Nearly 30 years ago, I was hiking Waterman with my two dogs when I took a bad step & fell, twisting my knee pretty badly, probably close to a mile in from the trailhead. After rolling around on the ground for a minute or two, clutching my knee & cursing quite a bit, I discovered that only one dog was still with me. I called & called for the other dog to no avail. She was GONE! I finally grabbed a downed limb to use as a walking stick & started slowly limping back towards my car with the other dog at my side, continuing to call out the missing dog’s name as we went. No sign of her. She’d never been what you’d call an “affectionate” dog. I wasn’t sure she even liked me, tbh, but she was a sweet, albeit shy, girl & I was devastated at the prospect of losing her. At my slow pace, it took what seemed like HOURS to get back to the trailhead where my car was parked…& my dog was sitting, waiting for me right next to it. There was also a local young couple who were relieved to see me. They explained that they’d seen the dog sitting next to the car when they drove by on their way down the mountain to go grocery shopping, & became worried when she was still sitting in the exact same spot when they drove past on their way back home, so they stopped. They figured she belonged to whoever owned the car, who clearly was not back yet, despite the fact it was starting to get dark. They were just about to call the rangers when I hobbled up. I never doubted that dog’s love for me again. She went full Lassie on me! “What is it, girl? Did Timmy fall down the well again?” Heroic! Great trail! Hope it’s open again soon! ✌🏼

Remember, friends: The mountains are large and you are small when people are trying to find you.

When the guy in the desert found the mining shack and had a shock when he went in, I was fully expecting a dried out corpse of the last person that got lost.

I would never go hiking, I can get lost in Costco.

I remember hearing about this older lady that ventured just a couple of meters off the Appalachian trail to go pee and got hopelessly lost with no cell signal. She survived 26 days before dying and was able to write notes to all of her family members. It took them two years to find her. That story terrified me because I could see it happening to me. It just takes a few seconds to get lost forever.

As a heavier hiker, I find going downhill more taxing on the joints and muscles than uphill.

I was a fuel truck driver(jetA) and my husband was and is a helicopter pilot. We were a team contracted out for search and rescue we worked out west and I can tell you we have rescued more stupid people than I care to remember and recovered more unaware poor souls than I can count. I have this to say. Be prepared for the worst and if you are not stay out of the wild. We have nightmare to this day of some of our rescues of half eaten people to falling off of grand Teton to drowning in snake river and caught under logs to recover. Never take anything for granted, it could mean your life. Be more aware people, PLEASE, be more aware and prepared.

The guy "Sean" from your first story is a family friend of ours. He actually lost both legs below the knee. I'll just say - if you knew Sean, you'd understand exactly how this happened.😊

I got rhabdomyolysis (nurses like to call it "rhabdo") from a fentanyl overdose 2 years ago. sober ever since. It took half the muscle in my calf and muscle and nerve damage in my foot and arm. mainly my right foot. i love your videos if you read this Kyle, been subscribed for a while now, im not even a "hiker nerd" by any means but i love hiking and camping man im a super minimalist too with gear and stuff. keep up the videos and the podcast bro i dont comment on youtube videos much but your cool man see ya at 1 mil subs - John

These stories are life-saving lessons for the rest of us. They teach us what to prepare for, and teach us what to bring, what to do/not do to come out alive. If you can afford a GPS emergency location device, DO IT. Always tell people where you’re going, and when you intend to get back. Take more food and water than you think you’ll need. ❤ Don’t hike alone, if possible.

As an avid Canadian hiker, backpacker and camper, age 69, I kind of enjoyed your videos! You should look into all the missing people in Alaska. It's numbers are in the thousands, every year!!

There's a show called "I shouldn't be alive", and an episode features a woman who got lost at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Part of the show has her view from on the ground, but then it zooms out to a view from a helicopter, and you can't see her at all because she's so small.

Jeff is so lucky... in 4 years at my job I never won any "luck" competition, like the xmas bingo or other silly stuff like that. That's why when I go hiking I'm over prepared... I know luck is not on my side xD

I am an old man who still does long distance backpacking and skiing adventures all over the country. I hike a lot in the White Mountains of NH and on multiple occasions I have come across people in need. Some were just generally unprepared and some things just went wrong. It happens. I never judge and I do what I can to help. For many people being outside in the mountains is a big thing and they are not used to the stress of the climbing, the cold, wind and all the other things that can happen. Be in shape, be prepared. I know people live their In reaches and they are nice thing to have but please don’t get over confident and reckless because you have an SOS button. I have assisted carrying someone off Mount Washington and it’s truly an ass kicker. If the weather is bad stay low and hike the valley trials or go bowling. For hot weather I love to use a sun umbrella. Over 94 degrees and I am staying home.

I’ve watched and read many survival stories, seen every episode of “I shouldn’t Be Alive” during the pandemic. Aside from the odd plane crash or things of that nature, every single one was due to pure stupidity, ego etc.

I like to dayhike with my dog. I'm a middle aged woman and even though I mostly stick to conservation areas that are not very remote, accidents happen. I would always text a family member and send a Google maps of the place I was hiking and text when I got back to my car. I usually carry a lanyard with a whistle and pepper spray. Also, if I was going to do a longer day hike I would never go without, a day pack with warm clothes, emergency bivy, extra food and water, heat making source and other emergency resources and fully charged phone. I'm Canadian and used to be fascinated with the Appalachian Trail, following through hikers on KZfaq, researching gear and hoping one day I could do portions of it, but not any more! I'm a new subscriber and I've been binge watching your videos and listening while I do art or other tasks. Thanks for the valuable content.

It's nice to hear stories with happy endings. Thanks Kyle!

I am from, and still live, on the frigid high desert plains of Wyoming. I experimented with living in New Hampshire in 2022, but I high tailed it back to the relatively warm and dry Wyoming. I've wintered in the high country of both Wyoming and Montana, but the cold that tears through those east coast mountain ranges was something I'd never known before. The high humidity shoots it straight into the bones. Here in Wyoming, the skin has a chance to at least warn the bones. Not out there. I hiked up to Mount Monadnock in Oct. 2022, and it was brutally cold. I underestimated it since I have a lifetime of cold weather hiking in me. It is DIFFERENT!!!

This narrator is better than most - he isn't A.I and he sometimes speaks from experience AND he doesn't seem to be reading it - mate u are up there with Ballens !!

One of the first things i was taught was that if i lost, I should stay put so that its easier for searchers to find me. Why is it that so many people keep moving when they get lost in these kinds of stories? Especially when they find a shelter to stay in.

If Jeff had fallen into a ravine and never been found, it would have been a "baffling" missing 411 case. I can hear Paulides now, 'All he had to do was sit there. Where did he go?" Dramatic pause, shrug the shoulders, "doesn't make sense!!!"

My scout troop tried to climb Marcy back in 1979, and it was one of the most miserable experiences of my long life, the entire bivouac got rained out and soaked, most of us got no sleep because of drenched sleeping bags and everyone was cold and miserable. Only a few kids made it to the peak, where they dealt with high winds, and the rest of us who bailed out on the trail still had a dangerous hike back. I have a vivid memory of going over a narrow log bridge over a flooded river and at another point having to leap over a flooded part of the lake in full pack. We all made it, but it was just the shittiest hike ever and looking back on it, quite dangerous.

I’m in Houston. I usually do lots of hiking with my granddaughter. But, it was triple digits all summer. That’s just not safe. We stayed inside.

Hey Kyle! As an avid listener and subscriber I was pleased to return from a listening break to find your latest video was on survival stories! I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I’d really love to see you do a lot more of these. The doom and gloom of they either die or go missing tends to put me on edge over time. I just never want to be next! 😬 Regardless, I always enjoy your story telling abilities. Keep up the good work & happy trails!

So just a heads up, there aren't any saguaro cactuses in Texas. A better representative photo would include ocotillo or prickly pear, for example

"Feeling no pain" is usually a term for the area between Buzzed and Sh!tfaced. Maybe that's what the ranger was trying to convey. LOL.

i’m not a pro hiker but common sense would tell me not to climb the highest peak in NY in a snow/ice storm … or if i was determined i would definitely be as best prepared as i possibly could be. i guess hindsight, or critiquing others might be easier, but i still think i either would have delayed my hike or been very prepared. they are very lucky they lived.

tadpoles got eaten for nothing 😭😭

I have developed a huge fear of BEARS…. I had NO IDEA they are that angry!! 🤨 There are more bear attack videos then croc & gator videos!!! (Those are my favorites, but I think I’ve seen them all by now.) I’m new here- this is a great video- I’m excited to start my new binge!! It’s 1:02 am, but I don’t have to be at class until 8. Looks like an all-nighter!! 😊💚

Was it like the The Mist where Jeff drank the dysentery water and ate the live squiggly tadpoles just… 10 seconds prior to rescuers arrival? 15:00 😷

You’re channel is blowing up man. I don’t even hike but the stories are good. 😎✌🏻

I think it was Davy Crockett or Danial Boone who said " No, I've never been lost, but on occasion I have been a bit confused for 3 or 4 days. (it is good to get through those 3-4 days :-)

These are the stories I love to hear. Stories of hope and perseverance. I’m so glad these people made it out alive. ❤

I used to do a lot of hiking and backpacking and yeah I did a lot of stupid things when young but if freezing rain and sleet ever started i would have immediately canceled my trip. Same with triple digit heat, both too dangerous

Do not go into the bush unprepared, it doesn't matter if you're just going for a quick 4X in your backyard,, me and my friends were up the mountain the other year and two trucks got stuck everybody was dressed to be in a nice warm truck I was the only person dressed in case the trucks break down, we called some people to come get us out they ended up having to drive most of the people back to civilization because they were starting to freeze to death,, I was wearing my clothes built for the Antarctic and lying in a snowbank laughing and calling them all stupid

Talk about luck!! Really good examples of being unprepared. I take a lot on my day hikes. My husband often teases me. lol I've just seen so many stories, that I've learned it's better to carry a bit extra weight and be prepared for those "Just in case" moments....those moments might not be for you. you could run into someone else in need of help.

Love the photo of Noel in the chopper. 🤘😎

Every once in a while, when I think back to the near misses I've had on hikes, I can't help but wonder if I ruined any chance I had at being profiled on Kyle Hates Hiking. I guess I'll just have to keep hitting the trail and hope for the worst.

I grew up in the bush in AK lived in the cascade mountains for many years and have come across many people who came unprepared or were alone and fell or got hurt etc. I have taken this as a warning and always tell someone where im going take my dog and carry a pack(my dogs do too so they also have emergency food etc) i have been lucky/prepared enough ever time that I have been fine and still live in the woods today, raising my kids to hike hunt and they sure are cute with thier little packs on! Stay safe y’all and try to always know your limitations!

My husband and I visited Big Bend as part of our honeymoon trip in June 2022. We went prepared and still chose to stay very close to the visitor center, limit sightseeing to about 20 minutes, and take advantage of shade. That was a HOT summer but 2023 summer was even hotter. Such a terrifying story about Jeff and his daughter but glad they ended up okay. Just looking at the map of Big Bend, I got a new sense of how incredibly small we are in the midst of everything and how easy it could be to get lost. Channels like yours are part of the reason I went extra prepared.

I worked doing ecological inventory in Big Bend Ranch State Park for several years. I worked throughout the summer. I dressed appropriately in baggy 100% cotton ripstop BDUs and ventilated shirts, large straw sombrero, military desert boots. Always an oversized bandana. Always had plenty of water. Hikes away from the truck were usually within one mile. Did experience 110 degree temperatures. I'd drink a gallon snd a half of water in the field snd another gallon of lemonade when I got back to the ranch. It was unnatural. Voluntary dehydration is real. Desert hiking during the summer is getting more dangerous every year. As a lifelong outdoor professional, I do not recommend it anymore. Not for science, not for fun.

Thank-you Kyle. Really needed a good story with a happy ending and we got 3 today, each having a combination of experience and luck. Helicopter pilots rule!

Jeff just pissed me off at every turn 😅 glad he survived

Kyle stop telling me these tales. Im going off hiking but can't stop watching you 😂

I just found this channel. Very interesting! I hiked up into the Tetons with a friend once and I will never forget it. Fortunately I was with someone who knew what he was doing. It was just great.

Found you a couple of days ago, like a miracle in a wilderness of youtube videos, and am now subscribed.

Best part: let's get back to the story ;-) Thanks for spreading awareness to be careful. Always record your track , so you're able to follow your own steps.back to the trailhead..

Any mountain hike that requires snow shoes to start out is a big nope for me!

I clean pools in Texas and the summer of 2023, this year, was insane for heat. I've worked outside for 25 years and have never seen anything like it

The first 2 stories could have been avoided entirely by paying attention to the weather forecast. Who the heck goes out hiking in a freaking freezing rain storm? 🥶 I've had frostbite and hypothermia, it's not fun. And hiking in a heatwave in the desert 🥵 No thanks. Rhabdo is real, and can get anybody!

These stories always remind me of what one of my flight instructors said on the first day of flight training at Fort Rucker. "The number of landings should always equal the number of takeoffs." Never hike without the 'ten essentials'!

How come these videos make me want to go out hiking?

I could see why the ranger would make that mistake. Symptoms of hypothermia can present like drunkenness to observers so if they had frostbite they probably had some issues with hypothermia even though they've found a place to light a fire.

new subscriber . New Fav Channel omg love the stories and how much information just evwerything love it !!!!! pls nvr stop!!

That summit dome of Mount Marcy catches a lot of people. The cairns get covered in rime ice and just as you leave treeline the trail has a dogleg to it to go west around a headwall., but then back east immediately above it and on to the summit. In poor visibility people make it down to the top of the headwall, and perplexed head either east or west, and begin a desperate circumnavigation around the summit dome which is many miles with ice and deep snow and precipitous drop offs into Panther Gorge on the east side. If you're totally lost up there, head toward Gray Peak west/southwest, when you hit treeline go more south. That will funnel you down to Lake Tear and the trail. That would be much more of a sure thing than trying to find the spot the trail enters the treeline on the north side back to Indian Falls.

The Waterman area within the Bobcat Fire burn scar was closed from September 2020 (when the fire began) until April 2022. I think many people simply did not realize that area of the Angeles Forest was still closed, as, like you mentioned, there were several rescues around that time. (One was a recovery.)

i backpacked marcy in april in the 70s it was still full of snow and required a compass and maps, because all the trail markers were covered by snow drifts, and snow shoes and grit. we were not in a storm, but it was not for the timid.

I subscribed a while ago. Your content is so interesting! I am looking forward to every upload. Thank you.

My late doggo used to love catching and eating yummy tadpoles. I don't know if they have any parasites but they're probably all protein.

Many experienced hikers won't take precautions because they've never had a previous problem and therefore believe it will never happen to them. At least a total newbie will often listen to reason.

Yay I’m happy to see ur channel growing!! I’ve been here since the beginning ❤

Thank you. Good video. "Fools rush in where angels fear to trod."

A little "Thank You" goes a long way, so I subscribed

It is difficult to have sympathy for people who put themselves in bad situations. They know better, yet still go out completely unprepared. They are all very lucky.

Congratulations Kyle, Your approaching one of many goals 3000 SUBS Big fan, love your content

I’m subscribed and I freaking love your content, please keep up the good work!

Officially doing my part, I've subscribed! 😊

Yeah I am in NW Georgia and it is finally pretty hot here. The mornings this week are almost 80 by 9am, and increasing pretty rapidly after that. Pretty dry too unless it rains. Just better to be safe and do those warm weather hikes by end of May or sooner. So many stories of people going out in extreme heat and getting in trouble. Upper 80's and 90's are just a no-go. Personally I don't hike around above 82 degrees.

Had some rhabdomyolysis from compartment syndrome after a physical injury and my kidneys were pretty bad. Took dialysis 3xs a week for 6 weeks but they've been working since. I've been through more but muscle death hurts.

its crazy how much your chan has grown since I subbed thanks to Taylor (Nahamsha). congrats dude!

fellow vermonter and long time follower: keep up the great content man!

I see the ADK 46er flag behind you. Does that mean you have hiked all the Adirondacks? (I had no clue what that flag meant. I had to Google it)

Another good one, always look forward to your vids 🍻

Re:Adirondaks: true story. I went to visit my Cousins in Port Ste. Clare in Quebec. I lived in Central Florida it was the first week of June. I changed the oil in my V-8 Explorer and hopped in with my shorts thinking it's Spring. I drove up Interstate 87 Northbound through the Adirondaks in the early Evening. Do you know that I saw flurries?, I was lucky that I had my spare Amtrak blanket wrapped around me. I didn't have studded tires, but I had the Firestone S tires on my Florida registered car. I could negotiate my way through heavy rain and Florida black ice. Luckily My Mom overnighter my down puffer coat to my cousin's house in Quebec. I also filled my thermos with hot coffee and used it as a hot water bottle. Luckily, the old school Explorers were mighty vehicles that had excellent hvac systems that won't let you down. Take my advice and bring some extra layers, including silk undershirts and camisols, plus a silk liner under your ski pants. You can expect great temperature variations in the Adirondaks.

Very good video, Kyle. I always enjoy your videos.

Yes, Kyle, last summer WAS a scorcher in Texas. Houston is humid, and it was such a killing combination. My first summer in the real heat of Texas.

Even if you think you’re only going to be hiking for a short time, you should bring enough food for incidentals. I’d rather have too much food and water than not enough! And if it’s cold, you best believe I’m being warm clothes. I know this is about them not making the right choices, but man. I can’t even imagine making the choices they did.

Another great video! New sub from NH.

Great video Kyle!

I can absolutely see why people hike or camp out. It's truly beautiful, but when shit happens, the fun stops. I could never do it alone. Things happens in groups too. The comfort is that you are not alone.

great vid kyle

I biked across the desert and USA, one summer, I had heat cramps they are extremely painful

😂 I read your ad as LN MT like Ellen mountain,..... I live in the high desert off the dangerous San Gabriel & San Gorgonio mountains, weather changes drastically

Thanks for these stories, Kyle.

In the winter of 1976 in the western Aidrondacks, the gasoline for the stove turned to slush and the Taylor thermometer froze and broke. Comfortable with a combined total of 8 pounds of fiberfill in two sleeping bags and a very heavy fiberfill parka above the all-wool ensemble. A caution about alcohol in below zero temperatures, the alcohol may remain liquid and fatally freeze the insides.

Having had several near death experiences, I'm thankful to hear these people also survived.

And I am happy to for all of them and especially the little sick kitten.❤ you saved them justvin time.moma looks young might be she dont really know how to take care of them. But i know the loving good ppl.in this video will teach her.

Space blanket, water filtering straw, fire starters, plb, head lamp, tp, and high energy snacks

My ex and his dad got lost hiking the Grand Canyon peak of summer, nearly dying and surviving in a story eerily similar to Jeff’s. Lost the trail, ran out of food and water, dad forced to stay behind due to becoming infirm while my ex continued on for help, dad left location and miraculously found an abandoned old ranger station shack where there were still a couple bottles of water remaining, started trying to continue on again when he collapsed yet was amazingly still found in time by his son and the rescuers, ended up needing to be airlifted out via helicopter. Absolutely terrifying experience for them, with a one in a million outcome for where they were and how everything played out. Incredibly lucky.

Your subscriptions are growing. May you reach your goals in 2024!

Nice, i found a new place i want to hike now.🍻

What a great story! 🥰🐕

Wind shear factors are major and unfortunately usually unaccounted for. Guilty here myself

I grew up in Nederland Colorado ( 8,200 ft ) a different breed of hikers up there lol plan your hikes , have check-in points and please let someone know what your planning😊

Big Bend Ranch is amazing, very underrated and under visited. Don’t going the summer though haha

Hiking can be classified as a trip getting ready for any trip unpack and prepare and double check nature can turn on a dime please check your backpack carefully then go have fun never hike alone 😊😊

I’ve seen the “lol” video. Or at the very least there was footage of people striking the ground and the rooftop (or some sort of overhang). Will never forget the sound of that. The ground was littered with remains. Wasn’t a very long video……I saw it within days of 9/11 and then never saw it again.

just waiting for another 'miracle'... oh, so many!

Would it not be a good idea to take a flashing strobe light, or mirror when hiking? I have listened to several videos where a helicopter was looking for hikers but passed over the unseen person below. I know, a gps sos button is better but they are pretty expensive for some people who think they are only going for a day hike.

Jeff should have brought some LMNT with him