I watched the earlier video you made about him. It really struck a cord with me. I found the campsite where he died (not far from me) and I plan on going there and if there is no memorial in place for him I am going to make one and leave it there. RIP Otter

I feel Otter would appreciate these videos, Kyle. If you save another with his mistakes, he lives on. I'm internalizing the information. Thank you, Otter. (and Kyle)

I'm a Colorado native & have a lot of experience in the backcountry. I have a very busy & demanding life, and so I typically take solo trips to completely disconnect from the outside world in order to reset and rejuvenate. I've made many careless mistakes over the years & have gotten lucky as I've learned. I started carrying an inReach Mini about 3 years ago so I could keep my wife posted on the progress of my travels, mostly to give her peace of mind (and to feel connected with her while I'm away). I've only _almost_ needed it once. I'm always grateful I have it. Better to have it & never need it than to need it & not have it. One of the best gear investments I've made.

I spent 17 years with Search and Rescue in the mountains of British Columbia and your list of mistakes is right on! I’d also add that recently with the explosion of outdoor adventurers, over estimating skill and fitness levels is also a huge mistake. Too many inexperienced people overestimating their abilities is a major reason for activating Search and Rescue missions. GPS, PLB devices like InReach and super light gear, etc., has given the opportunity for the inexperienced person to get themselves into serious trouble. There’s no substitute for in the field experience but It takes time!

I have a mini as my wife made me get one. it lets her know where I am at all times and Gives her peace of mind. Worth every penny.

I think Otter would approve of you using his misfortune as a teaching tool. He was so concerned about the person who would find him. That says a lot about him. Rest in peace, Otter.

Otter’s story is going to save some lives. I’m sure he would be proud of that. Thanks Kyle for sharing this story.

I’ll add that age has changed my abilities to hike. Like getting altitude sickness now at only 9000’. I didn’t know that was going to happen until it did. Similarly, Mischief on the Trail slipped on ice, hit his head and passed out with his feet in the water, got frostbite. Healthy young and experienced hiker, didn’t expect that either til it happened. I like how respectful this lessons learned was, Kyle. Thank you!

I just watched the video about him yesterday and glad you made this follow up video to help people learn from his mistakes. I’m sure thats exactly what he would’ve wanted. RIP Otter.

I am 81 years old. Thank you for your videos.😊

As someone who hikes almost exclusively solo, I will NEVER hike with out a satellite emergency device again. FYI there are some that some personal location beacons that don’t require a monthly subscription- go out there and have a blast but be SAFE everyone!!

I don't hike, but I learned from this video. I think you covered his story with compassion. Thanks for sharing

Thanks Kyle. It's good for us new hikers to see those with experience have the same fears. Dan expressed some of his mistakes in his recent video about his rescue and it was very humbling.

Don't feel bad about using tragedy to prevent further tragedies. Entire aviation industry reached it safety standards exactly this way - by cold analysis of all mishaps and turning them into lessons. I don't see any reason why not to use this approach for hikers (or any potentialy hazardous activity). Tears were shed for Otter, there is nothing we can do about it now but learn from it. We don't need another tragedy like this. RIP Otter.

As long as Otter’s lessons and his name live on Otter lives on. RIP Otter and thank you 🥾🥾🥾

I do find it funny how stoners are getting offended at your video. Yes weed affects your decision making, especially high doses of edibles. Not saying don't smoke or ingest on trail, but make sure you're being as safe as possible like by having a gps and letting people know what you're doing.

I agree with all the points talked about. We have several outdoor rec deaths here in a Maine every season. From Hiking, Snowmobiling, Boating, Ice Fishing etc. Most break the basic guidelines of survival. Never a fan of weed, alcohol or drugs when in activities like this either.

Kyle, your comment on experience and confidence is right on. After 30 plus years of hiking/backpacking I am still almost always nervous or a little uneasy when venturing out for anything from an overnight to walking the Arizona Trail from the border to Flagstaff. Great job!

This story is heartbreaking and there is a lot to learn from this and other stories like this. Weather can be unpredictable even in the best of times and you hear stories from experienced hikers, boaters, divers, etc about mistakes. I hope his friends and family remember all the beautiful happy times when they think of him.

I checked out Otter’s channel after your first video and was wincing every time he complained about heading out in snow in one of his final videos. He expected to be lucky enough one too many times

Accident analysis is quite common in sports / activities where mistakes or accidents , though unlikely, can have severe consequences.This can be quite relevant in the outdoor hiking and camping sports since I suspect a high percentage of people are unaware that a chain of unfortunate circumstances can result in severe injury or death when at the surface conditions look benign.

Kyle, Thanks for your amazing videos. The story of Otter convinced me to purchase a GPS locator for my family's peace of mind and my own safety.

Didn’t you say at 100k you’d go backpacking with a camp chair? We’re waiting Kyle.

Everyone should do this, it’s the culture in the aviation industry. It’s not personal. let’s see what happened and learn from it. Great video.

Such an enormously sad tale. And a great warning for all hikers... regardless of ability. Thanks, Kyle.

The InReach service center would have contacted the local authorities with the coordinates, they'd have looked it up and seen that it was in a snow-bound area. They've have sent out a fixed-wing search plane. They'd have orbited the area of the coordinates for long enough to see if he could be observed. Then they'd have sent out a helicopter (most likely a National Guard search-and-rescue team) and either landed nearby or lowered some personnel on a long-line.

Kyle tells Otter's story well, If you haven't seen it go back and watched it. Otter survived an incredible amount of time.

Grata on the 100k, Kyle! Feels good to watch you getting the recognition you deserve

Good job Kyle. It is important that people hear these kind of stories. Most of us who have been backpacking a long all have made mistakes that could have had an outcome like Otter. Sharing that kind of information hopefully will help others. I personally use a Zolio GPS Communicator which is a little heavier than the Garmin mini but the plans are cheeper.

Analysis of his mistakes. Debriefing them and learning from them is the most respectful thing a person can do in his memory. Letting the lessons of his story go unassessed , would be the most disrespectful thing a person can do.

At 65 I have survived several near death events. It has made me slightly negligent in taking all precaution. My kids recognized and bought me a PLB. Look out for others...

I watched your previous video. Yes Mountain madness can cloud the mind of any veteran backpacker. That late in the season on your own without any backup. Those are two fatal factors he already chose to except so anything else happens that would be the third strike. That’s why this is a tragedy, with any soloing adventure sailing,diving,climbing etc. One can only fall back on their training, experience, preparation and having the appropriate gear. Evidently Otter had two out of four and those are risky odds. Great job! Thank you for sharing this and hopefully we all can learn something out this unfortunate story.

I smoke while hiking but usually find it is kinda pointless until you get to camp. Smokin a bowl and incline dont mix

I feel like the biggest lesson people can learn is: Don't take unnecessary risks. Going out into the mountains in November was an unnecessary risk. He could have been prepared with a PLB and snow shoes and then it still would have been a risk, but the safety equipment and appropriate gear would have mitigated a lot of those risks. If you do decide to get a PLB, you still have a responsibility to be sensible and not take unnecessary risks, however.

You made it very clear that you were not here to disrespect Otter in any way. 👍 While many look up to him like a hiking king, I'll be the one to say that he made some really stupid decisions. It doesn't take an expert or experience to understand basic outdoor safety. While most people don't believe in saying anything negative about the dead, I do appreciate that you at least pointed out things to avoid. It sounds like his ego got in the way of his survival. I've heard too many similar stories to think otherwise.

I carry my inReach with me on my commute to and from work, simply because I drive through a couple of cell dead-zones. I won’t hike without it, period!

If you save one new or experienced hiker (yourself included) Otter would be more than happy that you were doing this educational version. I'm certain what you are teaching he would have happily agreed. The second rule is universally applicable in today's world for sure!

"People who don't even hike" r/ultralight felt that one in the soul

I'm one of the viewers that doesn't hike. I never will after binge watching about 15 of these videos. I also watch Mentour Pilot so now I don't fly. I'm just going to sit in one spot for the rest of my life. But seriously, these are fascinating stories. RIP Otter.

It's so important to learn from other people's mistakes & our own. This info could save a life.

There's so much to learn from this. Good job, Kyle.

It’s amazing Otter was so honest in his Journal

Thanks for posting this video. I just read Otter Diaries. Great read lots to learn. May he Rest in peace

Excellent follow up to your prior video on Otter. I agree, he probably would have gone even if he wasn't "stoned". The fact he was even contemplating that hike during that time of year in the Rockies is hard to understand. But the death knell was the lack of a communication/locator system, including a power brick. I'll say this, he lasted much longer than I could have out there during the Winter.

Good choice to get a sat-com device. I got one after a medical issue that left me unable to move at more than 1/2 mile in an hour. I was lucky in that I had family less than an hour away and a road 1/4 mile down hill with cell service. Many places I go, even on day hikes, have valleys or hills that cause gaps in cell service. I've been many places where you have to hike or drive miles to get a cell signal and been exploring dangerous areas alone.

I'm a Northern New Mexico local and I've known about the otter story for awhile honestly we have a lot of people died in the wilderness in New Mexico I think it might be generally underestimated another person died not far from there just a few years after otter

New subscriber, love all the videos you do and they are extremely helpful. You've been blowing up and you deserve it. Hope to see you get to 200k!

The first thing I noticed when the video started was the inreach mini sitting next to the computer 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️

How many subscribers did you get in the last few weeks? I feel like you were just at 50k. Regardless, we'll deserved, already at 111k! Love all the content you make!

Because of your videos I had a chat today with my son (age 23) on how to use a compass to help him get un-lost in the woods.

I got off the trail last year because I was making poor decisions that were endangering my well being. Clouded judgement in the desert. Can't wait to do it again.

Great update & topic in general. Also surprisingly sensitively done by someone always ready to drop a “your mom” joke. Otter would have loved ❤ your mom. Sorry, couldn’t not go there.

If people knew how tough it is to find an incapacitated (or just hunkering down) hiker in the woods, they'd carry GPS or just avoid the sport. In your video about Geraldine Largay, you sounded incredulous that she couldn't be located with the rescuers coming within 100 feet of her campsite. That's totally unremarkable to anyone involved in SAR or who simply spends any significant amount of time "off piste" so to speak. Most people who disappear in the wilderness are simply never found, including trail hikers. Most of their bodies are probably located within a mile or two of the trail. Yes, you can hike for decades and have nothing go wrong, but a GPS can turn a fatal scenario into a near miss.

Otter is certainly not alone in being overly confident because of his experience level. We are just about all guilty of that. It is just sad that his decision was fatal. He would probably be pleased that his death wasn’t pointless but is being used as an educational tool to save others from making same mistake. I think I’d take 2 GPS locators just in case one failed!!!

I read the Outside article written by Otter’s friend. Otter did have a PLB but cancelled the subscription so he could use the small monthly fee to purchase food and weed.

Teaching skills > gear reviews. Great video!!!!

I’ve been camping alone many times, I’d leave the coordinates of my camp with my wife. But in reality, if I didn’t home on time and she reported my assumed location to the park service, it’s probably too late. If you can’t self-rescue, you’re probably dead. In my old age (60) I now have a camping partner but I’ve already told my wife if he’s not around, the InReach will be my new hiking partner.

November- out east we had a few tragedies in the Whites as well.

On the note of sat comm devices w SOS capabilities, thought it’s worth mentioning that Tmobile is partnering w Starlink to provide basic satellite-service to get rid of deadzones.

I absolutely agree. My Garmin inreach mini 2 was my one and only Christmas present last year

Congratulations on reaching your goal of 100,000 subscribers. 🎉❤

The life you might save by carrying an InReach might be that of a stranger. I’ve been involved in assisting a few medically distressed hikers out west. It’s amazing how people underestimate the heat in the southwest.

I’m really concerned about the hikers starting the PCT right now. California has experienced record-breaking snowfall.

The weird thing is,i often find myself thinking 'Just the next hill,just check out this path,just another hour'. Got totally lost one time ( it was getting real late) and in the middle of nowhere,heard people having a bbq in thier back garden.I was out of food and water and just burst through thier hedge like a wild man of the woods 😄 the shock on thier faces but hey..they got me a drink,fed me and drove me back to my car. Totally grateful and certainly learned my lesson.

This is a very respectful video. It seems to me that the weather will always win.

Dude congrats! Can't believe I wasn't notified about that video! Also congrats on 109k subs! You blew up from it.

Gratz on finding a niche the algorithm likes. Hopefully, you continue to do real hiking vids.

Great things to consider. And now that I have my Zoleo, I take it everywhere. Hiking, motorcycle, traveling.....in Montana, there are a lot of no service areas.

Well done. Glad to see you recognize the mistakes...and used this tragedy to educate others about foolish mistakes.

Good on you for finally getting a satellite device Kyle! Your family will appreciate it for sure. I know mine did when I finally got one.

Well done, Kyle.

--The whole story just doesn't make any sense. "Experienced" backpackers KNOW that Colorado in November means WINTER backpacking. --That means winter tent, winter clothes, snow shoes, boots, microspikes, ice ax, multiple layers, etc --It not that backpackers DON"T head north out of Chama in November, BUT they're experienced in major snow. I remember "The Real Hiking Viking" has done lots of hiking in the dead of winter. One of his videos is, "Winter Backpacking Tips with The Real Hiking Viking". --Maybe his biggest mistake was not hiking back to Cumbres Pass. You KNOW that's the way out. You've already hiked the trail so you know where it goes. It's was only 12 miles back to the road. You'd camp where you can camp. Even if you can only do 3 miles a day, that's only a 4 day hike back to the road. Most humans can live a solid month without food, but even then he apparently had lots of food. -The whole story just doesn't sound like what a experienced backpacker would do. -And yes I totally agree on the PLB. If people don't want a subscription, just carry an "ACR ResQLink".

It might not occur to most hikers that there might be false sightings of them that could very well affect a search like it did Otter’s. Yet another good reason to carry a personal GPS.

I watched the last video on this guy, and couldn't figure out why he couldn't walk back to the road 12 miles away. It turned out he probably had the flu, because one of the trail angels he was staying with had the flu. Likely had he not had the flu, he could have gotten out of there.

Your channel is blowing up! More of these stories are also helpful for others to learn from! Also….You might hit a quarter mil. subs by April! Or at least 200k! Keep it up! Maybe you & MrBallen can collaborate sometime too! That would be epic!

congrats on 100k!! been here since a couple thousand and you deserve it

Love your vids bro, it was a good follow up to your previous story. Thanks

Always keep your ego in check. Also the Garmin especially in the mountains winter or not.

Think you made the right decision ,mountains give what they give ,regardless enjoy it ,enjoying your videos !!!

I view deliberate winter hikers in the same level as surfers who surf big hurricanes. It's thrill seeking that experts get caught in sometimes. RIP Otter. ❤

I see you went big! Great job getting to 100k subscribers!

I just want to add that there are several PLBs marketed to sailors/kayakers that don't require subscriptions, and will work just as well inland. ACR, McMurdo, and Ocean Signal are a few brands. Around $350 at the cheaper end, with battery change at around $100 every five years. Not able to send messages like the inreach, but gives you that ohshit button at a significantly lower cost overall. $350 over five years is $70 a year. $6 a month.

Great video Kyle....

Thank you. RIP Otto ❤️

Congrats on 110k!

Complacency kills.

I was just reading the description of the InReach you bought. Reading the last paragraph, I had to laugh, it says it is illegal to use in some jurisdictions. Yeah, like that would stop me from pushing that button if it was life or death. Sometime government regs are plain silly.

Kyle, these are all great lessons that we all should heed. It would be cool if the AMC could play thus vid before anyone is allowed to leave the parking lot at pinkham. The whites have seen 3 fatalities this winter. 2 from exposure and one from a fall. The two from exposure were young, fit and experienced people who simply didn’t dress properly for the elements or pack enough clothing and provisions for the task before them. Sad. There’s a lot of this 48 4000 footers stuff where folks gotta “bang out” these peaks which puts people in this getter done attitude which can then cloud good sound judgment. I did a fair amount of backcountry skiing backpacking trips in my 20s and for a 3 dayer my buddy and I would beat the hell out of a quarter pretty good but we waited till my megamid was up, snow kitchen dug out and msr stove all set up ready to start processing snow. And then it was on!😉. Man… that was some good times!! Shit! Anyway… movin on.. One other thing Kyle… I noticed something in that old picture of Gerry that i never noticed before… she had a fuckin whistle on her pack. I wonder if she ever thought to blow that thing! Sad. Thanks for these vids Kyle. One can treat vacuuming the house or paying your taxes as a “getter done” task but the mountains don’t work that way. Take care sir. NQU

As someone who used to smoke daily, and has zero issue with people choosing to smoke, it definitely impairs decision making. 100%. Also, didn't know about those little GPS units. Definitely going to look into one!

Congrats on the 100k Kyle.

Several months ago MrBallen sent me here! I’ve been hooked since before you were trying to hit 50k subs! Anyone else here from MrBallens channel too?!

Man, it behooves me how many people don't hike without a sos Garmin. Crazy

You're doing these videos proper. Unfortunate yet educational to learn from. We all need to remember to stay humble always tell mom / someone where you're going and your plans like you said. We're not invincible. I picked up a Zoleo when I started. The costs are nothing compared to the amount of gas money we may spend to go hiking and meals etc. Are you going do a 5 mistakes Dan Becker made video next?

109k! The channel is booming!

Wow you actually made it, 100k subs! Congratz and I cannot wait to see that video with you joining Dan Becker + camping chairs hahaha that will be epic ;D

Why do the photos make the snow not look that deep? I"m just being honest I walk 2-4 miles hunting in the snow at 18-28" deep sometimes. I"m not that young either so If I had to make it 12 miles I could. I think something else was affecting his health and stamina that he was not aware of. Plus one would think winter hiking one would at least bring some ultralight snow shoes. Just some thought not criticism. also not carrying flares is just not cool. Search Planes and choppers miss more than they find, Popup is what saves real life. If you have spent any time in planes humans are smaller than ants even at 700-1500-2000".

6:00 This might be a little random but in the trucking industry I know that most accidents are not the first and second year guys. It’s mostly the 3-5 year experienced truckers that cause the most accidents.

+1000 On the personal locator beacon. No one should go out into the back country without one.

Wow, over 100,000! Congrats.

Offshore mariners have an EPIRB, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, which notifies the Coast Guard.