[pct-l] who pays? = Blaming UL, well that dog don't hunt!

[Ron Moak]

How many times do we have to blame the practitioners of UL when things get
dicey. Beware, they cry out,  those fools are out there teaching insanity.
You're going unprepared, uneducated and your life is in their hands. You're
going to DIE!!!! Well it's not only ridiculous on the face it's factually
wrong. 

Gary writes >> People heading out to cross a 4000 meter pass in the spring
with gear that Is barely adequate for good weather seems problematic. How
many PCTers have died from exposure? I know of at least one on San Jacinto a
few years ago. <<

Technically the gentleman who died on San Jacinto apparently did die from
exposure. However to blame his gear to one leap too far. The man's body was
found some distance away from his gear. In addition the gear at his campsite
was instrumental in the successful rescue of a couple of lost hikers on the
mountain a year later.

It's also true that there are many who've died in the backcountry carrying
traditional gear set. I don't blame the gear on their death, nor do others
who advocate a different approach. While I was in Mountain Rescue, I took
place in more than one rescue where people carrying traditional gear found
themselves in conditions over their skill levels. 

Those of us who teach UL want people to be safe and comfortable over the
wide variety of conditions that one would expect to find on any long
distance hike. We also advocate that people make the shift in gear overtime
so they can adapt to the new skills needed to fully utilize their gear. 

The point of any training for backcountry travel is to first identify the
risks. Then one needs develop strategies aim at minimizing the risk. These
strategies involve not only what we carry. They also involve when and how we
travel over a given terrain. Regardless of what you carry, you still need to
understand when and how to best use your gear. 

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Fallingwater