<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16544" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>something I did? First of all, let me state
that neither Andrea nor I called in SAR, tho one or both of us may (or may not)
have contributed info to those who decided to do that. If either of us did
give information out, better that we insure that what was being spread over the
airways was as accurate as possible, the least we might do, not only for
the SAR teams out there, but for the hikers themselves and their families.
I will say this, your post has given rise to a pretty impressive amount of
feedback, and based on what I've read thus far (18 replies) IF I had called the
SAR out, I think I'd be inclined to do the same thing again, tho perhaps after
waiting til they were actually overdue, but not by much. Granted, five
days worth of food can be stretched to go for another day, but given the weather
conditions and the forecast for worse, skimping on meals to make another days
travel possible can easily create an even more dangerous scenario if the
hiker(s) in question is already exhausted, dehydrated and possibly
hypothermic. Case in point, the sad story of the northern CA/southern
OR search last winter for the man who was found when SAR people came across
the trail of clothing he was shedding, possibly because his hypothermia had
advanced to the point that he was no longer feeling
cold. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Worry over Pacha was a concern I had, it's
hard for a dog to tell it's owner that all feeling in it's feet has
gone. So, while I state again that neither Andrea nor I made the
call that brought out the SAR, I for one, am not too worried that the caller did
the wrong thing. I suspect that SAR would say 'better to be safe than
sorry'.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And 'sorry' conjures up some pretty
horrific end results given my active imagination.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now, I did say that I'm concerned that some hikers
that I know to be in the storm zone haven't been accounted for yet and hoped
that those folks would check in soon, I'm just a mom with hundreds of 'family
members' to worry about, what can I say? So, if asking if anyone has heard
from or about ______ or _______ is a crime, I plead guilty. Nowhere,
however, did I indicate that I intended to announce to all and
sundry where everyone was if they did make known to us the status of their
hike. Andrea and I would have undoubtedly exchanged notes, but off
the list, forum and general airways. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As Andrea so nicely put it, we know where you stand
on this subject, HYOH! So if you should ever be among the missing in
conditions like hikers in Washington are facing, possibly with inadequate gear
for severe and sudden changes in the weather, I'd try very hard to let you die
on your own. Could I really chance that it might happen with no steps
being taken to prevent such a thing? I don't know...so for the first time
in nine years of Trail Angeling, I'd have to suggest that in the interest of
your privacy, you might bypass the Hideaway. I tend to care about the
people I get to know first hand, tho in your case, I'd work hard to avoid that,
knowing how you feel about interference in your life.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So, Brick...I've tried to be nice, hope I've
been successful. I think your points about John Donovan were very much
spot on by the way. Feel free to stop in at the Heitmans, should you ever
hike through Shasta Co. I think that Shutterbug assessed correctly the
actions that SAR teams would take to make sure that the search they were about
to undertake, did indeed, have merit. Obviously, they felt the case of Nadine,
Chris and Pacha fit their criteria. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I suspect that Andrea agrees that we
appreciate all the feedback, pro and con alike....say, maybe we should start a
list, Andrea, tho not on line, of course...that would show just who would
appreciate knowing that someone was concerned about their well being and those
who would prefer to let Mother Nature take her course, remembering that
for the most part, Mother Nature is a bitch! At least that way, we'd have
firm guide lines.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ahhh...take very good care of yourself, Postholer,
since you've pretty much told all of us to butt out. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>FireFly</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>aka Georgi</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>