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020 // Olga is Lost and Found
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One of the biggest barriers that stops people from getting out and connecting with nature — through hiking or bushwalking — is the fear of getting lost.
Today's guest is no stranger to the bush. She'd done some research, packed for the conditions, let someone know her plans and downloaded the AllTrails app. But despite all of that, her 10 km day walk (which should’ve taken about 4-5 hours) turned into an unplanned night out, alone, in difficult terrain, with the looming anxiety of being completely lost.
She's sharing her story today with real courage and gratitude, having received a bit of unhelpful judgment after the event. So in the spirit of the Rescued Podcast, I ask that we receive her story with kindness and see what we can all learn from her experience.
Key learnings from this episode:
- If you’re lost, stay where you are unless it’s not safe to do so
- The importance of slowing down to think through decisions if something goes wrong, not rushing about or panicking
- The value of rest on your body and mind when something goes wrong
- Why packing (or wearing) thermals is a good idea
- Being sensitive to anyone you know (or work with) who may experience something like this
- Why it’s always a good idea to carry a raincoat, even if it’s not forecast to rain while you’re out
- Understanding that apps like AllTrails are best when used as one (of many) research tools (ie. when looking to walk in a new area), not relied on for navigation
- Gathering reviews and comments from people online can be a helpful tool in research, but they’re subjective: what’s easy for one person can be hard for another. The Australian Walking Track Grading System is an objective national guideline.
- The value of carrying a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
- Carrying a first aid kit with an emergency blanket
- The strength of not walking/adventuring solo - groups like bushwalking clubs or other groups/MeetUps/organisations are great resources if you don’t have any outdoorsy friends
- The limitations of smartphones to pinpoint location via apps when under/near the base of clifflines or in narrow, deep areas
- Why it’s good to test out gear/equipment/apps before relying on them in the bush
- Importance of carrying a battery power bank to keep phones and other devices charged
- Planning for contingencies - even for a short day walk such as extra food, water, clothing layers and an emergency bivvy (eg. SOL bivvy bag) for unplanned overnight or in an accident
- When leaving your trip intentions with people, write down the details or send them the link/details via SMS/email
NB: Olga refers to a ladder that she used to ascend a short section. This ladder is not part of the old and decommissioned waterboard structures attached to the cliff face in the area-these are inaccessible.
Other Resources:
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Overcoming Outdoor Fears
00:00:00
Speaker
Rescued is a podcast of conversations with rescuers and those who've been rescued. It's about the lessons we learn about ourselves, the places we go and why, without judgment, to help us have better adventures, manage risk and deal with the unexpected.
00:00:18
Speaker
One of the biggest barriers that stops people from getting out and connecting with nature through hiking or bushwalking is the fear of getting lost.
Preparation vs. Unpredictability: Olga's Story
00:00:29
Speaker
Today's guest is no stranger to the bush.
00:00:33
Speaker
She'd done some research, packed for the conditions, let someone know her plans, and downloaded the AllTrails app. But despite all of that, her 10k day walk, which should have taken about four to five hours, turned into an unplanned night out, alone in difficult terrain, with the looming anxiety of being completely lost.
00:00:57
Speaker
She's sharing the story today with real courage and gratitude, having received a bit of unhelpful judgment after the event. So in the spirit of the Rescued podcast, I ask that we receive her story with kindness and see what we can all learn from her experience.
Olga's Nature Connection and Urban Balance
00:01:17
Speaker
So Olga, I would love to hear about your love of being in nature or of bushwalking and spending time hiking. Is that something that you're drawn to? Yeah, absolutely. I love being outdoors. I mean, my earliest memories as a kid was spent quite a lot of time with my grandparents and my grandpa loved hiking.
00:01:38
Speaker
fishing so we would often go down to the pier in Rose Bay if any of you guys know and just cast a line back in the day when you could fish and just sit there for half a day and we'd have sandwiches and chat about what's going on um you know my grandma She used to love going down to Bronte Beach and just do a bit of a walk on the soft sand there. So we'd spend summer doing that. We'd go to the Blue Mountains once in a while as well and go to Centennial Park and doing like those gorgeous Bondi to Bronte routes. You know, he was just really, as a kid, I was always very active and I loved being outdoors and doing things with family in nature. And I think that's kind of stayed with me as well as I've grown into an adult.
00:02:24
Speaker
how How does that make you feel like when you think of those memories and those times where you you know either sat on the pier with your grandfather or out in in the Blue Mountains on family trips or whatever, what are what are those feelings that you get from those memories? Yeah.
00:02:43
Speaker
I feel really warm and connected and I feel really lucky that I'm one of the last generations where we grew up without social media. So we had to connect in real life with people and spend time outdoors and doing things in real time rather than being on social media and, you know, like doing what the kids do these days. And I feel like,
00:03:08
Speaker
Yeah, it just allowed me to really deepen my relationship with myself, my family and nature. And yeah I'm really grateful for that. Yeah, I really love that sense of your generation um being those last ones before complete, I guess, digital natives growing up and, you know, falling down the scrolling, the doom scrolling hole um and having that awareness of nature and also having that those invitations, those entrees into nature through your family as well.
00:03:44
Speaker
Yeah, it was it was
Post-Incident Adaptations and Group Hiking
00:03:46
Speaker
really nice. You grew up in Sydney, is that correct? Well, I grew up in Sydney and grew up around Bondi Beach, um Redfern, so that kind of area. we kind of stayed in that area.
00:03:59
Speaker
And that was just really lovely to be close to the beach, to be close to the city, you know, be close to nature. Centennial Park is always, it's really good doing the laps and just seeing the horses as well. And there's the rose garden and you can feed the ducks. It's really lovely.
00:04:15
Speaker
So tell me about now as an adult, how you discover and how you find nature and how you connect with nature now and hiking, those kinds of things. Yeah.
00:04:27
Speaker
So um I think nature's become more important to me in a sense that I have a nine-to-five desk job, so I'm very much in my head. I'm on the computer. I'm on the phone. So I really love getting back into nature to reachja a recharge, energize, and also I'm a bit of an introvert because So sometimes I do just need that little solitary walk by myself. It doesn't need to be long, you know, 10, 15 minutes sometimes around the block. I'm lucky I've got a park right next door just to clear my head, recharge, you know, ground, put my feet on the earth, take a couple of nice deep breaths, you know, and just look at the birds, look at the sun, look at the sky and just get out of my head and get out of my own way often. when
00:05:13
Speaker
I love that. Get out of your own way, get out of your own head, especially yeah when you spend you know so much of your time at work in front of a computer. And I i certainly relate to that because I do too.
00:05:26
Speaker
So what does hiking look like for you these days?
Devil's Hole: Planning and Perils
00:05:30
Speaker
So before the incident, I used to um go into the mountains every couple of months and just do like a solitary walk, you know, three, four hours by myself and then grab some lunch in Katoomba and then head back to the city.
00:05:48
Speaker
um Now it's changed a little bit where I found a really good group called Meetup and there's lots of urban and bushwalks out. I haven't ah gone to the mountains like on a bushwalk yet. i'm ah I've got a little bit of trepidation about that, but maybe one day. i think it's just a lot safer for me to do it.
00:06:09
Speaker
in ah in a group kind of setting where I get to connect with nature but it's just it's it's it's in a safe way and you get to meet new people as well who share the same love for nature and bushwalking and you can choose a range of walks. Some are easy, some are harder, some are more urban, some are more bush. So you can have a variety and you can do coastal walks as well so you can get a bit of everything. And it's it's tricky when you are, like you said, you're a bit of an introvert.
00:06:39
Speaker
And i I relate to that. And it's tricky if you are, you know, more solo minded or you like your own space to find ways that you can go out and have adventures or you can have, you know, nature moments without, you know, a lot of people around or you can do that. So it's really interesting you talked about, you know, the incident there. So let's Let's drill into that a little bit. But, you know, people often don't think getting lost is going to happen to them. And there sometimes comes a lot of judgment. I've heard from other people like, oh, you should have prepared better. And, you know, it was raining that afternoon. So why did you go that morning? Just things like that. that
00:07:22
Speaker
Then they didn't realize that I did plan out my walk. And, you know, no one wishes to get lost. And spend a night in the bush unprepared and worry their family and their friends. So I think that's part of the reason I'm doing this podcast is to take that judgment away. And when people get lost, you know, offer them kindness and compassion yeah rather than judge them because most people don't do this intentionally.
00:07:48
Speaker
or for offer attention but sometimes things just just happen and we have things to learn oh god i am so sorry that you experienced that judgment and i think it's it's so unhelpful and you know for shame and things like that is is it's not a helpful not a helpful thing Yeah.
00:08:11
Speaker
So take me back to the the week leading up to this bushwalk that you had up here in the mountains. So I went on Facebook and I was i joined this like Sydney bushwalking group and there was somebody posted about Devil's Hole and the views look breathtaking and they're so scenic and there's waterfalls. And I was around this at three hours. So I'm like, oh, you know, if I wake up at 6 get on the train, bus transport, whatever you want to call it, by 6.30. I'll be in the mountains by 8.30, you know, 9, 10, 11. Midday I'll finish, it have lunch and I've got time to head back into the city. um and then I looked at the gradient and it looked a little bit challenging, but I looked at people's responses and they all said, like, it's doable. You know, you've got to be – a little bit fit to do it. And I was like, well, yeah, you know, I exercise quite regularly. i am quite fit.
00:09:12
Speaker
um They said there's a little bit of scrambling on the rocks. and I'm like, yeah, i've gotten I've got hiking boots. I've got grip shoes. You know, I think I should be able to do it. um I looked at public transport, but also checked out the weather. The weather, they said, It it wasn't meant to rain until later in the afternoon, like 3 to 4 p.m. off. And I was like, oh you know, I will have plenty of time to do my walk. I expect it to be finished by midday, you know, and I'll be long gone out of the mountains before it starts happening. It starts raining, you know, I've done some other walks, like I've done the Laura Conscades, you know, the Three Sisters, Prince Henry walk. I'm like, this will be a nice little, like a little bit more challenging walk for me to do. You know, might find a nice spot to meditate. I also got like a little book to read if I have time on the trip there. And I thought, oh yes, you know, packed myself on the day, well, before the night before I packed myself like an egg, some fruit before my hike. I got extra water.
00:10:16
Speaker
packed my light rain jacket that I take everywhere. Got some long pants. long sleeve top just to make sure if I don't get bitten by things. I've got my hiking boots on, you know, caps, sunnies. made sure my phone's charged. and I'm like, I'm ready to go.
00:10:35
Speaker
yeah so you've done a lot of those sort of planning and preparation things that are so important. You know, you checked the weather, you worked out how long it was going to take and you sort of planned accordingly. So can I ask, where when you said you saw – the information on the walk, where did you go for your research to to learn more about the walk and how hard it was going to be? The other thing is I did i downloaded all trails. I've never used that app and i didn't I wasn't aware that it doesn't update in real time, which was a problem when I got lost, but it showed me the route and it showed me the gradients. I also went on the government website and it talked about the gradients as well
00:11:18
Speaker
and how difficult it is. I also spoke to my partner and I showed him of where I'm going and he was like, ah are you sure? you know it looks a little bit challenging. It's a bit overcast. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, look, I'll be right. I'm glad that he listened to me on that day. here um He didn't remember the name of the walk, but he remembered how many kilometers it was. Ah, okay. that helped with the SES cruise later to locate me and locate exactly where I was. When you said the devil's hole, so what was your plan? was it Because you can do it a few different ways, like there's a loop, yeah like a big circuit loop or there's just a down and back kind of thing. Can you remember what your plans were?
00:12:01
Speaker
It was just to go down and go to Nellie's Gorge and then up those stairs and do that whole kind of circuit. That was my plan. That Nellie's Glen, I think. Yeah, Nellie's Glen, that's it. Yeah, part of the six-foot track, actually. Yeah, so down Devil's Hole, around the loop circuit and then back up Nellie's Glen. Yeah, that's great. And that's a big, solid, yeah, but very doable as a shorter day work depending on how fast you're moving.
00:12:32
Speaker
And it sounds like in terms of the things that you packed for the day, like you said, you had snacks and and water and, you know, you were dressed appropriately, all those kind of things. Yeah.
00:12:46
Speaker
You know, you you certainly weren't going out there, you know, in thongs and and thongs and a crop top as, sometimess you know, you see people um um out in the mountains. So, yeah. So um how did your your journey up to the mountains go that day?
00:13:04
Speaker
It was uneventful. was like, you know, i was just sitting on the train, listening to podcasts and music and, you know, munching on my breakfast that I bought, like the egg and the apple. You know, it was it went really smoothly. All the trains were on time. was good, you know. so you made it up to Katoomba and then what happened after that?
00:13:24
Speaker
I walked up to Katoomba, I got a hot chocolate and then I thought, oh, maybe I'll i'll wait for the bus and to take me up to Devil's Hole. But then I realized I would have to wait 10, 15 minutes and I'm like, no, stuff it. I'll just walk. I'll make my way up. So I just Google mapped it and I walked up to Devil's Hole.
00:13:43
Speaker
And as I started walking, I remember seeing the ground was a little bit wet um and I was like, oh, should I continue or not? But I'm like, oh It's not really too bad. So I just kept on going down. i noticed the descent was quite steep. You know, there's quite a few rocks and the the path wasn't marked either. It was kind of like choose your own adventure.
00:14:09
Speaker
Can you explain for us all what The Devil's Hole? Because the name is really interesting. It's sort of one of those names that sounds like a like ah almost a fairy tale type place. What does it look like? Can you take us into
Lost and Found: The Emotional Journey
00:14:23
Speaker
there? If you imagine yourself at the top of the devil's hole itself, what does the track look like? What do you see as you're starting to look down?
00:14:33
Speaker
As you look down, you see a lot of rocks and there's a lot of vegetation. and then as you go down, it's like it's quite steep, but the air feels rarefied there. The air is so nice and clean. You can also hear the birds and you can hear some sort of water from the waterfalls down there.
00:14:53
Speaker
And you just go down and you see this it's like this beautiful panoramic view as you're going down. it's It's absolutely lovely. But um as you're going down, because the path is quite um treacherous, you kind of need to keep your wits about you and make sure you can kind of see where you're stepping.
00:15:14
Speaker
Just to make sure that you're safe, you know? Because it's not like a um it's not like normal steps or anything because it's you're actually descending down into a gully, like following almost like creek bed down a steep slope between two sort of big cliffs either side.
00:15:36
Speaker
They're like big boulders, yeah, and you're going down into a gully and it, yeah, it's it's nothing I've ever done before. It's very different. Yeah, very different. So it's it's down and because of the, um like you said, it was quite treacherous, you said, like the the terrain you're actually trying to find to put your feet on. That's it.
00:15:58
Speaker
And there's no like markers or steps or anything. You kind of have to find your own adventure, as said before, which makes it interesting but it also can be dangerous because you're going down this descent into the gully um And even once you get there, there's not really any clear indicators. Once you get further in, there are like little like markers with a little man walking, but you've got to look really hard to find them. um i think there needs to be kind of better better signage as well.
00:16:29
Speaker
What were you thinking as you were walking down? I'm like, wow, it's beautiful, but this is a lot more challenging than than i had anticipated.
00:16:41
Speaker
And then I remember opening up my all trails and I expected it to like update in real time where I was and where to go. And now I've got feedback from SES and to say that unfortunately Ultras is quite shit for walks around the mountains, part of my language, and never to use it because it's not very accurate. And also devil's hole, it doesn't have a lot of signal. so I couldn't really use Google Maps anymore.
00:17:12
Speaker
to help myself or anything like that. And I, unfortunately that day I was, i ah went on a weekday. It was either a Wednesday or a Thursday. There weren't any other people climbing.
00:17:24
Speaker
Like I didn't see anyone where I could be like, hey, I'm a bit lost. I don't know where i'm you know where I am. you help? was just me for the whole for the whole day, um which was a little bit scary once I realized that I was lost coming like 12 to 1 because what happened was i was going down and down and then I was following this route and then I realized i was lost. And I tried to go back out to to leave the trail and to retrace my steps, but I got really disorientated and I didn't know which way to go
00:18:03
Speaker
Can i ask you then at what point, because you said it's about 12, 1 o'clock, so thinking back to all the planning you did and how long you you thought the walk was going to take and how long other people had told you online that that it was going to take,
00:18:19
Speaker
What was that sense? Can you describe that initial feeling when you realised that you were lost? It was dread because was following the little, like once I got down, I was following the little markers with the man his hiking gear to go left or right or whatever. But then I remember I was walking for like 20, 30 minutes and I didn't see a sign. And then I'm like, oh shit, I think I'm going the wrong way. There's other sign. And then went and
00:18:53
Speaker
went and i um tried to retrace my steps but the bush is as you probably know and a lot of people know something there's no clear path the vegetation looks the same the rocks look the same and if you haven't done the the trail before you're just not sure which way to go and I remember getting panicked and I was go going help help but nobody was answering um and I was like oh my gosh like
00:19:25
Speaker
i You know, this is on me. Like I've got try get my way – my way back up. I try to retrace my steps. I did for a little bit, but then I realized i was lost again.
00:19:38
Speaker
and at that moment, like one closer to two, I realized i was completely lost. And I would, I know had a feeling that I'm going to spend the night in the bush. I just had a feeling. So I, I stopped trying to find my way back. I started looking for shelter because i just, I'm like, I'm completely lost. There's no way.
00:20:00
Speaker
that I'm going to make make it out. Like I just had ah this gut feeling like I'm going to spend the night here and I better find some shelter. Luckily, I had some bars. I found some sort of bars when I was walking up and I managed to text my partner saying, hey, I am completely lost. um You know, you need to help me. need to You need to, and he was really good. He messaged me back and he said,
00:20:30
Speaker
Hey, hon, I'm calling e SES. Don't worry, we'll come and get you. Just stay put. And that was a huge relief because I read that message and then my phone died. Wow.
00:20:42
Speaker
And I kept on replaying that message from him that he's calling SES and someone's going to come and get me. um And then I found some ladders and luckily the ladder said, do not climb. But Caro, at that point, I didn't care what the ladder said because the ladders were going up a cliff. And I was like, maybe there's some sort of shelter or somewhere where, cause I was getting really tired by that stage, um physically climbing and just getting lost. And emotionally, was just like, yeah, I'm
00:21:15
Speaker
what What did it look like? Like you talked about, you know, the vegetation was really thick. and So what what did you see looking around you? I saw a lot of tall reeds. I saw a lot of boulders. i just, I saw everything was like the same, you know, the big ferns look at palm tree like, you know, and all the paths kind of look the same. And i was just like, I really don't know where to go.
00:21:44
Speaker
And there's no one here. um And instead of it being a comforting place, the bush, it just felt started to feel scary and foreign. Not foreign like I didn't know, but foreign as in I have to spend the night here.
00:21:59
Speaker
and And I'm so ill-prepared because by that time I was hungry. i was tired. um it started, as the forecast said, around two or three started to rain, you know, and I was like, you know, I'm so ill-prepared spend a night in the bush and I just didn't know which way to go.
00:22:20
Speaker
and so Back to the ladders you mentioned and and also starting to look for shelter. what The fact that you you were doing that, you were able to think clearly, which is great to know that that was a priority for you to to find somewhere that offered some shelter.
00:22:37
Speaker
i i was getting tired and I was stumbling and I was scrambling on rocks. and I was getting my my feet caught on on the bush like because I was just tired and I was felt like I was just chasing my own tail and I thought to myself, if I keep on going this way, I'm just going to tire myself out and God forbid I fall over and I break something. I'm like, I need to...
00:23:02
Speaker
I need to rest. I'm like, I need to rest. And it was starting to rain as well. and I'm like, if I get wet and I'm in the bush and I'm soaked through, you know, like that's not going to be good. So I climbed those, um, those ladders and I saw there was like a bit of a cave. It was just like, it wasn't a proper cave. It was like a bit of rock ah above me and below me and I could kind of sit underneath and not get wet.
00:23:31
Speaker
It was quite tiny but it was quite cozy at least I didn't have to get wet um and I can just sit up there and be safe from the rain.
00:23:44
Speaker
Do you have a personal story about an incident or rescue during an outdoor trip when something didn't quite go to plan? Maybe you got lost, injured, let down by some gear, preparation or something else. Look, honestly, it can happen to any of us at any time, regardless of how experienced we are.
00:24:03
Speaker
And it's by sharing these stories and tales that we can all learn and help to avoid them in the future. So if that's you, i'd love to hear from you. So please drop me an email to rescued at lotsofreshair.com.
00:24:15
Speaker
That's rescued with a D.
00:24:20
Speaker
So this is sort of now sounding like sort of mid mid-afternoon. and Where do you go in your head when you're thinking, you know, you're holding on to that message that your boyfriend had had sent to you but you're thinking, i'm I'm staying here the night. What, you know, there's a long, long, many hours ahead of you.
00:24:44
Speaker
How did you prepare yourself, um I guess, mentally and emotionally, especially given what you said, like you're already, you know, you're exhausted and you're tired physically, but also just that mental exhaustion and um emotionally being tired too from the the the situation you find yourself in?
00:25:03
Speaker
Yeah, that was really tough because I did have moments of panic and moments of calm. I would go into my mind and think of my loved ones and I would worry what they're going to be like when they hear that I'm missing. And also when I got lost, it was the 9th of May, so it was my mum's birthday on the 10th.
00:25:23
Speaker
So, i yeah, I felt awful that, you know, on her birthday instead of celebrating, she's going to be out trying to look for me. um Yeah, I was scared.
00:25:35
Speaker
i didn't know when they're going to look or when they're going to find me. But then I had moment moments as well of peace where I was just, you know, just by myself. I remember when I found the shelter, I was so exhausted I fell asleep straight away because i was just, yeah, my body was like, yeah, you need to rest for a couple of hours.
00:25:54
Speaker
And then when i woke my i woke up again, it was It was getting dark. The bush was getting dark and I had nothing to eat. My tummy was rumbling and I was rationing my water and I was thinking, oh, poor Giles, my partner. Like he's probably like hoping against hope that I'll come home and I'm not going to.
00:26:16
Speaker
um and I thought of my family and my friends and yeah it just, yeah, it was just one of those moments where i was like, wow. What was the temperature like? Because May, it's starting to get cold, isn't it? It was it was very, very chilly, especially when it it just had like rained. so it was very, very cold. Luckily, I had my thermal like tights on when I went hiking. I put thermals on.
00:26:41
Speaker
I get cold easily and I had my rain jacket, which was which is good because I can use that as ah as a pillow. i was very lucky that, you know, I didn't break anything that I didn't need like a first aid kit or anything.
00:26:56
Speaker
and wish I'd packed more bars back in the day, but, you know, I did think I was going to be having lunch at one. ah just I guess it was a good time for me to take stock of my life and eat kind of figure out what is really important to me because at that point in my life I just started this new relationship with my partner and I wasn't sure until that moment whether I wanted to be with him or maybe I just wanted to be by myself you know i was kind of at a crossroads and he was feeling that I wasn't too fit in and I was like you know I love this guy I want to be with him I'm just scared
00:27:35
Speaker
to you know to be vulnerable and just give him my heart. That's what it was. And I think that moment on the mountain made me realize that. And there were like a couple of high school friends that I lost touch with and one of them I had an argument with over something petty and then I realized that I actually wanted to get back in touch with them and how much I valued those friendships so as challenging as that experience was i i feel like I needed that to make some really important decisions about
00:28:08
Speaker
the people that I wanted to have in my life and what was my life going to look like moving forward, you know? Super powerful, super powerful. It's amazing how nature has a way with us, I think, sometimes, especially being alone in the bush and, like you said, getting out of your own head but actually finding it, it gives you perspective. And especially having, you know, an experience like this is amazing.
00:28:34
Speaker
Super powerful. So do you think you slept through the night? I was in and out. It is a little bit confronting sleeping in the bush because you hear all these different sounds as well. Talk to me about that.
00:28:48
Speaker
Just the animals, you know, like I would hear some rustling and I'd be like, oh my gosh, at least it's, you know, it rains, it's not snakes. Or, you know, I'd hear a bird or I'd hear a lizard and it's just like so close to me as well.
00:29:03
Speaker
The nice bit about where I was is that I was close to a waterfall and i could hear the beautiful sound of water coming down, which was really lovely. And then I was like burst out laughing. I said to myself, well, I don't have to worry about my stuff getting stolen because there's no one here. so Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't very comfy, but, you know, I got through it.
00:29:26
Speaker
um and I remember waking up, Saturday morning I woke up. It was my mom's birthday. I remember looking up and it was pouring and it was overcast. And I'm like, I'm going to be stuck here for another day because they won't be able to get the chopper in. Look how overcast it is. And it's raining and the sound of the waterfalls. I'm like, yeah, they're not going to be able to find me. like And then I'm like, what do I do? Do I stay here another day or do I try and get back to Katoomba? But then which way is Katoomba? Like which way is out?
00:30:02
Speaker
So I was like having this kind of internal dialogue with myself, but then I kind of just decided to stay put given that it's raining and slippery.
00:30:12
Speaker
I love that conversation with yourself. And I love that you you know you made some just really well thought out decisions you know in terms of like mini risk assessments along the way.
00:30:27
Speaker
Can you talk to me more about those conversations with yourselves in in deciding, like how you decided what to do? Well, I was kind of going back and forth as well because I was thinking, well, if I stay here, maybe they won't find me. But then I'm like, well, if I go somewhere else, I don't even know where else to go or like, how are they going to, how do I know that going somewhere else was a better chance for me? And then I'm like, are they even looking for me? Cause I haven't heard anyone come down. i haven't heard anyone shouting my name. I shouted and I heard nothing back.
00:31:01
Speaker
you know And I'm like, well, climbed those ladders that said don't climb. Are they going to even look for me here? This is off the path. you know And i'm like, well, what if it's sunny tomorrow um and I'm still here? am I going try and you know make my way back? like What am I going to do? And then I got myself kind of worked up about tomorrow and I thought, you know what?
00:31:27
Speaker
We'll figure out tomorrow, tomorrow kind of a thing. There's no point. thinking about tomorrow right now because I We don't know what's happening right now. um And I wasn't even aware of like the SES are gonna come look, like I knew SES are gonna come, but in my mind, i always thought it's gonna be like one or two people. I didn't know the police are gonna get involved and there's gonna be a whole thing on Facebook. Like I had no idea of the magnitude of it all. um And I thought, oh, do they have to keep on looking for you? I mean, how does this all work? Cause I've never been in a situation like this. You know, I had so many questions. I'm like, but I kept on thinking to my family and obviously my mom, my dad, my sister, my partner. I'm like, I hope hope they're okay. I know they're probably looking for me and they're very worried about me.
00:32:17
Speaker
yeah but I was yeah having all these conversations with myself about what to do. And then I kind of came to the conclusion, I'm just going to sit here because it was rain it was like torrential rain. I'm like, but today I'm just going to sit here.
00:32:32
Speaker
Tomorrow we'll see what I do. But and then I thought if it's going to be dry, then I'll walk somewhere. I'll try. Can you remember the moment when the sun came up and it started getting lighter? Yeah.
00:32:44
Speaker
Well, because it was raining most of the time, I didn't even see the sun when I woke up. It was just raining and I remember getting light and then I'd close my eyes, go for bit of a sleep and then I wake up and it's a bit more lighter. And it was beautiful how nature started coming back to life and you hear the birds and things rustling,
00:33:05
Speaker
but Yeah, I think it was also a bit scary that I woke up and I kind of expected, half expected me to wake up in my own bed and be like, oh, this is all like, you know, a dream. And then I woke up and I'm still there and I'm like, oh no, it's not, you know. And I was feeling very hungry and i was just like, I need to get more water because my water was beginning to run out by that stage. So yeah.
00:33:30
Speaker
I actually went and I opened up my water bottle, got some rainwater in there. I'm curious, were you just sleeping on the ground or how did you actually try and get comfortable? Well, in that little cave thing, there was like a rock and there was some vegetation. So I took the vegetations and I made it into like a little pillow.
00:33:49
Speaker
and then um I was just kind of cuddled myself in. to get as comfortable as possible. And I think I took my like, book I had a like a backpack and I took my backpack out and I put it on the ground and i kind of lay on that to create some sort of insulation because I was shivering and I had to take off my shoes and my socks because they were soaked through. it It was really uncomfortable, but you get through it. You kind of adapt. So as the sun or the sky started to get lighter,
00:34:21
Speaker
What happened during the morning? What what things changed? Well, I guess just it became more alive. Like you'd see birds and insects and the air smelled really good, like in the mountains, so crisp and fresh.
00:34:37
Speaker
But I guess for me, nothing really changed as such because there's nowhere for me to go or do. There's nothing for me to eat, unfortunately. The only thing I could do was kind of just sit, I realized, and wait, which is really agonizing when you're alone in the bush.
00:34:53
Speaker
And when I saw that rain, I did get really, ah got ah got a bit sad and a little bit despondent. I'm like, well, that means no one's going to come here. Like no no people walking the trail, you know.
00:35:06
Speaker
I'm lucky if I'm going to get an some SES volunteers if they're going to find me um and there will be no chopper because the sky was gray and there were clouds and I'm like, there's no way they would get a chopper. And I was right because SES, when they rescued me, they were like, yeah, we couldn't get a chopper to lift you out because of how cloudy it was and it was raining. So that kind of just made me a little bit.
00:35:31
Speaker
And I couldn't check what time it was either because my phone had died. So it was very disorientating as well. And I didn't have any of my usual routines of, you know, getting up, having a shower, brushing my teeth, getting my coffee. It was like I wake up and had a bit of water and that was it, you know. Couldn't get changed into clean clothes. I couldn't shower. I had nothing to eat.
00:35:58
Speaker
you know When you talked about being a little dismayed, how how did you deal with that? I reminded myself to keep my spirits up, that it hasn't been 24 hours since I got that message from Giles and I kept on replaying that message in my mind of Giles contacting SES and saying that they're going to find me and that he's going to help look for me. And I'm like, I've got to just keep my spirits up because things are happening.
00:36:28
Speaker
Like I might not be aware of what exactly is happening right now, but he told me he's going to call SES, you know. it just kept on reminding me that people are looking for me.
00:36:40
Speaker
Absolutely. That's got to be such ah that in itself to know that your message got out and and it was heard and that action was going to happen.
00:36:51
Speaker
i can't imagine how much encouragement that that can bring. Yeah, that was really, I'm so thankful that he did that and that I was able to read the reply before my phone went off. Yeah. Because had I not got that reply, I think that would have really, that would have crushed my spirit. But I kept on reminding myself that people are looking for me and he's looking for me and it's goingnna it's going to work out, you know.
00:37:19
Speaker
Massive thanks for the support from the team at Paddy Pallon, who since 1930 have been leaders in travel and outdoor adventure. In fact, did you know that Paddy himself, a member of the Sydney Bushwalkers Club, was a volunteer in the original search and rescue arm of the Federation of Bushwalking Clubs in New South Wales?
00:37:37
Speaker
Nice one, Paddy.
00:37:41
Speaker
So when did something change? So as I was sitting there, I heard my name Olga. And at first I was like, no, I'm probably hallucinating. Like I've been in the bush 24 hours. i called out, heard nothing. And then I heard it again.
00:37:58
Speaker
And I'm like, oh, no way. Okay, I'm not hallucinating. So I'm like, crap, i don't want to I don't want them to get not to hear anything back. So I started going, hello, hello. And then i I'm like, I'm just going to walk towards the voice. So I left all my things there. I didn't take anything. I don't want anything to weigh me down. you know And I kept in going, hello, hello. And I started walking towards the voice. And then... maybe 300 meters, i saw the volunteers and I just ran into their arms and i just had a big cry. They got me into some dry clothes and they gave me something to eat.
00:38:41
Speaker
And then one of them one of them went back to my campsite and and got my all the rest of my stuff. And we had to make the long journey back up to Devil's Hole that ascend between the two like boulders.
00:38:56
Speaker
Because basically they couldn't get a chopper out. It was too overcast. and Luckily I could do it. I just had to have a lot of breaks. I can't imagine what that feeling must have been like to hear your name and then to see the volunteers.
00:39:15
Speaker
I was just so happy that I saw people. i was just like, oh my God. Oh my God, I can't believe it's you. can't. And they couldn't believe that I was fine. Like, yeah, I was cold and wet and hungry, but they couldn't believe that I had nothing, nothing broken.
00:39:31
Speaker
Nothing sprained because um my mom was telling me after I got rescued that the volunteer said to her there was like an 85% chance that they would find me, but I would either have some sort of some sort of break or sprain or something worse. So they couldn't believe that I was well, you know, shaken up, but well.
00:39:56
Speaker
and And tell me, how did the rescuers, the volunteers, what were they saying to you and and how did they how did they manage the situation? How did they make you feel? They were amazing. They were so kind and they kept on reassuring me and hugging me and giving me food. And like one volunteer had this beautiful mug of like ginger and lemon tea and she gave me something warm to drink, which was heaven after being cold and wet after a night in the bush, you know. And um like even going up the trail, they were like, tell us when you have when you need a break, if you're tired.
00:40:34
Speaker
They got this harness around my um hips, So they would be pulling me up. So it was a lot easier for me because I was really exhausted by that stage. They were kept on saying how lucky I was that you know, I'm safe and I'm sound and that I get to see my family and my friends. They're at the police station they're so relieved that, you know, that I'm safe. They were just really, really lovely. You know, they were like – two volunteers in front of me and one behind and they were just making sure that I'm okay, you know?
00:41:09
Speaker
did you did you find out how your family and your loved ones, how they reacted when they'd heard the good news? um My mom was just beside herself. She was just so happy. i mean, for them it was very difficult as well because my my parents slept at the police station overnight, like in their car. They were camped outside the police station.
00:41:33
Speaker
And, you know, my mom was up at like 6.30 a.m. going to the coppers, like, start your rescue mission, come on, you know. And they were like, look, calm down. we've got to get everyone ready. We've got to debrief them on the route. um So yeah, they were just really, really relieved.
00:41:51
Speaker
And what about Giles? Giles was was really relieved as well. you know he He felt really bad because he was the only person I told that I went hiking by myself because my mom used to, she still does disapproves when I go hiking and I didn't want to worry her that like I'm going by myself. So the day before I saw her and I didn't tell her going, which is silly in hindsight, but yeah I think he felt really guilty that I didn't tell my parents that I was going and then I got lost so no more from that I learned no more secrets like if I'm going
00:42:30
Speaker
I'm going to let everyone know that I'm going, but I don't i do walk so coastal walks around here by myself, but I haven't been to the mountains by myself since, and I don't think I will, to be honest. So what happened when you got back up to the top of the Devil's Hole? Oh, I got checked out by the ambulance officer. So they got me in, they checked my blood pressure, my temperature, they checked my eyes, my limbs, making sure that I was like fine. i was fine. They gave me a blanket. They gave me a cuddle. It was really nice.
00:43:04
Speaker
And then they took me to the police station where everyone was waiting. My family, my friends, my two friends from high school came. it was so, so lovely. it was just so good to see everyone and hug them. And I was just exhausted. Like they got me in, I could
Aftermath and Lessons Learned
00:43:20
Speaker
barely walk. They got me some clean clothes. They got me to the car and they took me back to my place. And I literally like slept for like, Several days. Wow. I just went out. i you know I would just get my meals and just go back to bed. was for like two or three days. Yeah. I can understand that like because it's not just that physical tired.
00:43:42
Speaker
It's that mentally tired. It's the emotionally tired. It's everything that your body and your mind, your spirit goes through in times like that. um Just needing that rest is, yeah, totally understandable. Yeah.
00:43:56
Speaker
So what's changed for you, do you think, since since this incident? I think for me, my love of nature is still there and I love it But I think the way that I approach things, it's I've become a lot wiser and more prudent as well. um i would never do a walk in the mountains that I've never done before by myself ever again. You know, like...
00:44:20
Speaker
Now I've joined the meetup where I walk in groups and yeah, I don't get that complete solitary time to myself, but I can walk in front of the group or a little bit behind the group and get that one-on-one. I tell my mom or my sister, my dad, you know, if I want to do a walk, I'm doing this walk by myself. And it's usually, it's a coastal walk, so they have no issues with it.
00:44:44
Speaker
you know I think that kind of experience really does change you and it makes you question how you approach things and not to be naive and think, oh yeah, I'm going to be right because you don't know what can happen. And just to be more prepared. I've got like a safety beacon as well if I ever decide to go to the bush with a friend or my partner, just to be extra safe and get a first aid kit and things like that because you just don't know.
00:45:13
Speaker
This is all really good stuff. And even when you started at the beginning of this conversation, you talked about all the things that you you took with you. It's not that you were unprepared, but now it sounds like you're more prepared,
00:45:28
Speaker
Yeah, because I think the walks that are marked, like the Laura Cascades and the Three Sisters, they're fine, but walks like Devil's Hole, it's a whole different beast. And also there's not a lot of people that do that walk as well. So if you get lost in a walk like that, it's got that extra layer of like of uncertainty and unpredictability of what can happen.
00:45:49
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. There's that thing with the Australian walking track grading system, five levels of difficulty. Yeah. Yeah, that's such a handy thing to to check.
00:46:03
Speaker
So what else do you think has has changed you? You said you've become more prudent and stuff in and you walk now with the meetup group. Mm-hmm. um Which is awesome. What else do you think has changed for you did you learn about yourself through this experience?
00:46:21
Speaker
I learned that I'm very resilient, you know, and I can think on my feet. in a in a situation and not I can have my moments of panic but also I can make some really good and wise decisions and that I need to trust myself more. Like, you know, I've got it.
00:46:39
Speaker
Even if I can't see the outcome at the end, it's all the baby steps. And just to trust that, you know, things will come good in the end as well.
00:46:50
Speaker
Because the rescuers actually asked my mom, what do you think your daughter will do in a moment of panic? Do you think she's going to walk around until she's exhausted? or do you think she's going to sit down in one spot and wait to be rescued?
00:47:02
Speaker
and my mom said, oh, she's probably going to walk around and get exhausted. But I'm glad that I did the opposite um because that's that was the right decision to do because had it I don't know what happened if I continued on walking and, you know, it would have gotten dark and I would have gotten completely rained on So, yeah i think it's just about also being sensible in those unpredictable moments and I'm glad I've got that quality in me where I can make good decisions.
00:47:33
Speaker
So good. So good. i cannot tell you how many times just that that number one thing that if you're lost to stay where you are is like such a good lesson and it's it certainly makes the the job of the the volunteers and the searchers and police easier.
00:47:54
Speaker
And like you saw, like it it keeps you safer you know you when you're not stumbling around in a panic trying to to move from your position you just stay stay put is just such a valuable thing so when you got back to the office what was that like I've got one of the team leaders in my team he actually does SES so a lot of people in the office he didn't do it for the Blue Mountains region so a lot of people in the office already knew Also, like people just wanted to talk about it. So a message was sent out to like everyone going, just give Olga her space, um let her kind of process.
00:48:35
Speaker
She will talk to you when she is ready to and if she's ready to which was good because, and then I had some really unusual reactions. Like people that I've worked with would like,
00:48:46
Speaker
stuck crying on the phone to me and it was just a lot to process because i had to process my own emotions about that experience and then I had to process someone else's tears and they weren't even that close to me like wow they're entitled to their own emotions I'm glad that they feel so close to me, but it was just a lot for me to process ah in that moment.
00:49:10
Speaker
So I think I just needed to kind of take a step back. And I kind of do want to keep on talking about it. I just kind of wanted to, you know, journal about it. I did speak to a psychologist about it just to process it. And then I think after a couple of weeks when people would come and approach me, I'll be happy to talk about it because I dealt with it.
00:49:31
Speaker
And I actually did the devil's hole. I did that circuit again a couple of months later with ah Maddie, who's one of the volunteers from the SES. She rescued me, Giles, my partner, and my friend Magda because I didn't, I spoke to the psychologist about it and she said, look, if you can do it in a safe manner, it would be good not to let your fears get you down.
00:49:55
Speaker
so you don't have a block around hiking in the bush or doing that trail. If you could do it in a safe space, in a safe way,
00:50:06
Speaker
I think would be a really good thing for you to do. Not right now, but like she said, a couple of months after. And i was really lucky that Maddie was so lovely and she, you know decided to generously give some of her time and do the walk. Wow.
00:50:21
Speaker
Which has been really good for me mentally. that I can do a bushwalk and I can do a challenging bushwalk. And physically it was hard, but I think the biggest thing was the getting lost after doing the walk.
00:50:36
Speaker
I'm so glad that you got to do that walk with Maddie and with some of your loved ones. What were you feeling while while you were doing that walk, while you were back in that same place?
00:50:49
Speaker
place you know, descending down through those boulders in the devil's hole. and Initially I got scared. Initially when I saw the walk, it all came rushing back and the boulders and I was like, i don't know if I can do this.
00:51:02
Speaker
And then I just took a couple of breaths and I just yeah i got on with it. And I felt really empowered at the end. You know, I'm like, I'm bigger than my mind and my fears. Like I can do hard stuff.
00:51:14
Speaker
um And I just wanted to show that to myself more than anything that, you know, this experience, it doesn't mean that I'm never, ever going to go hiking in the bush again.
00:51:25
Speaker
but I'm just going to do it in a safer way with other people. you know. So good. So we're now how long down the track? This happened in May 2024, it's it's coming up to two years. So now two years down the track, some things have changed for you. What would you say to people who were thinking of going for solo hiking or going for a walk, whether it be you know in the Blue Mountains or anywhere in the bush, what what sort of advice would you give them?
00:52:00
Speaker
I would say do your research. I would not recommend doing a walk that you haven't done before by yourself. I would recommend doing a walk where you know the terrain, you know exactly how long it takes, you know any twists and turns.
00:52:16
Speaker
I would say tell as many people as you know definitely carry an emergency beacon and a first aid kit because you just don't know what can happen.
00:52:29
Speaker
and We all have the best intentions, but sometimes it doesn't eventuate that way and we get stuck in tricky situations. so it's better to be overprepared than underprepared. Like I'm all for time in nature, solitaire. Like that's just so important.
00:52:47
Speaker
But just be prepared and have a safe word with your partner or your friend that, you know, if you're in ah you're hiking by yourself and, you know, there's not a lot of signal or whatever, you can take some that word, whatever it is, and they know that's the key word for them to call SES to get you help. You're struggling, you know?
Advice for Solo Hikers: Safety and Preparedness
00:53:07
Speaker
so now Now, here we are, 2026. What does your walking, nature-connected adventure future look like?
00:53:19
Speaker
I'm still going to be doing walking around, you know, my local area and I'll do more of the more challenging walks with the meetup group. you know, I'm still really, really active and I love being outside and outdoors, but now it's just about doing it in a safe way.
00:53:36
Speaker
i wouldn't mind, you know, eventually doing some meetups and going hiking in the bush with the group. I think that would be good just to challenge myself, but I'm not,
00:53:47
Speaker
quite up to there yet but I definitely know that like outdoors and hiking and walking will always be a part of my life because I love it so good and in in starting to wrap up now is there anything you'd like to say anything we haven't covered so far any messages that you'd like to share I just love to say a big thank you to the police, the SES volunteers, you know people who provided my parents and my friends comfort, all those strangers who really helped, those people posting stuff on Facebook about trying to find me. like I really, really, really appreciate it
00:54:26
Speaker
All my beautiful friends and family who offered to support when I was rescued. Everyone, thank you so much. I love you all and I'm so grateful that My story had a happy ending and i've I've learned a lot from it and hopefully help other people.
00:54:42
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. You know, so you you had so many gold nuggets, so many gems of great wisdom, you know, so much that we can all learn stuff from, you know. We never expect bad things to happen. We never expect anything to happen to us when we head out. So um thank you so much for your generosity, your story. Again, you know, I'm sorry that you experienced some of those, that judgment and, you know, people's very strong opinions. um so We can just tell them where to go. And, yeah, I loved your advice around that as if you know someone who's been through a ah situation just to to show kindness. It's such a much more powerful emotion than judgment and shame. So, Olga, thank you so much.
00:55:31
Speaker
Thank you. And I hope to see you in the bush someday off in the Blue Mountains with a group. and and I'll sit out on a rock with a lemon and ginger tea with you. Thank you so much. You too. Take care.
00:55:48
Speaker
If you've enjoyed this powerful story or one of the many others from my super generous guests, you can help more people connect and hear these valuable lessons simply by leaving a five-star review. And why not even click that little bitty share button on your podcast app and help your outdoorsy mates find it too.
00:56:08
Speaker
The Rescued podcast is produced on the unceded lands of the Gondungara people of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. I pay my respects to the elders past and present and acknowledge their enduring connection to and care for country.
00:56:23
Speaker
Special thanks to our sponsors, Paddy Pallon. This has been Lots of Fresh Air production.