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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
There was no route back up, and no chance of survival below.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> with me.<\/p>\n