Remember that plane crash in the Andes in the 70's?

[Andre]

First, a little background. We are First Nations people (North American Indians) from the woodlands of northern Ontario/Quebec border area.
Some of us have talked about the Andes plane crash, and none of us would have stayed on the snow above the treeline for 72 days. If no rescue came after 5 days, we would have started to walk out. No one would stay more than a week in such a hopeless condition.

They had been flying over the Andes, and knew the Andes ran north-and-south, so they knew to walk east-or-west.
Nobody ever mentions the distance of the walk, just that they walked for 10 days.
Obviously, they didn't know how far they'd have to walk, and were lost without proper supplies, and had taken injuries.
Severe terrain under grueling conditions without proper equipment, but their total walk was 33.5 miles (54 kilometers).
As the crow flies, it was just 13.5 miles (22 kilometers) to safety, but you have to follow the lay of the land.


If they chose to walk east or west, either way wouldn't be much longer as they crashed almost in the middle.
When lost, you take a bearing, a landmark far off, and try to go in a straight line as much as you can.

In March, my 44 year old brother said why did these guys take 10 days to walk 33.5 miles, these Indians up north are doing 26 miles or more in a single day, and they do it day after day after day. He was talking about The Journey of Nishiyuu.

Lately in Canada, First Nations from many, many tribes have been doing long-distance walks to bring awareness to several issues which I don't want to get into here; I just want to talk distance and time.
The Journey of Nishiyuu began Jan 16, 2013 in Hudson's Bay, and 7 Cree youth walked almost a thousand miles (1600 km) to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, arriving March 25 with a few thousand First Nations people there to greet them. When they left Hudson's Bay in Jan during the coldest time of the year, they were having 58 below Fahrenheit (-50 Celsius) when they started walking on snowshoes, crossing frozen lakes while towing toboggans.

There are some Mi'kmaq people left Listuguj near the east coast on May 1, 2013, on the way to Parliament Hill. They're already at trois rivieres, that's 386 miles (622 km) in 15 days.

They shoot for about 25 miles per day(40 km), but sometimes they do 37 miles (60 km) or even a bit more.

Youth 4 Lakes walkers just arrived on Parliament Hill from Winnepeg a few days ago, Mon, May 13.
They departed March 28, 2013, and they covered 1300 miles (2100 km).

Last Summer, Leo Baskatawang, a veteran of the Iraq War, walked from Vancouver, British Columbia to Parliament Hill while dragging a copy of the Indian Act chained to his body. About 2734 miles (4400 km) in 135 days. Left April 23, 2012, arrived Sept 4, 2012.


EDIT: If you grow up rural, spent time in the bush and on the lakes, and have some fishing and hunting skills, obviously those bush skills are an advantage...

You would have to find out which mountains stood in their way and see if they were climbable without equipment if not they had to go around all the steep ones.

They had nothing,no snow shoes, so would of been sinking up to their thighs in snow if they took the real low valleys around mountains. The worlds best climbers have died from falls in some mountains in that area but Im not sure what they faced,it would be interesting to see pics of the route.

Theres a big difference between times and possibility with terrain and equipment these fellows didnt even have snow shoes, Im not sure but chances are crampons,ice picks and ropes may of suited them better.

So I have to ask: did your friends and yourself come to the conclusion that you would eat the dead if it came to it? Or was that part of the conversation avoided in that you'd all make it out of there earlier leaving the wounded?