Total Isolation: The Cabin in the Woods…

An idealistic teenager gets the chance to fulfil his long-held dream of living off-grid for an entire year. But when David Scott and his friend arrive deep in the wilderness of Manitoba, a nightmare scenario unfolds. Unable to locate their cabin - the only shelter for 120 miles - they are totally exposed. With civilisation unreachable, their only hope is to venture deeper into the woods and find the elusive cabin before it’s too late… A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Heléna Lewis | Produced by Ed Baranski | Assistant Producer: Luke Lonergan | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design by Matt Peaty | Assembly edit by Rob Plummer | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Ralph Tittley. For more on this story check out David's book, Paradise Creek: A True Story of Adventure and Survival. For ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions If you have an amazing survival story of your own that you’d like to put forward for the show, let us know. Drop us an email at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:19John Hopkins?

  It's nighttime in late January 1991.

• 0:24John Hopkins?

  A thick carpet of snow covers the ground in the wild, untamed north of Manitoba, Canada, smothering the greenery beneath it and muffling all sound.

• 0:35John Hopkins?

  The vast, empty landscape is pristine, without a single sign of human habitation.

• 0:42John Hopkins?

  The only source of light comes from a full moon, suspended like a crystal ball in the black expanse of a sky pinpricked by thousands of glittering stars.

• 0:53John Hopkins?

  The moon's pale, ghostly glow glints off a frozen river, which snakes across the land like a silver ribbon.

• 1:01John Hopkins?

  It is bordered by dense, dark spruce trees, dusted with white flakes, impassive sentinels, casting their long, eerie shadows. It is agonizingly cold and utterly still.

• 1:16John Hopkins?

  Nothing stirs.

• 1:19John Hopkins?

  But on the snow-covered ground, nestled among the stunted trees, is a small, makeshift shelter constructed from branches.

• 1:28John Hopkins?

  Within this shelter are two shivering men, 19-year-old David Scott and 20-year-old Scott Power. They huddle together inside one sleeping bag, trying desperately to conserve what little body heat they have as the cold penetrates into every pore of their bodies, slowly leeching the life from them.

• 1:50John Hopkins?

  Occasionally, one will shake the other, checking their companion is still alive. They've had nothing to eat or drink for hours, and they're physically exhausted from trudging across this beautiful, brutal landscape.

• 2:04John Hopkins?

  But despite their weariness, sleep is virtually impossible.

• 2:09Speaker 02

  Laying there, just thinking about our situation. There were definitely moments of fear, just wondering, like, am I going to see the sun come up? Are we going to live through this? Or what if one of us lives through it and the other one doesn't? You know, all of these thoughts that kind of creep in.

• 2:28John Hopkins?

  Even if the two young men make it to the morning, dawn will quickly bring a whole host of new problems to contend with. There is no way back to civilization from here. Their only hope is to go deeper into the woods.

• 2:43Speaker 02

  I'm stuck here, kind of seeing things almost out of body, where you're kind of looking down and realizing, like, yeah, this little shelter that we've made, and this could very well be a grave marker.

• 3:02John Hopkins?

  Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives.

• 3:23John Hopkins?

  In this episode, we meet David Scott. In 1991, the idealistic nineteen-year-old gets the chance to fulfill his long-held dream of traveling deep into the wilderness and living off-grid for an entire year. But when he and his friend arrive in the wilds of Manitoba, a nightmare scenario unfolds. The cabin they're planning to call home for the next twelve months seems to mysteriously vanish. They're unable to locate the only shelter available for miles, leaving themselves totally exposed in the frozen, primeval immensity of the forest.

• 3:58John Hopkins?

  With the nearest town over 120 miles away, the two young men's romantic vision is put to the test when they are faced with disaster after disaster. Their one chance is to find the elusive cabin before it's too late.

• 4:13Speaker 02

  I'm at death's door. I'm in the jaws right now of Mother Nature, and we have no choice but to survive. We have no choice but to work through this, one way or another.

• 4:24John Hopkins?

  I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival Stories.

• 4:52John Hopkins?

  It's the morning of Tuesday, January 29, 1991, in Thompson, Manitoba.

• 4:58John Hopkins?

  The small, central Canadian city serves as a hub for the surrounding area and is considered a gateway to the wild, majestic landscape in the north of the province.

• 5:08John Hopkins?

  At one of the simple dining tables in their accommodation, two young men pick nervously at their breakfasts.

• 5:15John Hopkins?

  Staring down at their plates, David Scott and Scott Power push their food around with their forks, unable to get much down due to the butterflies in their stomachs. For them, today is the start of an epic adventure. From Thompson, they will fly north into the wilderness, where a small log cabin is waiting for them.

• 5:35John Hopkins?

  It's the place they intend to call home for the next year, living off the land with a modest stock of provisions, embracing a simpler way of life.

• 5:45Speaker 02

  We awaken that morning and went down for breakfast and could barely eat anything, just because your nerves are... they're firing. You're jumping. So breakfast was a scrap of food at best.

• 6:01John Hopkins?

  After gulping down as much as they can manage, the two young men gather their things and make their way to the airport.

• 6:07John Hopkins?

  They'll be flying in an otter, a type of bush plane which can be fitted with either floats or skis, allowing it to land on a variety of different terrains. But when they arrive at the small airport and see their craft for the first time, there's clearly an issue. A group of workers are huddled around the plane, trying to fix a problem.

• 6:27Speaker 02

  The first thing I noticed was there was a crew of people around one wheel of this plane, which was connected to a ski because we're landing on snow. And they had a portable heater that was aimed at this wheel. And I believe they were falling the hydraulics of the ski just because it was so bitter cold.

• 6:50John Hopkins?

  According to their pilot, Hap, the area is in the midst of one of the worst cold snaps he's seen in decades.

• 6:57John Hopkins?

  Temperatures are so low, he is forced to delay takeoff until it warms up a little. For David and Scott, it's a mere taste of things to come.

• 7:07Speaker 02

  It gave me an idea of like, whoa, this is, yeah, it's cold. And I'd never experienced temperatures like that.

• 7:15John Hopkins?

  Not that David is totally unaccustomed to being out in the elements. In fact, it's been a passion of his for years.

• 7:23John Hopkins?

  As a child, he grew up without a TV. So instead, he entertained himself outside, playing in the woods near his home and imagining he was going on grand heroic adventures.

• 7:34Speaker 02

  I grew up in northwest Indiana. I'm about 50 miles maybe from Chicago. It's not one of these places that just overwhelms you with these stunning landscapes. But there's definitely some beauty and some great outdoor things here as well. This was at a time when children were feral wild cats. So going out into the woods and coming home at 8:30 at night, smelling like wood smoke and covered in mud.

• 8:04John Hopkins?

  Then, one day, when David was exploring a farmer's field near the woods, he unearthed something unusual: an arrowhead.

• 8:15Speaker 02

  This really changed everything for me. When I picked that arrowhead up, I realized the last person that ever touched this was likely a native person. And for a 12, 13-year-old kid, it just kind of blew my mind. So I began reading everything I could find about these people, how they lived, how they survived in these environments, the tools they made, the things they built. And I also began to learn there was a deeper, I guess, spiritual connection to the wilderness.

• 8:43John Hopkins?

  Around this time, David also wrote a story about running away to live in a log cabin in northern Canada. The seeds of a dream had been sown.

• 8:53John Hopkins?

  After graduating from high school, unsure what he wanted to do with his life, he found work at a local camping store, where he met Scott, a fellow enthusiast for the great outdoors. David discovered that the man who founded the camping store was one Dr. William Forgie, a renowned adventurer and authority on wilderness medicine.

• 9:14John Hopkins?

  There were stories that Dr. Forgie had built his own cabin in the wilds of Canada. David's imagination worked.

• 9:23Speaker 02

  So I started hearing bits and pieces about this mysterious place. And one day, this gentleman, Doc, as we call him, came into the store and the owner said, "Yeah, that's the guy who built this place." And I walked up to him and I extended my hand. I didn't even say my name or introduce myself. I just said, "I have to go to this place. I have to." And he said, "Well, you know, we'll see what we can do to get you up there."

• 9:49John Hopkins?

  Scott was equally intrigued by the cabin in the woods.

• 9:54John Hopkins?

  It didn't take long before an agreement was struck. David and Scott could have the use of the cabin for an entire year. After the first three months or so, Doc Forgie would visit them to check all was well and bring more supplies.

• 10:07John Hopkins?

  Aside from that, they would be entirely alone.

• 10:17John Hopkins?

  The expedition became David and Scott's focus for months and months. They spent their time planning, learning all they could from Dock, and stockpiling gear and supplies.

• 10:29John Hopkins?

  But not everybody understood their vision.

• 10:31Speaker 02

  When I would tell people that I was going off on this expedition, many were genuinely concerned, like, "What's going to happen to your life?" They felt as though if you didn't follow the normal path, things were not going to be great for you.

• 10:46John Hopkins?

  But David and Scott won't be put off. They're too excited about the opportunity, about the unique allure of this adventure.

• 10:53Speaker 02

  I honestly didn't know what I wanted to do in terms of my career or anything like that. But one thing I knew was this opportunity presented itself, and there was no way I was turning it down. I was just too passionate and excited about it to say no.

• 11:19Speaker 03

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• 11:49John Hopkins?

  By the time David and Scott eventually board their plane in Thompson, it's a momentous step. The aircraft takes off, the ground falls away below them, and they travel further north.

• 12:02John Hopkins?

  It's now that the realization of how truly isolated Dock's cabin is begins to sink in.

• 12:10Speaker 02

  Throughout that entire flight, I'm looking out, and there is nothing. There is not a town. There is not a sign of man anywhere. And I'm just realizing during this whole flight just how remote this place is. It's almost impossible to describe. It's hard to understand unless you've stood in the middle of this place. It's in the middle of nowhere.

• 12:32John Hopkins?

  They soar over impossibly vast swathes of snowy forest and ice-covered, glistening lakes that polka-dot the landscape.

• 12:42John Hopkins?

  After an hour and a half, Hap points out the log cabin, a tiny structure tucked away in the dense trees below, near the banks of a frozen river.

• 12:52John Hopkins?

  They fly over the building several times to make sure that it still appears structurally sound, then the pilot banks east towards a small lake about three miles away.

• 13:02John Hopkins?

  Known as Landing Lake, it provides an ideal runway, and it should only take about three hours to hike from here to the cabin.

• 13:10John Hopkins?

  In theory, at least.

• 13:13John Hopkins?

  Hap skillfully lands the plane on the frozen surface and cuts the engine.

• 13:19Speaker 02

  He said, "We've got about 10 minutes to get your gear out of the plane, otherwise my engines will start freezing." And he certainly did not want to be stuck there.

• 13:30John Hopkins?

  David and Scott work quickly to unload what they need to sustain them for the first few months. They hurriedly throw hundreds of kilos' worth of gear and supplies onto the snowy banks of the lake, including tents, freeze-dried packets of food, camping stove and gas.

• 13:47John Hopkins?

  Then they watch as Hap climbs back into the plane.

• 13:51Speaker 02

  The pilot, before he left, did an interesting thing. He was sitting in the cockpit there, and he had his door open, facing us. And he stared at us for longer than you would normally stare at somebody when you're parting ways. And I think he was doing that almost as if to give us an out. Because he knows what that country is like. He lives up there, you know? He flies up there. He understands how serious this is. And I think there was some concern there.

• 14:21John Hopkins?

  But David and Scott have spent too long anticipating this moment. They've researched, planned and prepped as best they can, and they're not about to back out now. They wave goodbye to Hap. He taxis back along the frozen runway and takes off into the frigid air.

• 14:39John Hopkins?

  He is the last person they will see for months.

• 14:45John Hopkins?

  The two friends watch the plane recede into the vast, empty stretch of northern sky.

• 14:51John Hopkins?

  When it disappears from sight, they listen until the hum of its engine fades into nothingness.

• 14:58Speaker 02

  The first thing I noticed, when we could no longer hear the engine, was this incredible silence. It was silence unlike anything I'd heard, and cold unlike anything I'd ever felt.

• 15:12John Hopkins?

  Swaddled in thick layers of clothing, David and Scott take in the majestic, frost-dappled brilliance of the wilderness around them.

• 15:21John Hopkins?

  They are far from civilization. The nearest habitation is Churchill, a small port town on Hudson Bay. It's known as the polar bear capital of the world, and it's about 120 miles away.

• 15:34Speaker 02

  Once that plane drops you off, you've committed. You're not hiking out. We have no communication, so it's a pretty powerful moment.

• 15:44John Hopkins?

  At this time of year, the days are short, and David and Scott only have a few hours of light left. There's not a moment to lose. Although beginning their adventure in winter has its drawbacks, it also means they can transport their gear on sleds, making it much easier to move heavy loads.

• 16:02John Hopkins?

  After reaching the cabin, they intend to spend some time cleaning it up and settling in before shuttling the rest of their stuff across from the lake in several trips. They load up their sleds with enough provisions to last them a few days, put on their snowshoes, check the map, and use a compass to point themselves in the right direction. Then they set off into the trees.

• 16:26Speaker 02

  This land is very flat. The trees grow very closely together. There are no real landmarks that you can see, so the only way to navigate is with a compass. And after about 20 steps into the trees, I think both of us realize, this is not going to be a short hike. This is going to be grueling, because when it's that cold, the snow is like powdered sugar. You don't float on top of it as you should with your snowshoes. Rather, you kind of punch through it, and it kind of collapses on the snowshoe.

• 17:02John Hopkins?

  They sink with every step, having to heave and haul their legs in and out of the deep snow. But the promise of reaching the cabin keeps spirits high. As they trudge on, darkness descends, bringing even lower temperatures. Soon, they are enveloped by the inky night. It's not easy to find their way in the dark, though they're helped by the light of the full moon, which glistens off the pristine snow and casts an eerie pallor over their magnificent surroundings. Finally, after four hours of walking, Scott spots the river in the distance, gleaming in the moonlight like a neon sign. Initially, the sight boosts their flagging spirits.

• 17:46Speaker 02

  But then I remembered something that Doc had told me, the guy who built the cabin. He said, "You know, when you could see the river on that trail, when you could see the river, you're about halfway to the cabin." And I thought, "That can't be right." But sure enough, he was right, and so we hiked another four hours. We've now been hiking eight hours, and we thought this was going to take three. And finally, we break through the tree line, and now we're on the bank of this river.

• 18:18John Hopkins?

  As the two friends emerge from the trees onto the banks of the ice-covered river, there is still no sign of their refuge. They're exhausted from plowing through the soft snow, and they've had virtually nothing to eat or drink since the morning. Despite their attempts to insulate their water, it has frozen solid in the subarctic temperatures. Still, their struggles are nearly over. All they need to do now is find the cabin. David and Scott start walking along the river, scanning the tree line for any sign of the structure, and occasionally veering into the snow-covered woods. When that proves fruitless, they turn around and head in other directions, their concern

• 19:03John Hopkins?

  growing with every passing step. One hour goes by without success, then two, and still they find nothing. The cabin is nowhere to be seen.

• 19:16Speaker 02

  So now it's 10 hours have gone by, and this was that moment where suddenly you realize something is wrong.

• 19:34Speaker 00

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• 19:53John Hopkins?

  It's the evening of January 29th, 1991.

• 19:58John Hopkins?

  In the untamed backcountry of northern Manitoba, the sun set hours ago, plunging the world into freezing darkness.

• 20:07John Hopkins?

  The night is quiet. It seems all living creatures have retreated somewhere safe and warm, seeking shelter from the savage cold.

• 20:16John Hopkins?

  But on the banks of a frozen river, bordered by dense forest, two dark smudges move across the snow-covered ground.

• 20:25John Hopkins?

  Less than 24 hours into David and Scott's trip, it's all falling apart.

• 20:31John Hopkins?

  There is no sign of the cabin they're supposed to call home for the next year. It's as if it has vanished.

• 20:37John Hopkins?

  Assuming they would have reached the shelter by now, the two young men left their tents back at the lake where their plane landed earlier in the day, along with the majority of their equipment and supplies. Exhausted, hungry, bitterly cold, and lacking any kind of real protection from the sub-Arctic conditions, things are looking bleak.

• 20:57Speaker 02

  This has now turned into a dire situation. Ideally, in a situation like that, in cold, you would build some kind of a snow shelter just because it's got better insulating qualities. But that snow, you can't pack it. You could, but it would take way too long for the snow to settle. So we made the decision to build something out of pine boughs. This shelter would not have saved anyone's life. It was the most pathetic, awful thing. But the mere act of taking action, I think, was beneficial.

• 21:34John Hopkins?

  Once the flimsy frame of boughs is erected, David and Scott try to pile the powdery snow around it to help insulate the structure. But it just sifts through the gaps in the branches. They gather more pine boughs to lay on the ground inside their shelter, and spread one of their two sleeping bags on top. Then they crawl into the other bag together and pull the open one around themselves.

• 22:02Speaker 02

  We're hugging each other to share what little heat we had. Laying there, spooning my trip partner was definitely not something I'd envisioned. I had this dream, but in those temperatures, whatever you can do to find warmth, why, that's what you've got to do.

• 22:20John Hopkins?

  The temperature is dropping fast, and with just a makeshift shelter and a couple of sleeping bags to protect them from the elements, the glacial winter cold is penetrating.

• 22:31John Hopkins?

  It's thirty below freezing before they know it.

• 22:36John Hopkins?

  Every so often, one of the men will shake his companion or mumble something to ensure he's still alive. Aside from that, there is no sound but the hissing of their breath as it crystallizes in the air, and the popping and cracking of the trees as their sap expands with the icy cold.

• 22:56Speaker 02

  I was frustrated because this was my big dream. We'd been planning for so long, and now here it is on the first night, things go wrong.

• 23:08John Hopkins?

  As well as the cold, David's feet are in excruciating pain after hours of plowing through the snow in his mutlux, a kind of soft boot designed to be worn in cold weather.

• 23:21John Hopkins?

  David asks Scott if his feet are hurting too. Scott says no.

• 23:27John Hopkins?

  In agony, David removes his mutlux and begins rubbing his feet to help the circulation.

• 23:34John Hopkins?

  Unsurprisingly, sleep is elusive, and the long, empty hours of darkness stretch out between the two friends.

• 23:46Speaker 02

  All the activity and action is over and now you're laying there with your thoughts, realizing the severity of this situation, realizing there's a good chance that morning might not come, and realizing like, yeah, this little shelter that we've made, this could very well be a grave marker.

• 24:08Speaker 02

  I thought a lot about my, like my mom and dad, for example, for them to support such an endeavor, not being able to have contact with your kid, not knowing if they're okay or if they're alive for a year, that's a pretty amazing thing. So I thought about them a lot, that evening laying there. So far as they're concerned, I'm at the cabin right now with my feet up by the stove with a hot chocolate and nice and toasty warm, and here I am, I'm at death's door, I'm in the jaws right now of Mother Nature.

• 24:44John Hopkins?

  Eventually, after a seemingly endless night, the sun starts to creep up over the tops of the trees.

• 24:52John Hopkins?

  Weakened and numb, but relieved to have made it through, David and Scott muster their remaining strength and agree to look again for the cabin. Maybe it will be easier to spot in daylight.

• 25:05John Hopkins?

  This time they split up, searching in different directions.

• 25:10John Hopkins?

  But when they regroup, it's clear neither has good news. In desperation, they decide to go back to the lake where they landed the previous day and where the rest of their equipment and supplies are.

• 25:22John Hopkins?

  Though it's galling to retrace their steps so soon, they don't have much choice. They're unlikely to survive another night in a shoddy self-made shelter. They need a tent.

• 25:34John Hopkins?

  Following the trail they broke the previous day makes the journey easier. Within a few hours, they're back at the lake.

• 25:41John Hopkins?

  They dig through their equipment to find a canvas expedition tent belonging to Doc and start setting it up.

• 25:48John Hopkins?

  Originally, they planned to use it for occasional trips into the wilderness after reaching the cabin. Now, it might well save their lives.

• 26:00Speaker 02

  This tent comes complete with a small kerosene stove and a stovepipe that goes out the top of the tent. However, one of the stovepipe pieces was at the cabin. It's an elbow-shaped piece, so kind of an important one. And we knew this going in, but why would we be messing with or using a tent before actually using the cabin? That thought had never occurred to us. So we fashioned one out of aluminum foil. It was the best we could do, and clearly, we were desperate.

• 26:35John Hopkins?

  With their makeshift piece of pipe rigged up, David and Scott fill the stove tank with kerosene and light it.

• 26:44John Hopkins?

  Finally, they experience the first hint of warmth since setting off the day before.

• 26:51John Hopkins?

  They fill a pan with snow and set it on the stove to melt.

• 26:56John Hopkins?

  The prospect of water and hot food is tantalizing. Once their basic needs are satisfied, the two men will be able to assess their situation more clearly and hopefully work out where they went wrong.

• 27:08John Hopkins?

  Then, just as they're settling in, another issue suddenly arises.

• 27:15Speaker 02

  Right about the time that snow was turning to slush, the only liquid form of water for 120 miles, I heard Scott yell "Fire!"

• 27:27Speaker 02

  And looking up, you could see that the top of the tent, where our little rigged stovepipe was, was in flames.

• 27:37John Hopkins?

  David and Scott quickly throw the stove out of the tent and extinguish the smoldering canvas. Though the immediate danger has passed, so has any chance of proper hydration or a hot meal.

• 27:51John Hopkins?

  In the 10 seconds it took to avert disaster, the almost melted slush in the pan has solidified once again, turning into ice.

• 28:01John Hopkins?

  Though they have another tent in their pile of gear outside, David and Scott are too cold and exhausted to face the prospect of pitching it.

• 28:10John Hopkins?

  Shivering and hungry, the two friends climb into their sleeping bags and suck on frozen fudge and granola bars until they're thawed enough to swallow. Above, the darkening sky yawns through a scorched hole in the roof of the tent. It's going to be another long, cold night.

• 28:33Speaker 02

  So once again, we're going to bed, not hydrated, very hungry, and at this point, really pissed off because we'd worked too hard for things to fall apart like this. And that evening, because we had set the tent up right kind of on the bank of the lake there, we were pretty exposed and we got beat down pretty good with a pretty heavy snowstorm that night. By morning, the tent had just more or less collapsed around us.

• 29:03John Hopkins?

  When the sun rises on the third day, David and Scott crawl out of their snow-covered, half-clapped tent and take in the surrounding wilderness once more, as austere and unforgiving as ever. The two men need a plan. They decide to pack up their sleds with supplies and go back once again to the river. There, they can set up camp and use it as a base for exploring the surrounding area. With any luck, it should make finding the cabin easier. Once each sled is loaded with equipment, including their second tent, David and Scott hike back to the river, leaving their scorched canvas shelter behind.

• 29:47John Hopkins?

  When they eventually reach the frozen river again, they conduct another search for the cabin, hoping against hope that they will stumble upon it. When they find nothing, they give in and decide to set up camp not far from the spot where they spent the first night. This time, they're using a more modern tent with flexible poles that form a dome-shaped frame. Normally, it would only take them a matter of minutes to set up, but the poles have been damaged by the extreme cold, and their weakened, semi-frozen hands make heavy weather of the process. Darkness falls around them, and the temperature plummets further.

• 30:31John Hopkins?

  After an age, their tent is at last ready.

• 30:36Speaker 02

  As Scott was climbing into the tent, he turned around and looked at me for something. He was asking me a question. And his face looked really gaunt and blue, and he looked horrible. And I thought, God, I must look exactly the same. This is bad.

• 30:56John Hopkins?

  Shivering and exhausted, they attempt to light a small camping stove. Fumbling with their numb fingers, they eventually achieve success.

• 31:08Speaker 02

  We decided to fire it up in the tent, which is typically you wouldn't do. But we didn't care. I mean, so long as we die warm, we'll be OK with that. The second we lit that, the inside of the tent almost inflated like a hot air balloon with hot air. And instantly, it was warm. And we could start removing layers of gear. And it was the most beautiful moment.

• 31:35John Hopkins?

  Finally able to boil water for drinking and cooking, David and Scott devour their first proper meal in three days, and each consumes several liters of water.

• 31:47John Hopkins?

  It's a mini triumph in the circumstances. They've successfully brought their bodies back from the brink of defeat.

• 31:55Speaker 02

  That evening, our spirits were definitely up. We don't have a cabin yet, but we at least have a system that seems to work, albeit a little unorthodox. But it worked. So we looked at the maps again that evening, finally climbed into our bags and went to sleep. Now, the second you shut that stove off, like, the second you shut it off, it's as cold inside as it is outside.

• 32:21John Hopkins?

  Freezing, but with full bellies, David and Scott hunker down for the night, determined that tomorrow they will start afresh and finally locate the elusive cabin.

• 32:32John Hopkins?

  When morning arrives, the friends feel a new determination, a new sense of optimism.

• 32:38John Hopkins?

  David and Scott have coffee and begin to prepare themselves for a day of searching.

• 32:43John Hopkins?

  But then, a fresh disaster strikes.

• 32:47Speaker 02

  We were kind of in the process of getting ready when I heard Scott call out. And I turned around, I looked, and he's holding his foot up. And his entire foot was black. He had suffered some severe frostbite. Scott can't risk going out. And this means now that a two-man team is cut down to a one-man team.

• 33:14Speaker 00

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• 33:32John Hopkins?

  David stares at Scott's frozen, blackened foot, the toes swollen and dark.

• 33:40Speaker 02

  It was very bad. And for someone unfamiliar with seeing something like frostbite, it was visually intimidating. Clearly, that first night in that shelter, when I asked him, "Hey, are your feet hurting you?" And he said, "No." He left his mukluks on. We'd done 10 hours of extreme hiking. A lot of sweat building up in those boots. And so when he went to bed, it was essentially like going to bed with two blocks of ice on your feet. And the reason his feet weren't hurting was because they were frozen. It was manageable still. But the important thing was, he cannot freeze it any further

• 34:23Speaker 02

  or he's going to do some serious damage to this.

• 34:30John Hopkins?

  Before embarking on this trip, both men received medical training from Doc Forji.

• 34:36John Hopkins?

  Ideally, they would thaw Scott's foot in warm water. But there is a significant chance that it could refreeze in these temperatures, leading to all sorts of potential problems, including gangrene and autoamputation.

• 34:50John Hopkins?

  They can't take the risk.

• 34:53Speaker 02

  The care that we took immediately was very basic. The only thing really that we could do was make sure that he had a clean, dry pair of socks on. And that was about the extent of it, just for the sake of getting us to the cabin where we can really do more maintenance, I guess.

• 35:12John Hopkins?

  It's now their fourth day of searching for the mysterious cabin in the woods. And the responsibility to locate it now rests entirely on David's shoulders. But before that, he prioritizes the well-being of his friend. Their medical kit contains antibiotics to ward off secondary infections that could develop as a result of the frostbite. But their medical kit is still in their canvas tent back at the lake.

• 35:39John Hopkins?

  And so, for the fourth day running, David hikes the route between the river and Landing Lake. It's become a familiar trudge.

• 35:49John Hopkins?

  When he gets there, he fumbles to find the entrance of their tent, which lies semi-submerged in snow. He crawls inside and locates the medical kit.

• 35:59John Hopkins?

  He takes the opportunity to grab some other provisions as well. Then he treks back to the river, where Scott is patiently waiting.

• 36:08Speaker 02

  That day, really, there was no searching for the cabin at all. But again, we're still feeling relatively positive. Despite not having a cabin, despite the frostbite, we're at least relatively safe in this little bubble that we've made.

• 36:26John Hopkins?

  David gives Scott the antibiotics and they eat dinner before bedding down for the night.

• 36:32John Hopkins?

  Hopefully, the morning will bring a change in their luck. David sleeps fitfully, but when dawn breaks on the fifth morning, he forces himself out of the relative warmth of his sleeping bag and lights the stove.

• 36:46John Hopkins?

  After breakfast, he prepares himself to face the freezing wilderness outside once more. Scott wishes him good luck, and David steps out into the dazzling brightness of snow and sky.

• 37:00John Hopkins?

  Believing they are somewhere downriver from the cabin, he decides to head upstream.

• 37:06John Hopkins?

  He tramps across the snow, a mere speck against the brilliant white expanse.

• 37:12John Hopkins?

  David's reasons for coming here were simple: the trip has proven to be anything but.

• 37:19John Hopkins?

  With every day, every hour, every step that passes, things become more desperate. What might finish them first? The cold, frostbite, hunger, or exhaustion?

• 37:32John Hopkins?

  And just as it seems another day is about to disappear without success, something catches David's eye.

• 37:39Speaker 02

  I found this stand of trees that was extraordinarily tall. Most of the trees up there because the environment is so brutal. They're really stunted, they grow maybe thirty feet, something like that. These were massive spruce trees. And I thought, I wonder if I climb one of these, if I can spot anything, like anything man-made or some landmark or something.

• 38:03John Hopkins?

  If he falls, the consequences will be catastrophic. But with still no sign of the cabin, a bold approach is needed.

• 38:12John Hopkins?

  David takes off his snowshoes and begins to climb. The chunky branches providing slippery foot and handholds.

• 38:20John Hopkins?

  Encumbered by his bulky winter clothing, it's not easy going.

• 38:25Speaker 02

  It was a nightmare trying to climb this. But I got up a little bit above the trees, and I noticed upstream, maybe a half a mile or a quarter mile, was this small lake. And I started thinking, like, if I could find this lake on the map, then clearly we'll be able to find where we are in relation to the cabin.

• 38:50John Hopkins?

  David climbs back down the tree and returns to the tent as the sun slips below the horizon.

• 38:58John Hopkins?

  He tells Scott about his theory, and the two of them eagerly open their crumpled map.

• 39:03Speaker 02

  And sure enough, there on the map is this little tiny lake. I was amazed our maps had enough detail to show that. And the second we saw that, we thought, well, if in fact this is the lake, which we were fairly certain it was, we're actually upstream from where the cabin is by about a mile.

• 39:24John Hopkins?

  All this time, the two men had assumed they were downriver from the cabin. But if David's hypothesis is right, then they've been searching in the wrong direction.

• 39:35John Hopkins?

  That night, they have a hearty meal, excited by the tantalizing prospect of finding the cabin the next day. And that's not the only good news. Scott's foot is showing some signs of improvement, though his big toe remains worryingly black, and they still can't tend to it properly.

• 39:53John Hopkins?

  But if all goes well, that shouldn't be a problem for much longer.

• 39:59Speaker 02

  Going to bed that night, we were feeling really good about our situation. Woke up early the next morning, had breakfast, got on the gear, and headed out.

• 40:11John Hopkins?

  The only noise to break the quiet of the wilderness is the crunch of David's snowshoes and the sound of his own rasping breath.

• 40:20John Hopkins?

  He covers ground slowly, slushing through the deep snow as his eyes skim the forest beside him.

• 40:27Speaker 02

  And after getting about a mile downstream, maybe about forty yards into the tree line and about fifteen feet off the ground, I noticed this level line of snow. And if you spend a lot of time in the outdoors, immediately your eye goes, well, that's not natural. There's nothing level like that in the outdoors.

• 40:50John Hopkins?

  David heads towards this strange sight.

• 40:54John Hopkins?

  As he approaches, he sinks into waist-deep snow. And there, poking out from the trees in front of him, is a wall of logs.

• 41:03Speaker 02

  And I knew that was it. The cabin was absolutely buried in snow. Like, it would have been so easy to miss.

• 41:15John Hopkins?

  Finally, after six days of surviving in the wilderness, David has found the cabin.

• 41:23John Hopkins?

  He flounders through the deep snow to the building, opens the door, and cautiously steps inside.

• 41:31John Hopkins?

  Given how their luck has gone so far, it doesn't seem out of the question that he might stumble on a hibernating bear.

• 41:39Speaker 02

  My first reaction was just elation at the fact that like, oh, we're okay now. We're going to be okay. And when I stepped into the main cabin, I'm looking around. This was that moment where I had this realization that this is the thing that I dreamt about. Like, this is the thing that I wrote about. All of a sudden, here I am. It's become a reality somehow. It was really a strange and exciting moment, you know, just to be there. I was so excited to tell Scott that I found myself almost jogging down this trail. So by the time I reached the tent, I was winded and my chest hurt because of all the cold. And Scott opened up the door and he said, well, did you find it?

• 42:23Speaker 02

  And I took me a while to finally catch my breath. And I told him, yeah, I found it.

• 42:31John Hopkins?

  After nearly a full week, David and Scott make it to their new home. They're finally able to enjoy true safety, shelter, and warmth.

• 42:41John Hopkins?

  Later, they work out the reason they became lost in the first place was a simple one. In their excitement to reach the cabin, they made one crucial mistake. They got their starting point wrong.

• 42:54John Hopkins?

  Instead of setting off near a small stream branching off from the lake as they were supposed to, they started walking from the exact spot where the plane dropped them off, meaning they found themselves significantly further upriver than intended. A tiny error that so nearly had enormous consequences.

• 43:14John Hopkins?

  They spend three memorable months at the cabin before Doc Forgie comes to visit them and restock their supplies.

• 43:22John Hopkins?

  When he hears their story, he's amazed they survived the ordeal.

• 43:27John Hopkins?

  And when Doc sees the state of Scott's foot, he insists on pulling the two friends out. Although he's impressed by the care they've taken so far, Scott needs a skin graft.

• 43:38John Hopkins?

  The two young men both return home for the procedure, but in July, after Scott's foot has had time to heal, they head back to the cabin to complete the rest of their adventure.

• 43:48John Hopkins?

  In between daily tasks, such as cutting firewood and fetching water, they also explore the surrounding landscape on foot and canoe, hunt for game, and read and write. They even build another cabin a little way upstream from Doc's, which they call Paradise Creek Cabin, and give to the doctor as a Christmas present in December 1991.

• 44:12John Hopkins?

  Strangely, once the experience is over, David finds that his feelings towards the wilderness have changed.

• 44:19Speaker 02

  I think a lot of people that are explorers or that do these types of things don't give enough consideration to the challenges of coming out, because you go through a bit of a depression. When I came home, I discovered my passion to be in the outdoors was no longer there, not nearly to the extent it used to be. And this concerned me, you know, because it's like this was almost my religion.

• 44:51John Hopkins?

  Though David tries to rekindle his relationship with the outdoors, he struggles. Some fundamental change has taken place within him.

• 45:00John Hopkins?

  Around this time, he discovers an interest in computers and ends up getting a job doing graphic design and animation for an advertising agency. Yet now, more than three decades on from his Canadian adventure, he has found himself drawn once again to his old passions, and he is slowly rediscovering his love of the natural world.

• 45:21John Hopkins?

  He attributes his survival to his age at the time, his skills and training as an outdoorsman, and his understanding that they had no choice but to save themselves. Although he already had a deep connection with the wilderness, David feels he and Scott both learned a valuable lesson from those six days in which they battled for their lives.

• 45:43Speaker 02

  I think we had a new appreciation, a newfound respect for just how dangerous this place can be. The smallest mistake can kill you. And so that was a profound lesson. And I think we both would agree, we'd never want to go through that again, but it was the ideal way to start that trip because it put the wilderness and Mother Nature, for lack of a better word, in a new light.

• 46:09Speaker 02

  I think it would be rare for a day to go by for me not to think about that place. It had such a profound impact on my life and everything I've done. It was kind of a childhood dream, and it was such a great and epic adventure. So I think about it very often. The lesson there, at least for me, was your path may take some weird bends and turns, and sometimes you've just got to roll with it. I've come to realize, like, sometimes you just have to move where the river takes you, and that's how it works.

• 46:57John Hopkins?

  Next time, we meet Sandra Younger. In 2003, she and her husband Bob have just bought a home in the mountainous back country outside San Diego, a beautiful, rugged region of rolling hills and canyons. Together with their pets, they're living a life of quiet contentment.

• 47:17John Hopkins?

  Until the early hours of the morning on October 26th, when Sandra wakes to an unfolding nightmare. Fueled by strong winds, the blaze will spread at a terrifying pace. And with their beloved home right in its unstoppable path, Sandra and Bob will have just minutes to evacuate. With a winding, perilous journey back down the hills ahead of them, surviving the fire will take tremendous skill, luck, and a timely helping hand from the strangest of rescuers. That's next time on Real Survival Stories. Listen right now by joining Noiser Plus.

• 47:54Speaker 00

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