Fisherman Lost in the Mokelumne Wilderness for 5 Days

This guy is lucky to be alive.

http://www.npr.org/2014/08/23/342529591/alone-in-the-wilderness-a-lost-fisherman-fights-for-his-life

It is a shame when rescue workers, who are usually unpaid volunteers, have to rescue an idiot. I have known lots of people who are clueless when it comes to navigation and I have been in whiteouts several times where the direction I am heading is unknown with certainty but that was in the days before GPS existed.

Now one can be purchased for under $40. Why would someone venture out into unfamiliar territory without one?

How do you get lost looking for bait?  once you've walked 100 feet from the lake its not about bait anymore, IMO...  Maybe he was looking for something else?  The story certainly doesn't make sense otherwise.

It's surprisingly easy to get lost in the wilderness.  My guess is he wasn't thinking he was even in the wilderness...out fishing, had his head down looking for grasshoppers and next thing he knew...lost.  I hear you on the GPS comments, and I would add a compass, GPS only works with charged batteries.  Certainly a lesson for all of us.