Total Isolation: The Cabin in the Woods…

Summary

Real Survival Stories — "Total Isolation: The Cabin in the Woods…"

Podcast: Real Survival Stories
Host: John Hopkins
Episode Date: January 8, 2026

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Overview

This gripping episode of Real Survival Stories follows David Scott and his friend Scott Power, two young men in 1991 who set out to realize a dream: a year off-grid in a remote Canadian wilderness cabin. The dream quickly turns into a harrowing nightmare as they fail to locate the cabin after being dropped in the wilds of Manitoba. Over the course of six days battling subarctic temperatures, exhaustion, and frostbite, they inch closer to death before finally finding shelter. Their ordeal becomes a profound lesson in humility, resilience, and the unforgiving realities of nature.

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Episode Structure & Key Discussion Points

1. Setting the Scene: Manitoba Wilderness

• [02:20] Host John Hopkins describes the “thick carpet of snow” and haunting beauty of northern Manitoba, Canada, in late January 1991.
• David Scott and Scott Power, aged 19 and 20, huddle together in a makeshift shelter, desperately trying to survive the merciless cold as fear sets in about whether they’ll live to see sunrise.

"Laying there, just thinking about our situation, there were definitely moments of fear...Am I going to see the sun come up?"
— David Scott [04:10]

2. The Dream of Wilderness Adventure

• The young men’s motivation: a deep-seated yearning for adventure, solitude, and the chance to live off the land for a year.
• David’s childhood fascination with Indigenous survival and connection to nature after finding an arrowhead in Indiana.
• Meeting Scott Power at a camping store and the eventual arrangement with “Doc” Forgy to use his isolated cabin.

"I have to go to this place, I have to."
— David Scott, recalling meeting Doc [11:24]

• Not everyone supports their unconventional dream; family and friends express concern.

3. Arrival and Catastrophe: Cabin Nowhere to be Found

• [14:24] The flight into the wilderness is breathtaking and daunting. On landing, the urgency sets in as the pilots, wary of freezing engines, swiftly depart.
• The first sense of complete isolation:

"The first thing I noticed when we could no longer hear the engine was this incredible silence...and cold unlike anything I'd ever felt."
— David Scott [17:33]

• Navigation proves brutal: dense woods, flat land, and powdery snow defeat their snowshoes.
• The planned three-hour trek to the cabin extends to 10 hours, with no sign of shelter.

4. The First Night: Improvised Shelter and Survival Instincts

• Forced to bivouac in a makeshift pine bough shelter as night falls at -30°C.
• Both suffer: hunger, thirst (their water has frozen solid), and profound cold.
• Emotional vulnerability emerges in raw moments of fear, regret, and reflection on family.

"This little shelter that we've made, this could very well be a grave marker."
— David Scott [27:35]

• David realizes their dire state—no hope of communication or rescue.

5. Cycle of Failed Attempts and Escalating Danger

• Day 2: They return to the original landing site for the tent—only to nearly burn the tent down with a makeshift (aluminum foil) stove pipe, losing their chance at warmth or a hot meal.
• The next night, exposed and hungry, they endure another snowstorm.
• Day 3: Back to the river to resume searching, but extreme cold has damaged tent poles and sapped their strength. Even simple tasks become torturous.

"We decide to fire [the stove] up in the tent...We didn't care. So long as we die warm, we'll be okay with that."
— David Scott [34:57]

• Finally, some relief as they manage a hot meal and water in their dome tent, restoring hope.

6. Medical Emergency: Frostbite Strikes

• [36:36] Disaster: Scott’s entire foot has turned black with frostbite, the legacy of the first night when sweat-soaked boots froze solid.
• Their survival knowledge kicks in—antibiotics and dry socks, but limited means to treat or rewarm the foot safely.

"He left his mukluks on...so when he went to bed, it was essentially like going to bed with two blocks of ice on your feet."
— David Scott [39:14]

7. A Solo Search and The Breakthrough

• With Scott immobilized, David becomes the sole searcher.
• Inspired, he climbs a tall tree against the odds for a vantage point—spotting a small lake that helps reorient them on the map.
• Stunning realization: They had been searching in the wrong direction, thinking they were downriver from the cabin when actually they were upriver.

"If you spend a lot of time in the outdoors, immediately your eye goes, 'Well, that's not natural.'"
— David Scott, describing the moment he spots the cabin’s snow-covered roof [46:01]

8. Finding the Cabin: Relief and Reflection

• After six punishing days, David locates the near-buried log cabin and races to share the news.
• Joy—and a dash of disbelief—permeate the moment.

"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."
— David Scott [47:13]

9. Aftermath: Healing, Lessons, and Changed Perspective

• Doc Forgy, astounded by their ordeal, insists Scott return for a skin graft, ending their first try at the cabin.
• Post-recovery, they return to complete their year, exploring, building, and reflecting.
• On returning home, David experiences unexpected depression and a shift in his relationship with nature, discovering solace in new interests—but carries the wilderness lesson for life.

"The smallest mistake can kill you. ... Sometimes you just have to move where the river takes you."
— David Scott [51:17, 52:31]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We have no choice but to survive. We have no choice but to work through this one way or another."
  — David Scott [06:14]

• "Once that plane drops you off, you're committed, you're not hiking out. We have no communication. So it's a pretty powerful moment."
  — David Scott [18:09]

• "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 when I had this dream."
  — David Scott [25:51]

• "So long as we die warm, we'll be okay with that."
  — David Scott [34:57]

• "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."
  — David Scott [45:33]

• "The lesson there, at least for me, was your path may take some weird bends and turns and sometimes you just gotta roll with it."
  — David Scott [52:31]

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Important Timestamps

• [02:20] — Introduction to the Manitoba wilderness, the isolation, and the makeshift shelter
• [06:14] — Acceptance of their dire predicament and resolve to survive
• [14:44] — Realization of the remoteness, psychological impact
• [17:33] — The profound silence and commitment as the plane departs
• [19:01] — Struggles with dense, featureless forest navigation
• [25:51] — Reluctant vulnerability; survival takes precedence over comfort
• [32:23] — Tent fire and second miserable night
• [36:36] — Discovery of Scott’s frostbite
• [43:36] — Critical insight from climbing the tree, breakthrough on the map
• [46:01] — Discovery of the snow-buried cabin
• [47:13] — Elation and reunion with Scott, symbolic realization of the dream
• [51:17] — Final reflections and lifelong lessons from the experience

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Takeaways

• Preparation and humility are essential—nature is both beautiful and savage, and small mistakes can have enormous consequences.
• Teamwork and quick adaptation make a difference in survival; the emotional bond between the two men is as vital as their technical skills.
• Surviving a wilderness ordeal can transform one’s outlook on life, ambitions, and self-identity in unpredictable ways.

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This episode stands as a testament to the unpredictable dangers and deep, lasting impacts of true isolation in the wild. Through David and Scott’s ordeal, listeners are reminded of the fine line between “adventure” and “disaster”—and of the resilience and resourcefulness that survival demands.

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Transcript

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's nighttime in late January 1991. 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. The vast empty landscape is pristine without a single sign of human habitation the only source of light comes from a full moon suspended like a crystal ball in the black expanse of a sky pin pricked by thousands of glittering stars. The moon's pale ghostly glow glints off a frozen river which snakes across the land like a silver ribbon. 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. Nothing stirs but on the snow covered ground nestled among the stunted trees is a small makeshift shelter constructed from branches. Within this shelter are two shivering men, 19 year old David Scott and 20 year old Scott Power. They huddled 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 leaching the life from them. 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. But despite their weariness, sleep is virtually impossible.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John 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.

[David Scott]

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, this could very well be a grave marker.

[Narrator (John 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. In this episode we meet David Scott in 1991. The idealistic 19 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 12 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. 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.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival Stories. It's the morning of Tuesday, January 29, 1991, in Thompson, Manitoba. 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. At one of the simple dining tables in their accommodation, two young men pick nervously at their breakfasts, 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. 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.

[David Scott]

We awakened 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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

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 following the hydraulics of the ski just because it was so bitter cold.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

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

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John 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. 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 Forge, a renowned adventurer and authority on wilderness medicine. There were stories that Dr. Forgy had built his own cabin in the wilds of Canada. David's imagination. Word.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Scott was equally intrigued by the cabin in the woods. 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 Forgy would Visit them to check all was well and bring more supplies. Aside from that, they would be entirely alone. The expedition became David and Scott's focus for months and months. They spent their time planning, learning all they could from Doc and stockpiling gear and supplies. But not everybody understood their vision.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

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.

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[Narrator (John 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. It's now that the realization of how truly isolated Doc's cabin is begins to sink in.

[David Scott]

Throughout that entire flight, I'm looking out and there is nothing there. There's 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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

They soar over impossibly Vast swathes of snowy forest and ice covered glistening lakes that polka dot the landscape. 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. 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. Known as Landing Lake, it provides an ideal Runway and it should only take about three hours to hike from here to the cabin. In theory at least. Pap skillfully lands the plane on the frozen surface and cuts the engine.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John 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. Then they watch as Hap climbs back into the plane.

[David Scott]

The pilot, before he left, did an interesting thing. He was sitting in his 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 they think there was some concern there.

[Narrator (John 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 taxes back along the frozen Runway and takes off into the frigid air. Is the last person they will see for months. The two friends watch the plane recede into the vast empty stretch of northern sky. When it disappears from sight, they listen until the hum of its engine fades into nothingness.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John 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. 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.

[David Scott]

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, they sink with every.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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.

[David Scott]

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 treeline and now we're on the bank of this river.

[Narrator (John 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 and the sub arctic 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 treeline 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 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.

[David Scott]

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

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[David Scott]

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[David Scott]

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's the evening of January 29, 1991, in the Untamed backcountry of northern Manitoba. The sun set hours ago, plunging the world into freezing darkness. The night is quiet. It seems all living creatures have retreated somewhere safe and warm, seeking shelter from the savage cold. But on the banks of a frozen river bordered by dense forest, two dark smudges move across the snow covered ground. Less than 24 hours into David and Scott's trip, it's all falling apart. There is no sign of the cabin they're supposed to call home for the next year. It's as if it has vanished. 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 subarctic conditions, things are looking bleak.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John 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.

[David Scott]

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 when I had this dream. But in those temperatures, whatever you can do to find warmth wide, that's what you've got to do.

[Narrator (John 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. It's 30 below freezing before they know it. 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.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

As well as the cold. David's feet are in excruciating pain. After hours of plowing through the snow in his mukluks, a kind of soft boot designed to be worn in cold weather, David asks Scott if his feet are hurting too. Scott says no. In agony, David removes his mukluks and begins rubbing his feet to help the circulation. Unsurprisingly, sleep is elusive and the long empty hours of darkness stretch out between the two friends.

[David Scott]

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 mourning might not come, and realizing like, yeah, this little shelter that we've made, this could very well be a grave marker. 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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Eventually, after a seemingly endless night, the sun starts to creep up over the tops of the trees. 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. This time they split up, searching in different directions. 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. 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. Following the trail they broke the previous day makes the journey easier. Within a few hours, they're back at the lake. They dig through their equipment to find a canvas expedition tent belonging to Doc and start setting it up. Originally, they planned to use it for occasional trips into the wilderness. After reaching the cabin. Now it might well save their lives.

[David Scott]

This tent comes complete with a small kerosene stove and a stove pipe that goes out the top of the tent. However, one of the stove pipe 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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

With their makeshift piece of pipe rigged up, David and Scott fill the stove tank with kerosene and light it. Finally, they experienced the first hint of warmth since setting off the day before. They fill a pan with snow and set it on the stove to melt. 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. Then, just as they're settling in, another issue suddenly ar.

[David Scott]

Right about the time that snow was turning to slush, the only liquid form of water for 120 miles, I heard Scott yell fire. And looking up, you could see that the top of the tent where our little rigged stovepipe was was in flames.

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

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

When the sun rises on the third day, David and Scott crawl out of their snow covered, half clapsed 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. 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. After an age, their tent is at last ready.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

We decide to fire it up in the tent, which is, you know, typically you wouldn't do, but we didn't care. I mean, so long as we die warm, we'll be okay 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.

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

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John 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. When morning arrives, the friends feel a new determination, a new sense of optimism. David and Scott have coffee and begin to prepare themselves for a day of searching. But then a fresh disaster strikes.

[David Scott]

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.

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

It was very bad, and for Someone unfamiliar with seeing something like frostbite. It was, you know, visually kind of intimidating. Clearly, that first night in that shelter, when I asked him, hey, are your feet hurting you? He and he said no, he, 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 not freeze it any further or he's going to do some serious damage to this.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Before embarking on this trip, both men received medical training from Doc Forgy. 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 auto amputation. They can't take the risk.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John 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. And so for the fourth day running, David hikes the route between the river and Landing Lake. It's become a familiar trudge. 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. He takes the opportunity to grab some other provisions as well. Then he treks back to the river where Scott's is patiently waiting.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

David gives Scott the antibiotics and they eat dinner before bedding down for the night. 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. 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. Believing they are somewhere downriver from the cabin, he decides to head upstream. He tramps across the snow, a mere speck against the brilliant white expanse. David's reasons for coming here were simple. The trip has proven to be anything but. With every day, every hour, every step that passes, things become more desperate. What might finish them first? The cold? Frostbite? Hunger or exhaustion? And just as it seems another day is about to disappear without success, something catches David's eye.

[David Scott]

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 30ft, 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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

If he falls, the consequences will be catastrophic. But with still no sign of the cabin, a bold approach is needed. David takes up his snowshoes and begins to climb, the chunky branches providing slippery foot and handholds encumbered by his bulky winter clothing. It's not easy going.

[David Scott]

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 can find this lake on the map, then clearly we'll be able to find where we are in relation to the cabin.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

David climbs back down the tree and returns to the tent. As the sun slips below the horizon, he tells Scott about his theory and the two of them eagerly open their crumpled map.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

All this time, the two men had assumed they were down river from the cabin. But if David's hypothesis is right, then they've been searching in the wrong direction. 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. But if all goes well, that shouldn't be a problem for much longer.

[David Scott]

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.

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

[David Scott]

And after getting about a mile downstream, maybe about 40 yards into the tree line and about 15ft 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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

David heads towards this strange sight. 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.

[David Scott]

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

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Finally, after six days of surviving in the wilderness, David has found the cabin. He flounders through the deep snow to the building, opens the door, and cautiously steps inside. Given how their luck has gone so far, it doesn't seem out of the question that he might stumble on a hibernating bear.

[David Scott]

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

[Narrator (John 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. 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. 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. They spend three memorable months at the cabin before Doc Forgy comes to visit them and restock their supplies. When he hears their story, he's amazed they survived the ordeal.

[David Scott]

Deal.

[Narrator (John 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. 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. 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 docks, which they call Paradise Creek Cabin, and give to the doctor as a Christmas present in December 1991. Strangely, once the experience is over, David finds that his feelings towards the wilderness have changed.

[David Scott]

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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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

[David Scott]

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. 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 just gotta 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.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Next time we meet Sandra Younger in 2003, she and her husband Bob have just bought a home in the mountainous backcountry outside San Diego, a beautiful, rugged region of rolling hills and canyons. Together with their pets, they are living a life of quiet contentment until the early hours of the morning, 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 noiserplus.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

I'm Julie Andrews and it is my.

[David Scott]

Great pleasure to bring you Jane Austen.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

Stories, the new show from the Noiser Podcast Network. I'll be reading Pride and Prejudice.

[David Scott]

We'll walk grand estates and take tea.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

With well dressed gentlewomen. But in this tranquil corner of England.

[David Scott]

Not everything is quite as it appears. Listen to Jane Austen Stories wherever you get your podcasts.

[Advertiser / Commercial Voice]

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