[pct-l] Sorta OT - Reaction to Abby Sunderland's Rescue

[Ed Franqui]

Is the assumption then that anyone who needs rescue is unprepared?  How many
experts have needed help?  No matter how prepared, you may still get into
trouble.  This girl knew how to sail, and she managed herself in many storms
and most of the way around the planet, used good judgement to call off the
record attempt when she had equipment failure, and even after losing her
rigging did not panic and used the emergency services that are there just
for this purpose.

Many people are making the assumption that because she's 16 and needed a
rescue, that she was unprepared.  What if it was a couple, on a 5 year
voyage around the ocean, who lost their rigging?  Would we all still have
the same outrage?

Lastly, when it comes to cost, that's a funny thing.  People add up, for
example, it costs to use the Coast Guard for 3 days.  The truth is, we would
be paying it anyway!  And frankly, we all pay our tax dollars for them, they
are not a pay for service entity.  That does not mean we should be flippant
and disregard safety.  What it does mean however is that if people are
taking appropriate risks, we should expect help and not hear from the peanut
gallery about what it cost.  And to deflect some flame, by appropriate risk
I mean putting oneself in a situation where one is prepared, trained and
competent to handle most issues that will arise.

I'm quite sure that NONE of us on this list is prepared for ALL things that
can happen on the trail.





On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 8:52 AM, <bighummel at aol.com> wrote:

> At Trail Pass, just last week, while preparing to glissade down I was
> explaining the procedure for my rather in-experienced cohorts. I young man
> standing nearby asked, "What's self arrest?" He had a new ice axe with
> little to no wear on it and big sh!t-eating grin. I told him that if he
> didn't know then he shouldn't be there, let alone using an ice axe and
> suggested he wait for the rest of his party.  He waited.
>
>
> Fortunately, in many cases, dumbshits die before procreating.
>
>
>
>
> Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:54:26 -0700 (PDT)
> From: G L <pctair at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Sorta OT - Reaction to Abby Sunderland's Rescue
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Message-ID: <760334.78969.qm at web114504.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> You're right, we should all advocate for the closing of the PCT, because
> otherwise, you know someone is going to need to be rescued again.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Eric Lee <saintgimp at hotmail.com>
>
> As I've written before, if people want to take huge risks with their life
> then that's their prerogative.  I'm not going to stop them.
>
> Where I really have problems is when they take huge risks, fail, and then
> pull a bunch of other people into their risky situation in order to bail
> them out.  In Abby's case, she forced other people to engage in a risky
> boat-to-boat transfer in rough water in which I understand the captain of
> the fishing vessel was actually thrown overboard but was fortunately pulled
> out again without harm.
>
> Should we (as a society) rescue dumb people from their mistakes?  Sure,
> otherwise we wouldn't be able to live with ourselves.  But I think we're
> entitled to feel a bit of resentment toward the people who created the
> situation in the first place through their thoughtless choices.
>
> Eric
>
>
>
>
>
> Greg Hummel
>
>
> " Travel far, carry little, keep it simple, lighten up!"
>
>
>
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