WCNC's Tony Burbeck tries to survive in the woods

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- A day of hiking on Crowder’s Mountain. You forget how early it gets dark and you get lost. Rescue workers say they see that scenario all the time. Could you survive?

That was the challenge for WCNC reporter Tony Burbeck. Park Rangers and Gaston County’s Search and Rescue Team watched the test from afar. He was by himself, with only a daypack and a video camera to document the experience. It was as close to the real thing as we could possibly get.

Tony hiked for four miles up and down Crowder’s. This was to simulate the fatigue a hiker would feel at the end of the day, when he or she is more likely to get lost. He made it to his “lost” site with only 20 minutes of daylight.

Darren Ledford with Gaston County’s Emergency Medical Services was just one of the crew members who helped WCNC orchestrate the shoot.

“We wanted to make it as realistic as a hike would be out on the mountain. We wanted him to build up and use his energy up and to sweat a little bit, just like a real hiker would do,” he said.

And just like a real hiker, he ran out of daylight.

“It was just like what would happen in real life,” said Ledford. “He was afraid to leave his base camp because he was afraid he couldn’t get back to it.”

Click on the video player above to watch as Tony tries to survive in the woods. We’ll show you the three things you need to have with you anytime you go on a hike, and why it was a good thing we had a medical crew on hand.

And check out some behind-the-scenes video and clips of Tony’s experience on the mountain:

	Producer Vlog Producer Rachel Clapp talks about a surprising change of plans during the shoot. >> Watch the clip
	'The silence is deafening' Tony Burbeck talks about the silence in the middle of the woods in the dead of night. >> Watch the clip
	Out of battery Tony's cell phone runs low on battery, and the cold starts to take its toll. >> Watch the clip
	Survival instincts Tony talks about how scary it can be to be lost, and how survival instincts kick in. >> Watch the clip