Death in the outdoors is always a tragedy. This case is no exception.
Andrew Lucas was a 17-year-old boy from the United Kingdom. Over the summer of 2009, he went camping, with seven other youths and a few adults, in Spain. During the camping trip, the group ventured into the Picos de Europa mountain range. Within the mountains, Andrew isolated himself from the group to get a picture of the sunset. The sunset view from the mountains is a popular tourist attraction. Andrew lost his footing, and fell 1000 metres down a steep gorge. His friends heard him fall, and are traumatized. They walked four hours to the nearest village to get help, and when rescue arrived at the scene of the fall, Andrew was pronounced dead.
While Andrew Lucas’ death was a tragedy, it is very clear that some minor mistakes were made by the group that very well could have meant Andrew would be alive today. First of all, he should have told someone that he was separating from the group. He could have had someone come with him, and he would have had support. Instead, he tripped and was all alone. Also, the group had no means of communication. If someone had been injured, the nearest help was four hours away. Finally, the group did not seem to have a great knowledge of the area, as Andrew and the others seem oblivious to the huge, kilometre deep gorge in the middle of their hike. I would never leave for a trip without thoroughly researching the area and ensuring that I have a means of communication in case of a crisis.
What happened to Andrew Lucas was tragic, and I hope that future campers will be safer and prepared in the future.
• "Boy falls 1km to death while camping." Australian and World News. N.p., 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2011.
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