How a 67-year-old mushroom picker paid for arrogance for two days in the woods

A 67-year-old resident of the village Staro goes to the forest almost every day, only on October 6 he did not return home. When relatives reached his phone, his grandfather admitted embarrassedly that he would not find his way back.

A big plus is that the man had a loaded mobile phone with him. Only here the coordinates of his location the pensioner could not name. He just didn't know where he was.

“The familiar picture is that a man goes into the woods, confident that he knows him like his five fingers. “I know every bush here,” this phrase often becomes fatal, says Anton Timokhin, a member of the search team “Lisa Alert”. A forest is a living organism that changes every day. Fallen tree, changed due to rain relief, fog - and now familiar trails turn into an impenetrable labyrinth. Loss of orientation in an unfamiliar or even familiar forest is instantaneous, and panic is a bad advisor.

When it became clear that the man would not get out on his own, a heavy landing force arrived on the scene: rescuers of the PSCH-265 Mosoblpozhspas, police, foresters and, of course, tireless volunteers of LizaAlert.

An operational headquarters was deployed, the territory began to be “combed” in squares. But the main threat was in the phone battery. The charge melted inexorably. That is why, when the night changed in the morning, and the contact became fragile, a helicopter was connected to the operation.

The man was found. Tired, scared, but alive. He was taken to the edge where his relatives were waiting. Medical assistance was not required - getting away with a fright, the pensioner went home.

This case is a classic example of a happy ending that might never have happened. Two days in the forest for a 67-year-old is a huge stress and health risk.