Man Dies During Survival Test

I just finished reading on article that quite frankly, has me completely appalled and disgusted. According to the Associated Press writer Ed White, Dave Buschow was a 29-year-old man partaking in a 28-day wilderness-survival adventure. Dave Buschow did not survive.

On his second day of the adventure, after going about 10 hours with nothing to drink in 100-degree heat, Dave Buschow died from dehydration. Dave Buschow was taking a course from the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS). The course cost him $3,175 and his life. This course is apparently one of the more strenuous "survival" type trips out there. Basic camping supplies such as tents, matches, food and water are not allowed. Participants of this course are given a knife, water cup, blanket and poncho. It's the perfect opportunity to pit your wits against Mother Nature.

During this course, campers hike for miles a day and find what food and water they can from natural sources. Having stopped at a creek early in the morning of their second day the group stopped and drank. Dave Buschow attempted to pull a water bottle from his pack, but was allegedly warned by the staff not to fill it. During the early part of their trip, BOSS adventure participants are only allowed to drink water at the source and not carry it with them. So Dave Buschow's water bottle went unfilled.

Around 2:30 pm that afternoon, Dave Buschow was complaining of leg cramps and saying that he was feeling bad. He started to become delirious and extremely dehydrated. His fellow campers were having to carry his belongings as he was unable to carry them himself. He was stumbling and barely able to walk. Around 7 p.m. that evening, the BOSS guides were leading the campers to a cave that they knew as a reliable source of water. Dave Buschow told the guides that he couldn't go on anymore. One of the guides stated that he wanted Dave to accomplish for himself, the act of getting to the water. Dave Buschow didn't make it. He fell to the ground 200 feet away from the water source at the cave and died. The campers attempted to revive him while emergency help was sent for, but it was too late.

The worst part of this story is yet to come. While Dave Buschow was suffering through all of this, his health steadily declining, BOSS guides were carrying emergency water supplies in their gear! Not one time through this whole ordeal, did any of the BOSS guides inform anyone of this emergency water. The water that could have saved his life instead remained tucked away in their packs. The BOSS agency is claiming that they did nothing wrong and Dave Buschow was aware of the dangers when he signed on for this course. So I have to ask, what the hell do they deem an emergency?

There is one main point of this that keeps coming back to me, that has me putting complete blame on the BOSS agency. That is the fact that they did not let him fill his water bottle at the creek that morning. Anyone trying to truly survive in the desert is going to fill what ever container he or she can with water when they come across it. Survival in the desert without water is impossible. By not allowing campers to fill water bottles from natural water sources, the BOSS agency is taking the campers survival out of their own hands.

Had Dave Buschow filled his water bottle at the creek that morning, there is a very good chance he might have made it to the cave that night. Also, one must take into consideration that he was traveling with a guided tour. Someone stranded in the desert and trying to survive, would more than likely only travel at night when the heat is not so intense. Or, deciding to travel through the day would have the option to stop, find shade and rest should they feel weak or sick. Instead he had to push on to keep up with the rest of the group. In my opinion, this "guided survival tour" is providing their own idea of "survival adventures" rather than placing people in realistic survival environments. Had Dave Buschow been allowed to make his own decisions for survival, he may very well have survived. Instead, he was forced to comply to survival "guidelines" set by the BOSS agency. And any survivalist knows, when it comes to survival, there are no guidelines. You simply do what you have to do.

Using the lame excuse that the guides did not want Dave to fail the course, is in my opinion, the most ridiculous excuse I have ever heard of. After all what is more important to them? The customers completion of the course, or the customers well being? Quite frankly, I'm sure most people would rather fail the course and loose out on the $3,175, than loose their life! Now, Dave Buschow's family must go on without him in their lives, because these guides to his right to survive out of his own hands. To make matters worse, the parties involved will not be held responsible. The local county authorities have decided to not file charges against the company, citing that there was insufficient evidence that the school was negligent. Furthermore, the prosecutor is stating that the campers knew the risk they were taking. So there will be no criminal charges brought against the BOSS agency.

Just because Dave Buschow signed a document acknowledging that he was not guaranteed a "risk free wilderness experience" does not mean he meant to sign away his life. There is no reason for anyone to attempt to place the blame on him for choosing to take this "adventure." The blame should completely lie on the people who would not allow him to truly take his own survival into his own hands. Then those same people should take the blame for not providing him with their so called "emergency" ration of water when an actual emergency had taken place. At the first sign of leg cramps, Dave was in serious trouble. If the BOSS guides are truly skilled in survival, they should have recognized this and provided him with some of the water they carried. Because of their neglect, Dave Buschow's adventure ended in a tragedy that could have and should have, easily been prevented.