[at-l] Trail Maintenance: Blazing

[rafeb@adelphia.net (Raphael Bustin)]

At 08:28 AM 3/8/02 -0500, Sly wrote:


>OK, let's try that again, how many AT hikers are on that list?
>
>Sly
>
>
>>You've seen the plaque at Pinkham Notch?
>>
>>The list of the deceased?  It grows every year.
>>
>>Granted some (many?) of those who died weren't
>>terribly smart or well-prepared.  And not all who die
>>are hikers, some are clowns who lose it while trying
>>to ski down Tuckermans' Ravine or in that general
>>area.
>>
>>There are lots of places on the AT where getting
>>seriously lost could be fatal.  I agree, one should
>>have map and compass and know how to use them.
>


Thru hikers?  Probably none.

Folks who were headed for the AT, or had
just departed it?  Probably a few.  Given that
the AT holds all of the high ground in the
Whites, it's the most common destination
for day hikers and weekenders.

Being a thoroughly experienced hiker, it
seems to me you minimize the risks and
the skill level needed for backcountry hiking.

I'm not saying it's rocket science, but I am
saying that reasonably smart people have
gotten lost -- some for minutes, some for
hours...


rafe b.
aka terrapin