[at-l] Surivival was Trail Etiquette

[AHuthmaker@aol.com (AHuthmaker@aol.com)]

In a message dated 5/30/02 5:55:41 PM, shane@theplacewithnoname.com writes:

<< 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. >>

You know, in all seriousness, this is actually a great concern of mine.  I 
have armed myself with reams of book knowlege on hiking safely, but my 
greatest fear is that I will be one of those people that park rangers talk 
about over beer and roll their eyes at!  I don't think you can know how you 
will react to a back country emergency until it happens, and I sometimes 
wonder if all my reading is going to be enough!
    Also, in concern to your statement about people that can not handle being 
in the woods alone, I have read that a lot of people that get lost in the 
woods actually die or are seriously injured due to shock or panic.  Any SAR 
folks out there?  Is that true?
All in all, I think it is definitely a topic worth digging into!  
    And I would love to know what kind of advice all of you seriously 
seasoned hikers would give someone new to the sport in terms of personal 
safety and preparedness.  After reading all the books and learning to read 
the maps, isn't there a point where you just have to go out and do it?  And 
isn't there a really big difference between book knowlege and the knowlege 
that only comes after doing it for years?  What is a person to do between?  
All of my practical knowlege gained by hiking has been gained alone since I 
rarely have hiking partners.  I would be willing to bet that there are some 
pretty big holes in my knowlege!!!  Anna