Martin Lake, 50, sparked a major land and air search after spending a further four nights in the same area of the Australian wilderness a week later.

Mr Lake was just north of Alice Springs when he phoned for help on his mobile.

A police spokesman said it was believed he had lost something during his first trip and had returned to look for it.

Supt Richard Bryson, of the Northern Territory Police told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that officers had been unable to get down to the "nitty gritty" of the circumstances surrounding Mr Lake's latest trip because of the state of his health when he was found.

"In a general sense it's been proposed that he'd lost something on the first occasion and he'd taken it upon himself to go back to the area in an effort to locate it," he said.

When Mr Lake was found the first time he had spent three days dressed in a black T-shirt, shorts and flimsy footwear, with neither a hat nor sun cream and with just a small amount of water to drink.

He was dehydrated and sunburnt and had told Australian reporters that he "felt a bit daft".

Mr Lake, who was rescued on Wednesday morning, is being treated at Alice Springs Hospital suffering from dehydration and is in a stable condition.

Although he didn't remove himself from the gene pool, he certainly deserves an honourable mention.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/5341298.stm

Submitted on 09/13/2006

Submitted by: Chris Allen
Reference: BBC News, 13th September 2006

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
Thanks, Chris. This falls just short of what might be a good story (we do have one like it in our archives). Unfortunately, there's no indication he undertook his second trip in the same manner as the first, ie he may have been better prepared. He DID also seek help, which indicates he knew when he was licked...

Fitzroy said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
Yeah, I'm -so- on the fence about this one. In the end though, he had a working phone with him, which really cuts down on the stupidity factor from my perspective. Still, the submission is appreciated.

Jorge said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention

Sheryl said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
Thanks for the story, Chris. Like James, I recall the one in the archives. What makes this one slightly different is that you have an Englishman out of his own environment. People (especially those from overseas) tend to underestimate just how dangerous Australia can be. This story will end up in the Rejects but I'd like to see a better write up and some humour injected into it. Feel free to re-submit a new version.

Graham said:
Neutral: Personal Account
Having a cell phone eliminated total stupidity for this guy, but only just. Cell service in the Aussie outback? I wouldn't rely on that for one second. Still, as Sheryl states, 'forreners' do the weirdest things when they underestimate the terrain they visit, i.e. deserts, swamps, jungles, etc.

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