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[at-l] I've always relied on the kindness of strangers...
I've been reading _Into Thin Air_ about the catastrophe on Everest in 1996
when several cimbers died in a sudden storm and thinking about the ways
that different groups of climbers did or didn't try to help the ones in
trouble (*very* good book, BTW. The IMAX film they were shooting at the
time is in town and I'm going to go check it out).
In any case, I was thinking about the argument that has been made on At-L
before, as relates to people's hiking/gear perferences. The defense, say
for example, by Felix, who wants to thru-hike without rain gear, or on his
hands, or in an evening gown, etc. is that why should I care if he wants
to "hike his own hike."
The response to that argument is that when felix is injured or finds
himself in trouble, etc. that it is going to impose on my hike, because
I'll have to help him to a road or something.
I was thikning that with all the trail traffic nowadays, that barring
something like a blizzard in a remote place where Felix and I are the only
two around (which does happen of course), aren't there enough people on
the trail nowadays around so that any individual person probably wouldn't
have to help that much if they didn't want to (ie, there will be someone
else coming along soon enough). Of course this response doesn't
completely negate the argument, but does it take any steam out of it? (Of
course, if Felix broke his arm most people would probably feel an
obligation to help, but with all the traffic, doesn't that spread out the
responsibility over a lot more people and reduce the burden on any
individual).
just idle thoughts,
jeff
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Jeffrey Mosenkis MAPSS Student University of Chicago
j-mosenkis@uchicago.edu
"The Blues isn't about feeling better, it's about making other people feel
worse" - 'Bleeding Gums' Murphy
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