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RE: [at-l] "Idiots" was perhaps too kind a word. . . .
----Original Message Follows----
From: Ronald Moak <ronm@fallingwater.com>
<sniP>
If you think your attitudes and solutions are going to save more lives,
educate more people and make the backcountry a friendlier and safer place,
then by all means go for it. Frankly I don't see how. But hey I've been
wrong before.
Ron "Fallingwater" Moak
------------------------------
Is the issue really "saving More lives" or is the issue that some counties
or cities may be bankrupted by providing the services for a rescue or a
series or rescues???
Just because persons are not competent today when it comes to their "hiking"
practices, does that mean we should tolerate that behavior, i.e., behavior
that puts their life in jeopardy??
I suggest that we are always trying to educate persons when it comes to the
dangerous possibilities that exist in the Whites....
I feel made a point in your original response to Jack's post, that point is
that the advertising that draws people to the Whites may be giving an
unrealistic view of experiences to expect there. Well. I would say that the
individual is always responsible for his/her safety, whether it be in the
Whites, downtown NYC or in Kingston, Jamaica....
You will notice that i include in my signature, the url for the live cam on
Mt Washington, the reason i do this is because i have feelings of respect as
well as memories of being on Washington in '96 during a thru-hike & also I
would like others to look at the weather on Washington..... I had heard from
a SOBO that there was a day in July where there were sustained winds of
100mph & gusts of 150mph... This scared me, & I found this hard to believe
but since I was hiking mostly by myself, I tried to make sure that I watched
the weather & was very conscoius of my surroundings...i reached Lake of the
Crowds hut about 2pm on a beautiful late August day, I could have gone on
like some thru-hikers do & end up camping somewhere between Washington &
Madison Hut but I stayed because I wanted to be safe. the next day
Washington was socked in in fog & i trouble (couldn't see the blazes or
cairns very well) making it to Madison just before dark. If it had been a
bad thunderstorm that day, the difficulty between washington & madison Hut
would have been heightened & I may have had to go down off the the ridge to
stay for the nite, my point is that I had rain gear, maps (had looked at
them ahead of time), & a tent (probably useless on the ridge) & I felt
prepared. I could have tripped & fallen, broken my leg & then I would have
had to be legitimately rescued...
Finally, u mention that Jack's list describes most thru-hikers.. I am
confused, thru-hikers take chances but usually they have the necessary
equipment to make it thru a nite or day/nite of bad weather...remember, all
of my comments are about hiking in the Whites in the months of June, July,
August & early Septemeber.. (of course I realize that freak snwostorms
happen even then)....IMHO, the winter months are not the time for hikers
with little or no experience to be in the Whites unless they have proper
supervision..
NOTE: i DO agree that Jack's use of the word IDIOT, may not be PC, but it
sure describes the actions of the 2 NJ men that were caught in the 100+ mph
winds & whiteout conditions....(correction, they weren't caught, they walked
into them, not willing to listen to other hikers or to use common sense)
Ron, do u feel the cell phone is the reason some of these hikers are going
into these types of situations?????
-FP
http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/index.html - Live View from the Summit of
Mt Washington
http://www.americasroof.com/ - U.S. Highpoints Guide
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