[pct-l] the fuss about prepardness

[Jeff]

It is experience that protects, not gear.  Going "ultralight" does not 
put one at risk.  Going ultralight without knowing how to read a 
situation (which includes the gear one is carrying) and how to make a 
rational choice based on that assessment puts one at risk. 

I hiked in mid- and late-June 2005 from Manning to White Pass as part of 
a longer section hike.  The first five days were pretty much in blowing 
snow and sleet.  I wore shorts and was totally comfortable.  Going 
through the Goat Rocks I went through rain and didn't get my raincoat on 
fast enough.  Once I started going downhill I got cold, and pitched my 
tent at 1PM just beyond Sheep Lake and went to bed.  I blew it.  I let 
my need to get off the knife edge north of the Packwood snow 
pack/glacier to friendlier climes outweigh my rational knowledge that 
said I should stop and put on rain gear.  I had to start shivering to 
realize I was hypothermic and needed to get dry and warm.  It took four 
hours of lying in the tent to stop shivering, relax, and feel warm.  The 
day before Donkey, Gizmo and Godman had turned back while halfway up the 
knife edge.  One of them told a hiker, "you could die up there." 

Again, it is experience and the sense to use the wisdom gained from it, 
not gear or theory that will keep major risk at bey...

Jeffrey Olson (Jeff, just Jeff)
Santa Rosa, CA