[at-l] Best vs. Safe [was: Re: (no subject)]

[Carla & Dave Hicks]

At the risk of offending someone I beg to differ.

I'm on board with sad, angry,  pissed-off, etc.

However, to react to this tragedy with the decision "to hike with at least one 
other person" bothers me.  Deeply.

I have two different responses to that reaction, if the decision is driven by 
fear, or by the quest for "safety".

But first, don't get me wrong.  If you like to hike with someone, if that's 
you thing, GREAT!!  Do it.  Enjoy yourself.  Knock yourself out.  HYOH (Hike 
Your Own Hike).

But please don't do it out of FEAR.  If you enjoy solo hiking, don't give it 
up out of fear.

Now back to my two different responses to the fear reaction:

1) Giving up solo hiking (if that's what you enjoy) out of fear, differs only 
in degree but not in substance to becoming a recluse, holed up in an armed 
stronghold out of fear to go out into the world.  The fear to go out on the 
streets of Kenya or Iraqi would be one thing.  Ditto, hiking w/o heavily armed 
and well trusted escorts in many places in the world.  However, that same 
level of fear and the same response to fear is doesn't work here, IMHO.

2) If we let fear of actual degree of danger stop us, we would far sooner hike 
solo than to drive to the trail, or to work/school, or shopping, or Church, 
etc.  We would hike the AT solo far sooner than enter our own bathroom.  We 
live with far more dangerous situations every day because we have become 
accustom to the activity and acclimatize to the danger to which it exposes us. 
It is normal, it is routine, it is expected, etc.  That commonality, that 
normality, of traffic deaths and falls in the bathroom is why they don't make 
nationwide news.  Ditto, those who stay"safely at home" only to die in a house 
fire.

Sad, angry,  pissed-off, etc -- you got it.

Afraid to solo hike the AT and related trails -- no way.  Yep, no place is 
100% safe.  But the AT and most other trails are some of the safest places we 
can be.

As always YMMV and of course HYOH.

Chainsaw



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "KGJ" <jplynch at crosslink.net>
To: "Jim Bullard" <jim.bullard at gmail.com>; "David Addleton" 
<dfaddleton at gmail.com>
Cc: "AT-list" <at-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 12:51 PM
Subject: Re: [at-l] (no subject)

>>
Its very tragic.  The bottom line is that no place is 100% safe.  Even as safe 
as the AT and other trails are, its best to hike with at least one other 
person.


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