wanted in your corner," she said.
Henkel said she hopes the bill impacts veterans, Gold Star families and service members as much as parks impacted her and Lofgren.
"I hope they're able to use this as an opportunity ... to see what is out there and experience the absolute, utmost joy that nature brings to people," she said.
What happened in Death Valley
Henkel and Lofgren went camping in Death Valley National Park on April 3 and intended to be home for Easter dinner the next day.
After the couple didn't return on the end date of their trip, the Inyo County Sheriff's Office conducted a days-long search for the two and eventually found their missing white Subaru and a note that said “Two flat tires, headed to Mormon Point, have three days’ worth of water.”
Henkel, 27, spoke publicly about the experience for the first time on the "Person of Interest with Natalie Jones" podcast in June.
After hiking on a designated trail down a slot canyon, the couple started looking for a way down a 70-foot cliff and waterfall. While looking, Henkel said Lofgren lost his grip, fell off the cliff and died shortly after on April 4.
Trying to get to Lofgren, Henkel said she climbed down the waterfall part of the way, but eventually fell and snapped her ankle. For days, she said she worked to survive in the remote area until officials could rescue her and Lofgren from the park.
On April 9, Lofgren was found dead on a remote, steep ledge, with Henkel, who was hospitalized.
A GoFundMe account that was set up for the family of Lofgren and Henkel had raised nearly $50,000 as of July 31.
More information about current free annual passes for active-duty service members and free entry for veterans and Gold Star Families can be found on the National Park Service's website.
More information about hiking safety tips can be found on the U.S. Forest Service's website.
Reach the reporter at Audrey.Jensen@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter at @Audreyj101.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
ramblinChet
Well-known member
Wow, much reading and many good suggestions on these pages. We all make mistakes folks so being critical of another persons decisions is helpful to the extent that it opens the discussion for additional choices and what-ifs?
My area of specialization was Airborne Warfare Operator / Aviation Rescue Swimmer in the Navy. I spent two years going through schools while watching others quit and/or DOR. Most of my training was focused on over water rescues but a significant portion was over land. Let's begin talking about rescue helicopters with four men aboard. You will have a pilot and co-pilot who's only job is to A-N-C (aviate, navigate, communicate). They are not looking for you - they are flying the bird, period. So now you have two other men in back - most likely one senior and one junior. The senior man will normally take up the position with the best visibility on one side of the aircraft - maybe an open cargo door. The junior man might be pressing his face up against a small plastic window that is older than him and it has the scratches to prove it. Depending upon how the sun hits it he may see next to nothing. What I am getting at here is even if you see a helo rolling in they are going to have a very tough time seeing a person compared to a vehicle. It's even worse over water since only your tiny head is visible in an endless sea of waves. It's kind of like being on a dark road and seeing a car with the headlights on (helo) driving towards you from a mile away. You can clearly see the car (helo) but he is nowhere close to seeing you and if he turns a few hundred feet away he many never see you.
Human eyes become tired quickly attempting to locate tiny "defects" in the surrounding landscape. I have been on searches and I will tell you that our human eyes are not good for extended searches. And yes, a sliver Subi or white RAM stands out quite a bit. Staying with your vehicle not only makes it better for you but much better for the men searching for you. And vehicles can carry massive amounts of supplies and water while we humans are generally limited to 50-75 lbs and that's in a proper backpack. Has anyone here mentioned that it is a good idea to stay with your vehicle?
None of us can peer into the future and imagine exactly what we will need and when we will need it so it's smart to have choices. Earlier someone mentioned an aviators survival vest - we carried an AN/PRC-90 survival radio (243.0 and 282.8 MHz), SDU-5/E strobe light (with a blue cover so it didn't look like muzzle flash), chem-lights, Mk 13 Mod 0 survival smoke/flare, pen-type flare gun, Mk 3 survival mirror, sea dye marker, whistle, etc. Now I am not saying to use these exact pieces but what I am attempting to establish is that we had choices depending upon the circumstances. This gear was carried over water, over land, all around the world and it works!
It's been said countless times here but remain with your vehicle and pack your vehicle with enough food and water for at least several days or maybe even a week. And carry options when it comes to signaling because human eyes are the weakest piece of equipment in a search scenario.
My area of specialization was Airborne Warfare Operator / Aviation Rescue Swimmer in the Navy. I spent two years going through schools while watching others quit and/or DOR. Most of my training was focused on over water rescues but a significant portion was over land. Let's begin talking about rescue helicopters with four men aboard. You will have a pilot and co-pilot who's only job is to A-N-C (aviate, navigate, communicate). They are not looking for you - they are flying the bird, period. So now you have two other men in back - most likely one senior and one junior. The senior man will normally take up the position with the best visibility on one side of the aircraft - maybe an open cargo door. The junior man might be pressing his face up against a small plastic window that is older than him and it has the scratches to prove it. Depending upon how the sun hits it he may see next to nothing. What I am getting at here is even if you see a helo rolling in they are going to have a very tough time seeing a person compared to a vehicle. It's even worse over water since only your tiny head is visible in an endless sea of waves. It's kind of like being on a dark road and seeing a car with the headlights on (helo) driving towards you from a mile away. You can clearly see the car (helo) but he is nowhere close to seeing you and if he turns a few hundred feet away he many never see you.
Human eyes become tired quickly attempting to locate tiny "defects" in the surrounding landscape. I have been on searches and I will tell you that our human eyes are not good for extended searches. And yes, a sliver Subi or white RAM stands out quite a bit. Staying with your vehicle not only makes it better for you but much better for the men searching for you. And vehicles can carry massive amounts of supplies and water while we humans are generally limited to 50-75 lbs and that's in a proper backpack. Has anyone here mentioned that it is a good idea to stay with your vehicle?
None of us can peer into the future and imagine exactly what we will need and when we will need it so it's smart to have choices. Earlier someone mentioned an aviators survival vest - we carried an AN/PRC-90 survival radio (243.0 and 282.8 MHz), SDU-5/E strobe light (with a blue cover so it didn't look like muzzle flash), chem-lights, Mk 13 Mod 0 survival smoke/flare, pen-type flare gun, Mk 3 survival mirror, sea dye marker, whistle, etc. Now I am not saying to use these exact pieces but what I am attempting to establish is that we had choices depending upon the circumstances. This gear was carried over water, over land, all around the world and it works!
It's been said countless times here but remain with your vehicle and pack your vehicle with enough food and water for at least several days or maybe even a week. And carry options when it comes to signaling because human eyes are the weakest piece of equipment in a search scenario.
FAW3
Adventurer
A sad story and lessons to be learned.
Over the last couple of years with retirement I have found myself traveling solo more and in areas that often had no cell service. I never invested in a personal rescue device like a SPOT or similar - but this year I did. I got a SPOT4 and to date have never used it for anything emergency related.
That being said, I use it frequently to check in with my "SPOT Group" which are all family members. At this point, the feedback from them is really what provides the primary "value" in having the SPOT. If I am out of cell contact for a few day...no worries, they get a SPOT check in daily. It really makes a difference for them to know where I am and that all is good. I have to admit that prior to getting the SPOT the only real value I saw was the small chance of use in an emergency. Not so...consider your family and friends.
Of course the bonus is that IF something goes bad, I have a method to get assistance.
Over the last couple of years with retirement I have found myself traveling solo more and in areas that often had no cell service. I never invested in a personal rescue device like a SPOT or similar - but this year I did. I got a SPOT4 and to date have never used it for anything emergency related.
That being said, I use it frequently to check in with my "SPOT Group" which are all family members. At this point, the feedback from them is really what provides the primary "value" in having the SPOT. If I am out of cell contact for a few day...no worries, they get a SPOT check in daily. It really makes a difference for them to know where I am and that all is good. I have to admit that prior to getting the SPOT the only real value I saw was the small chance of use in an emergency. Not so...consider your family and friends.
Of course the bonus is that IF something goes bad, I have a method to get assistance.