Not your usual "OMG car break-ins I am never parking at a trailhead again" story:

http://www.cknw.com/2015/07/24/hikers-promise-to-pay-it-forward-after-good-samaritan-puts-gas-in-their-empty-car/

Ouch, that would suck forgetting to gas up before heading up a mountain..

Good it worked out for them, thanks to a good samaritan, and nice they were appreciative.

"Fischer says from now on SHE will bring a jerry can up to the mountain to help out anyone in the same situation."

How about bringing a brain up to the mountain so you don't end up in the same situation?

Oh Arnold. Sometimes I think you just need a hug.

30 buck just to get down? my FS truck runs about 40$ return from mission
still some good people out there

Oh Arnold, you so silly.

This is one time that I actually agree with Arnold...
Who, in their right mind, decides they are going to drive up to Cheam without checking their fuel before leaving the driveway?

If you can make such a BASIC oversight...

Great story, wonderful generosity.

K

Then what?

Lynn Hill failed to tie in to the rope once and went climbing.
The best of people can have a stupid moment where they forget to do something obvious, and can wind up in trouble because of it.
This sort of thing is a good reminder for everyone to make sure to check those important things, but if you think you're completely incapable of ever overlooking something basic, you must be something quite abnormally special.

Whether I am special is a topic for another day...but I know enough to check the fuel on my vehicle, even if I'm just going to the grocery store....let alone if I plan to drive up a mountain road with no services.
If I had such "a stupid moment", I sure as hell wouldn't be bragging about it to the NATIONAL media.

Most of us know enough to do all sorts of such little things. Until that one day that something distracts us and we miss doing something we know well enough to do and always do.

They're not bragging about their mistake. They're talking about how awesome the nice person who helped them out when they were screwed by their stupid mistake is.

It's worth pointing out that many fuel gauges will read lower than reality when you drive uphill and higher than reality when you drive downhill. If you haven't spent a bunch of time observing how much of an impact that has on your vehicle, it can really throw you off.