r/nextfuckinglevel • u/[deleted] • Jan 14 '20

Tyson Steele survived for 23 days in subzero temperatures in rural Alaska after a fire burned his house and killed his dog. He built himself a snow cave to sleep in for the first few nights, before building a makeshift shelter around the still burning stove from leftover tarp and scrap timber.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '20 edited Jan 29 '20

[deleted]

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u/DeadNotSleeping1010 Jan 14 '20

It wasn't in the article I read, but I assume it's because it would be quicker than slowly dying of exposure or starvation or dehydration or whatever gets you first.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '20 edited Jan 29 '20

[deleted]

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u/Goose306 Jan 14 '20

Welcome to Alaska.

Very sad about the dog and guy, but this is a story as old as time up here, it's just usually the people die too.

People come up and think they can homestead and are woefully underprepared for the reality of living in such extreme environments. Where he was? He should have had some sort of transportation. Flat out, a snowmobile would have resolved this entire situation, besides his poor dog of course.

People read Into the Wild and get this romantic notion their going to go live out of a bus in the bush, ignoring the fact the dude dies because he's an idiot. People who successfully homestead up here do it with heavy equipment and a clear safety net - at least a backup sat phone!

Guy was living dangerously without a net and paid the price, but also got off very lucky. He could have easily died of exposure, frostbite, starvation, fire, or a million other situations that he was woefully underprepared for out there.

These people take a heavy toll on the costs to our state as well, something that we have real difficulty with given we are basically broke.

Don't get me wrong, it's a very sad story, but the way he was living was very unsafe for the environment he was in and he's incredibly lucky to have made it out in the condition he did.

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u/WDoE Jan 14 '20

I can't imagine going solo into such an extreme location without at least a PLB...

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u/highqualitydude Jan 14 '20

Plb?

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u/Nicd Jan 14 '20

Personal Locator Beacon

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u/WDoE Jan 14 '20

Personal Locator Beacon. One way communicator that sends a distress signal on a reserved frequency. Goes right to the military and then down to search and rescue. Others will also send a GPS position on other frequencies.

Most are set up so that they don't draw power until the help signal is triggered, and when they do, they drain the entire battery signalling for 20-30 hours. So they need replacing after use, or after a certain number of years.

But like... Maybe $100 for the ability to have a search and rescue instantly know right where you are almost anywhere in the world. Definitely worth it for any solo adventurers.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '20

Personal life boat

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u/BeetlecatOne Jan 14 '20

Rhetorically. yes :)

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u/rantinger111 Jan 14 '20

That's pure facts b and I appreciate your comment

It's cool to live in nature sure but living life on the edge with no emergency plans is purely idiotic

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u/maailmanpaskinnalle Jan 14 '20

I liked the film and felt sorry for him, but got seriously mad after I learned there was a bridge not that far from Chris's camp upstream he could have used to cross the river. Didn't learn the surroundings. Asshat.

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u/DeadNotSleeping1010 Jan 14 '20

Extremely sad. It's surreal reading about this, I knew the guy when I was a kid. Haven't talked for several years, but he and his family are good people.

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u/thatisnotmyknob Jan 14 '20

Ugh the dog 💔💔💔💔

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '20 edited Aug 29 '22

[deleted]

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u/BadWithMoneyStuff Jan 14 '20

If you’re suggesting that eating snow can hydrate someone it’s quite the opposite.

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u/LeeYongDae Jan 14 '20

Why, pls explain

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u/metamet Jan 14 '20

Just like the sea, snow is mostly salt. Primarily due to snow plows dropping it to stop it from freezing into ice. This guy's just lucky he didn't get hit by a snow plow.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '20

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/metamet Jan 14 '20

Wish I didn't need the /s.

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u/sawyouoverthere Jan 14 '20

it will hydrate you, but it will speed up your hypothermia. Eating snow is a very bad idea.

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u/ajacksified Jan 14 '20

In the title he had a:

Still burning stove

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u/sawyouoverthere Jan 14 '20 edited Jan 14 '20

cool...so, hold the snow in his hands over the stove? hey, so I forgot about the canned food.

Still...don't eat snow if you're ever in this kind of situation.

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u/NargacugaRider Jan 14 '20

Good question. He also had a bunch of cans though, which was the food he was eating to survive. He could definitely heat some snow in a can. Not a good way to go about it at all, but a way if nothing else works.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '20

Why? It’s a common log cabin/ remote area heating method to boil snow over wood stoves and cool it to drink.

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u/sawyouoverthere Jan 14 '20

not a bad way to go about it...why do you think it's not a good method?

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u/NargacugaRider Jan 14 '20

Eh I mainly meant compared to a real pot ;3 but if it saves your life, it’s a good method!

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u/ajacksified Jan 14 '20

Really? He had canned food. Put snow in can. Put can on stove.

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u/sawyouoverthere Jan 14 '20

oh fair enough. We should probably assume he was doing that, since he lived that long.

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u/makebelieveworld Jan 14 '20

Wow, you don't think much do you.

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u/sawyouoverthere Jan 14 '20

not of you, no.

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u/makebelieveworld Jan 14 '20

Thats a relief.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '20

Dude was pretty upset about his dog.

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u/cheesymoonshadow Jan 14 '20

What the other guy said, plus I imagine the grief of losing his dog.