I was hiking alone on a well used but rough and remote track in Otago, New Zealand. The terrain was exposed and unforgiving, and progress required constant care. At one point, the track crossed a steep slip above a deep ravine. The route across was narrow, angled, and covered in loose material that offered little security underfoot.

As I traversed the slip, I relied on rocks on the uphill side for balance. One of them shifted unexpectedly. I fell and slid, stopping on ground so steep and unstable that I could not stand again. Every attempt to move caused me to slide further, with no way to regain solid footing.

The soil was like hard sand with gravel on top, and I could not kick a foothold capable of bearing my weight, particularly with a 15 kilogram backpack I was carrying. Instead, I repeatedly drove my fingers into the soil to gain enough grip to hold myself, then did the same again to sidle roughly eight meters toward a small tree just below the track.

When I reached for a branch, it snapped, and I slid rapidly downslope. Looking down, I saw one last small tree about five meters below me, growing almost horizontally from the slope at the edge of the ravine. I lunged and managed to snag it with one foot. I came to rest balancing on one leg at the base of the trunk, with my hands and face pressed into the slope.

There was no route back up, and no chance of survival below.

I knew two other walkers were somewhere behind me on the track, but they could not assist directly, and I knew I would not last long where I was. Thankfully, I had my ACR ResQLink 400 PLB with me.

The PLB was accessible in my backpack, allowing me to retrieve it carefully with one hand. Very slowly, I removed it from its case and activated it, taking care not to drop either the device or myself over the edge. Because of my position, I could not clearly see whether the beacon had activated successfully.

Approximately forty minutes later, I heard a helicopter. The relief was immediate and overwhelming. The two walkers arrived at about the same time as a rescue crew member. The helicopter then returned to Wānaka to collect additional equipment and an alpine rescue team.

After nearly two hours standing on the tree, I was belayed back up the slope and then winched into the helicopter. The photo shows the rescue crew member with me just below.

When I could go no further and no one could reach me, the PLB ensured I was not alone.