Three Nights in Namadgi
It was 1:00pm on Wednesday, September 3rd, when Karina Scott realised she was lost. On the other hand, she thought, "it's only 1 o'clock - I've got plenty of time to get back to the car." With Karina's leisurely jaunt during her day off turning into a three-night stay in freezing temperatures, her food stash of a sandwich, two muesli bars and a mandarin was starting to look meager.
It had also rained that day, soaking her cotton pants and shirt and destroying her map as she kept pulling it out of its plastic cover to try to find her way. As Karina says, "I felt pretty panicky when I realised I would have to spend the night in the bush. I cried that night…I ate the mandarin and muesli bar for comfort. I was scared and cold."
Having always been a keen bushwalker, the 31-year-old nurse from The Canberra Hospital had already told her partner where she was going and had signed the registry book at the start of the walking track. Unfortunately though, the guidebook she was using was out of date and the track Karina was hoping to find at the top of a hill was overgrown with thick bush, causing her to lose her way. "Looking back, I don't think I should have left the path to walk up the hill. It was really rugged stuff," says Karina.
It was too cold to sleep, so Karina set off the next morning as soon as it was light. She decided to follow the small creek she had slept near, hoping it would feed into the larger creek she had parked by.
"I didn't feel hungry. I was running on adrenaline and walked all through the day," she says. Continuing to walk during her second and third day in the bush, Karina barely slept and tried to stay focused on finding a way out.
On the third day, Karina saw pink tags in the trees used for wildlife research projects. Karina says, "I was really heartened because I knew others had been there and that there must be a track around." Shortly after her discovery, she found a well-marked track and then she saw the search helicopter. It was 8:30am on Saturday, September 6th - 70 hours since she had left the car.
Four people involved in the search located Karina, fed her some ham and baked beans and helped her walk to where the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter had landed to take her to hospital. Karina says, "I remember the SouthCare guys wrapping me up in all these warm things and giving me two coats. I was so happy but exhausted and drained. They told me all my family was here… I wanted to see them and felt bad that they had probably spent the last few days worrying. It was so good to feel safe."
Now, back at the hospital, Karina says, "I see the helicopter at the hospital and I think, wow, just a couple weeks ago, that was me… A big thank-you to all my rescuers and searchers. You see a search on the news and think that's really amazing - but when it is for you, it is really humbling...[This experience] has shown me what I am capable of. It is sort of an achievement to stay alive for three nights in the cold with no food-but everybody has a will to survive."
