Total Isolation: The Cabin in the Woods…

25:26I thought a lot about my mom and dad, for example. For them to support such an endeavor, not being able to have contact with your kid, not knowing if they're okay or if they're alive for a year. That's a pretty amazing thing. So I thought about them a lot, that evening laying there. So far as they're concerned, I'm at the cabin right now with my feet up by the stove with a hot chocolate and nice and toasty warm. And here I am, I'm at death's door. I'm in the jaws right now of Mother Nature.

26:02Eventually, after a seemingly endless night, the sun starts to creep up over the tops of the trees. Weakened and numb, but relieved to have made it through, David and Scott muster their remaining strength and agree to look again for the cabin. Maybe it will be easier to spot in daylight. This time they split up, searching in different directions. But when they regroup, it's clear neither has good news. In desperation, they decide to go back to the lake where they landed the previous day, and where the rest of their equipment and supplies are. Though it's galling to retrace their steps so soon, they don't have much choice.

26:45They're unlikely to survive another night in a shoddy, self-made shelter. They need a tent. Following the trail they broke the previous day makes the journey easier. Within a few hours, they're back at the lake. They dig through their equipment to find a canvas expedition tent belonging to Dock and start setting it up. Originally, they planned to use it for occasional trips into the wilderness after reaching the cabin. Now, it might well save their lives.

27:18This tent comes complete with a small kerosene stove and a stovepipe that goes out the top of the tent. However, one of the stovepipe pieces was at the cabin. It's an elbow-shaped piece, so kind of an important one. And we knew this going in, but why would we be messing with or using a tent before actually using the cabin? That thought had never occurred to us. So we fashioned one out of aluminum foil. It was the best we could do, and clearly we were desperate. it. With their makeshift piece of pipe rigged up, David and Scott fill the stove tank with kerosene and light it. Finally, they experience the first hint of warmth since setting off the day before.

28:09They fill a pan with snow and set it on the stove to melt. The prospect of water and hot food is tantalizing. Once their basic needs are satisfied, the two men will be able to assess their situation more clearly and hopefully work out where they went wrong. Then, just as they're settling in, another issue suddenly arises. Right about the time that snow was turning to slush, the only liquid form of water for 120 miles, I heard Scott yell fire. And looking up, you could see that the top of the tent, where our little rigged stovepipe was, was in flames. David and Scott quickly throw the stove out of the tent and extinguish the smoldering canvas.

29:02Though the immediate danger has passed, so has any chance of proper hydration or a hot meal. In the ten seconds it took to avert disaster, the almost-melted slush in the pan has solidified once again, turning into ice. Though they have another tent in their pile of gear outside, David and Scott are too cold and exhausted to face the prospect of pitching it. Shivering and hungry, the two friends climb into their sleeping bags and suck on frozen fudge and granola bars until they're thawed enough to swallow. Above, the darkening sky yawns through a scorched hole in the roof of the tent. It's going to be another long, cold night.

29:51So once again, we're going to bed, not hydrated, very hungry, and at this point really pissed off because we'd worked too hard for things to fall apart like this. And that evening, because we had set the tent up right kind of on the bank of the lake there. We were pretty exposed, and we got beat down pretty good with a pretty heavy snowstorm that night. By morning, the tent had just more or less collapsed around us. When the sun rises on the third day, David and Scotts crawl out of their snow-covered, half-clapsed tent and take in the surrounding wilderness once more, as austere and unforgiving as ever.

30:35The two men need a plan. They decide to pack up their sleds with supplies and go back once again to the river. There, they can set up camp and use it as a base for exploring the surrounding area. With any luck, it should make finding the cabin easier. Once each sled is loaded with equipment, including their second tent, David and Scott hike back to the river, leaving their scorched canvas shelter behind. When they eventually reach the frozen river again, they conduct another search for the cabin, hoping against hope that they will stumble upon it. When they find nothing, they give in and decide to set up camp, not far from the spot where they spent the first night.

31:22This time, they're using a more modern tent, with flexible poles that form a dome-shaped frame. Normally, it would only take them a matter of minutes to set up. But the poles have been damaged by the extreme cold, and their weakened, semi-frozen hands make heavy weather of the process. Darkness falls around them, and the temperature plummets further. After an age, their tent is at last ready. As Scott was climbing into the tent, he turned around and looked at me for something. He was asking me a question. And his face looked really gaunt and blue, and he looked horrible. And I thought, God, I must look exactly the same.

32:11This is bad.

32:15Shivering and exhausted, they attempt to light a small camping stove. Fumbling with their numb fingers, they eventually achieved success. We decided to fire it up in the tent, which is, you know, typically you wouldn't do. But we didn't care. I mean, so long as we die warm, we'll be okay with that. The second we lit that, the inside of the tent almost inflated like a hot air balloon with hot air. And instantly it was warm. and we could start removing layers of gear and it was the most beautiful moment. Finally able to boil water for drinking and cooking, David and Scott devour their first proper meal in three days and each consume several liters of water.

33:05It's a mini triumph in the circumstances. They've successfully brought their bodies back from the brink of defeat. That evening, our spirits were definitely up. We don't have a cabin yet, but we at least have a system that seems to work. I'll be a little unorthodox, but it worked. So we looked at the maps again that evening, finally climbed into our banks and went to sleep. Now, the second you shut that stove off, like the second you shut it off, it's as cold inside as it is outside.

33:40Freezing, but with full bellies, David and Scott hunker down for the night, determined that tomorrow they will start afresh and finally locate the elusive cabin. When morning arrives, the friends feel a new determination, a new sense of optimism. David and Scott have coffee and begin to prepare themselves for a day of searching. But then, a fresh disaster strikes. We were kind of in the process of getting ready when I heard Scott call out. And I turned around, I looked, and he's holding his foot up. And his entire foot was black. He had suffered some severe frostbite. Scott can't risk going out.

34:22And this means now that a two-man team is cut down to a one-man team.

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35:17Bundling. Just another way to save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state. David stares at Scott's frozen, blackened foot, the toes swollen and dark. It was very bad, and for someone unfamiliar with seeing something like frostbite, it was, you know, visually kind of intimidating. Clearly, that first night in that shelter when I asked him, hey, are your feet hurting you? And he said no. He left his mukluks on.

36:01We'd done 10 hours of extreme hiking, a lot of sweat building up in those boots. And so when he went to bed, it was essentially like going to bed with two blocks of ice on your feet. And the reason his feet weren't hurting was because they were frozen. It was manageable still. But the important thing was he cannot freeze it any further or he's going to do some serious damage to this. Before embarking on this trip, both men received medical training from Doc Forgy. Ideally, they would thaw Scott's foot in warm water, but there is a significant chance that it could re-freeze in these temperatures, leading to all sorts of potential problems, including gangrene and auto-amputation.

36:51They can't take the risk. The care that we took immediately was very basic. The only thing really that we could do was make sure that he had a clean, dry pair of socks on. And that was about the extent of it, just for the sake of getting us to the cabin where we can really do more maintenance, I guess. It's now their fourth day of searching for the mysterious cabin in the woods. and the responsibility to locate it now rests entirely on David's shoulders. But before that, he prioritizes the well-being of his friend. Their medical kit contains antibiotics to ward off secondary infections that could develop as a result of the frostbite.

37:35But their medical kit is still in their canvas tent back at the lake. And so, for the fourth day running, David hikes the route between the river and Landing Lake. It's become a familiar trudge. When he gets there, he fumbles to find the entrance of their tent, which lies semi-submerged in snow. He crawls inside and locates the medical kit. He takes the opportunity to grab some other provisions as well. Then he treks back to the river, where Scott's is patiently waiting. That day, really, there was no searching for the cabin at all. But again, we're still feeling relatively positive. Despite not having a cabin, despite the frostbite, we're at least relatively safe in this little bubble that we've made.

38:28David gives Scott the antibiotics and they eat dinner before bedding down for the night. Hopefully, the morning will bring a change in their luck. David sleeps fitfully, but when dawn breaks on the fifth morning, he forces himself out of the relative warmth of his sleeping bag and lights the stove. After breakfast, he prepares himself to face the freezing wilderness outside once more. Scott wishes him good luck, and David steps out into the dazzling brightness of snow and sky. Believing they are somewhere downriver from the cabin, he decides to head upstream. He tramps across the snow, a mere speck against the brilliant white expanse.

39:13David's reasons for coming here were simple. The trip has proven to be anything but. With every day, every hour, every step that passes, things become more desperate. What might finish them first? The cold, frostbite, hunger, or exhaustion? And just as it seems another day is about to disappear without success, something catches David's eye. I found this stand of trees that was extraordinarily tall. Most of the trees up there, because the environment is so brutal, they're really stunted. They grow maybe 30 feet, something like that. These were massive spruce trees. And I thought, I wonder if I climb one of these, If I can spot anything, like anything man-made or some landmark or something.

40:04If he falls, the consequences will be catastrophic. But with still no sign of the cabin, a bold approach is needed. David takes off his snowshoes and begins to climb, the chunky branches providing slippery foot and handholds. Encumbered by his bulky winter clothing, it's not easygoing. It was a nightmare trying to climb this. But I got up a little bit above the trees, and I noticed upstream, maybe a half a mile or a quarter mile, was this small lake. And I started thinking, like, if I could find this lake on the map, then clearly we'll be able to find where we are in relation to the cabin. David climbs back down the tree and returns to the tent as the sun slips below the horizon.

40:59He tells Scott about his theory, and the two of them eagerly open their crumpled map. And sure enough, there on the map is this little tiny lake. I was amazed our maps had enough detail to show that. And the second we saw that, we thought, well, if in fact this is the lake, which we were fairly certain it was, were actually upstream from where the cabin is by about a mile. All this time, the two men had assumed they were downriver from the cabin. But if David's hypothesis is right, then they had been searching in the wrong direction. That night, they have a hearty meal, excited by the tantalizing prospect of finding the cabin the next day.

41:44And that's not the only good news. Scott's foot is showing some signs of improvement, though his big toe remains worryingly black, and they still can't tend to it properly. But if all goes well, that shouldn't be a problem for much longer. Going to bed that night, we were feeling really good about our situation. Woke up early the next morning, had breakfast, got on the gear, and headed out. The only noise to break the quiet of the wilderness is the crunch of David's snowshoes and the sound of his own rasping breath. He covers ground slowly, slushing through the deep snow as his eyes skim the forest beside him.

42:29And after getting about a mile downstream, maybe about 40 yards into the tree line and about 15 feet off the ground, I noticed this level line of snow. And if you spend a lot of time in the outdoors, immediately your eye goes, well, that's not natural. There's nothing level like that in the outdoors. David heads towards this strange sight. As he approaches, he sinks into waist-deep snow. And there, poking out from the trees in front of him, is a wall of logs. And I knew that was it. The cabin was absolutely buried in snow. Like, it would have been so easy to miss.

43:16Finally, after six days of surviving in the wilderness, David has found the cabin. He flounders through the deep snow to the building, opens the door, and cautiously steps inside. Given how their luck has gone so far, it doesn't seem out of the question that he might stumble on a hibernating bear. My first reaction was just elation at the fact that like, oh, we're okay now, we're going to be okay. And when I stepped into the main cabin, I'm looking around, this was that moment where I had this realization that this is the thing that I dreamt about. Like, this is the thing that I wrote about. All of a sudden, here I am.

44:01It's become a reality somehow. It was really a strange and exciting moment, you know, just to be there. I was so excited to tell Scott that I found myself almost jogging down this trail. So by the time I reached the tent, I was winded, and my chest hurt because of all the cold. And Scott opened up the door, and he said, well, did you find it? And it took me a while to finally catch my breath. and I told them, yeah, I found it.

44:33After nearly a full week, David and Scott make it to their new home. They're finally able to enjoy true safety, shelter, and warmth. Later, they work out the reason they became lost in the first place was a simple one. In their excitement to reach the cabin, they made one crucial mistake. They got their starting point wrong. Instead of setting off near a small stream branching off from the lake as they were supposed to, they started walking from the exact spot where the plane dropped them off, meaning they found themselves significantly further upriver than intended. A tiny error that so nearly had enormous consequences.

45:15They spend three memorable months at the cabin before Doc Forgy comes to visit them and restock their supplies. When he hears their story, he's amazed they survived the ordeal And when Doc sees the state of Scott's foot, he insists on pulling the two friends out Although he's impressed by the care they've taken so far, Scott needs a skin graft The two young men both return home for the procedure But in July, after Scott's foot has had time to heal They head back to the cabin to complete the rest of their adventure In between daily tasks, such as cutting firewood and fetching water, they also explore the surrounding landscape on foot and canoe, hunt for game and read and write.

46:00They even build another cabin a little way upstream from docks, which they call Paradise Creek Cabin, and give to the doctor as a Christmas present in December 1991.

46:14Strangely, once the experience is over, David finds that his feelings towards the wilderness have changed. David I think a lot of people that are explorers or that do these types of things don't give enough consideration to the challenges of coming out, because you go through a bit of a depression. When I came home, I discovered my passion to be in the outdoors was no longer there, not nearly to the extent it used to be. And this concerned me, you know, because it's like this was almost my religion.

46:52Though David tries to rekindle his relationship with the outdoors, he struggles. Some fundamental change has taken place within him. Around this time, he discovers an interest in computers and ends up getting a job doing graphic design and animation for an advertising agency. Yet now, more than three decades on from his Canadian adventure, he has found himself drawn once again to his old passions, and he is slowly rediscovering his love of the natural world. He attributes his survival to his age at the time, his skills and training as an outdoorsman, and his understanding that they had no choice but to save themselves.

47:33Although he already had a deep connection with the wilderness, David feels he and Scott both learned a valuable lesson from those six days in which they battled for their lives. I think we had a new appreciation, a newfound respect for just how dangerous this place can be. The smallest mistake can kill you. And so that was a profound lesson, and I think we both would agree we'd never want to go through that again, but it was the ideal way to start that trip because it put the wilderness and mother nature, for lack of a better in a new light. I think it would be rare for a day to go by for me not to think about that place.

48:17It had such a profound impact on my life and everything I've done. It was kind of a childhood dream, and it was such a great and epic adventure. So I think about it very often. And the lesson there, at least for me, was your path may take some weird bends and turns, and sometimes you just got to roll with it. I've come to realize, like, sometimes you just have to move where the river takes you, and that's how it works.

48:59Next time, we meet Sandra Younger. In 2003, she and her husband Bob have just bought a home in the mountainous backcountry outside San Diego, a beautiful, rugged region of rolling hills and canyons. Together with their pets, they are living a life of quiet contentment. Until the early hours of the morning on October 26th, when Sandra wakes to an unfolding nightmare. Fueled by strong winds, the blaze will spread at a terrifying pace. And with their beloved home right in its unstoppable path, Sandra and Bob will have just minutes to evacuate. With a winding, perilous journey back down the hills ahead of them, surviving the fire will take tremendous skill, luck, and a timely helping hand from the strangest of rescuers.

49:49That's next time on Real Survival Stories. Listen right now by joining Noisa+. Protein is now at Starbucks, and it's never tasted so good. You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks.

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