[at-l] Trail Etiquette

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> > And more people who should have
> > stayed home and camped on the couch are out hiking
>
> Just out of curiosity, what exactly defines one of these people?
> *G*  Anna

I see the grin, but it's a true and serious statement.  A few newbies die
every year, and mostly from being ignorant or ill-prepared to face the
conditions they meet.  CNN reports that a rescue chopper just crashed on Mt.
Hood while trying to rescue some folks.  When I was out west several people
a year would die from exposure - both in heat and cold.

There is another kind of person who should stay home: Those people who
cannot withstand the mental shock of suddenly being in the woods.  My friend
Richard is like this; he just can't take it.  Such people should slowly
re-acclimate themselves to the outdoors by visiting parks and working their
way slowly back into their natural habitat.

Think about it:  If you take an animal out of a zoo where it has been
coddled and cared for, and return it to the wild with no preparation, it
will probably not survive for long.  Man is just another animal - and one
who has often lost his instincts in the bright city lights.

Shane