[pct-l] The foolish things hikers do on Mt. Whitney

[Reinhold Metzger]

As ABat,
DUMB  LUCK???........I  RESENT  THAT!!!
It was not dumb luck,.....it was precise execution of a superior 
strategy by an older and wiser  "Sierra Wise"  backpacker.

Speaking of dumb luck,......you surviving your out of control slide down 
the ice chute on Mt. Whitney using a broom instead of an ice ax, and 
then hanging on to dear life by your pack straps, was certainly more the 
result of dumb luck than precise planing.

I wonder what Ned"s opinion is on using a broom for arrest purposes?

Although, I must compliment you on your choice of pack.....the external 
frame with sturdy shoulder straps.....for had you been carrying a flimsy 
UL internal frame, the shoulder straps, for sure, would have ripped out 
and you would not have survived the ensuing crash.....that broom would 
not have arrested you, no matter how hard you tried.

There probably would be a  "Head Stone"  now at the crash site with the 
following inscription:
R I P...AsABat
Here rests a brave but foolish backpacker, who foolishly substituted a 
broom for the ice ax.

With this my friends, I will now sign off and retreat back to my roots 
to do what I do best, devote my time to explore the wilderness, rather 
than talk about the wilderness.
Hope to see you all on the trail someday.....until then  "Happy  Trails"

JMT Reinhold
Your hopelessly in love with the " JMT " trail companion
------------------------------------------

AsABat wrote:
> Riiiight...
>  
> First, it wasn't a "broom", it was what was called an alpenstaff. I 
> got the plans from an old mountaineering book. It worked well going 
> up, breaking only when I used it for a purpose it wasn't designed for, 
> and it wasn't needed going down given that the "chute" was a square 
> two feet wide and two feet deep (from the external pack frames cutting 
> into the snow, I'm sure you remember external frames), so I wasn't 
> going anywhere but down to a clear runout.
>  
> As for "foolish things," I've heard some on Whitney have:
>  
> - got caught in the hut, during a white-out, on the eve of a JMT 
> fast-packs and could not find the way back to the hut, having to 
> criss-cross the summit half a dozen times to finally find their way 
> back to the hut through sheer dumb luck......
>  
> - during a violent thunder storm abandoning the hut (good move) and 
> seeking refuge in a cave like crevice 100 - 200 feet from the hut (bad 
> move) ...reasoning was,  for sure the lightning would strike the metal 
> roof and the lightning rods before it would strike me, huddled in the 
> cave, as all literature written since the lightning rods were 
> installed recommend NOT going in caves and overhangs during a thunderstorm
>  
> - spent hours sitting on the "Throne" admiring the view and pretending 
> to be King Arthur, King of the mountain, sitting on my  "Throne", 
> selfishly preventing anyone else from using the facilities, resulting 
> in the area becoming a cesspool and finally resulting in the 
> requirement to use a wag bag.
>  
> Ok, I'm done and out of here for a couple weeks.
>  
> AsABat
>