High Sierra Topix

Over on WPSMB, George Durkee reports that the father-and-son pair went over Forester, then Glen, then down Paradise Valley. They are said to have met some other hikers, who showed them "the way out" (seems odd they didn't go down Bubbs Creek, or even over Shepherd's Pass, but I'm sure they had their reasons -- Shepherd's Pass trail was probably completely obscured by snow, for example. Some wag over on WPSMB said it was a good thing they met those other hikers or they'd have wound up in Tahoe ).

I am glad to see posting on the site by the authorities about SARs in progress, I hope it will be part of a standard procedure. George Durkee surmised that the wayward hikers didn't have a large scale map of the area, only the Whitney Quad, so once they were out of that zone they didn't know which way to go. Thats why I like those big Tom Harrison maps. I carry them so that from a summit I can identify what I am seeing in the distance.
There is no limit to the extent to which people can be confused. In the late 70s while climbing in the Kearsarge pinnacles we were visited by an SAR helicopter looking for a lost dayhiker who had climbed University peak. When we hiked out the next day we found SAR wrapping up their command post at Onion Valley and were told the following story: The guy had sunmmited University and somehow got turned around and descended into Center Basin (don't ask me how you can mistake Center basin for the Owens valley in daylight in clear weather) He proceeded to hike along the JMT, and still thinking he was on the Owens valley side, when he saw a sign pointing to Kearsarge pass he went in the opposite direction and was found by SAR almost to Cedar Grove along Bubbs creek.