[pct-l] "I'm Fine.....Lost Hiker North Cascades

[Eric Lee]

>
Here is "I'm Fine's" Story in his own words.
>

Wow, I'm glad he wrote that up and shared it.  That was a very close call.
The point isn't to mock him for his mistakes, of course, but to use it as a
learning experience for the rest of us.  Clearly there are several good
lessons to be drawn from that story.

Lesson one: if you're not sure where the trail is and you're getting into a
rough cross-country scramble, STOP!  It's really hard to remember to stop in
the heat of the moment, I know.  There's something that's hardwired into our
brains that makes us want to push forward rather than backtracking, no
matter what.  That urge gets stronger the more trouble we're in,
unfortunately.  It can be the hardest thing in the world to just stop and
turn around but so many of the close calls and tragic death stories start
with things like, "He left the trail, then climbed down some small cliffs,
then some larger cliffs, then <tragedy ensues> . . ."

Lesson two: Related to #1, following mountain creeks downstream to bail out
rarely works.  Any creek that's losing elevation rapidly is almost certainly
going to go through/over an impassible canyon/cliff/waterfall pretty
quickly.  Don't do it.  It's a trap.

Lesson three: fresh snow really does mess with your ability to travel.  If
you're experienced and very prepared it can be managed but it's not
something to be taken lightly.  Every year people who live up here say, "You
should plan to be finished by the end of September," and in many years some
people finish much later than that, but the advice is still good.
Long-distance hiking in the north Cascades in October is not the same thing
as the rest of the trail.  It could be fine, of course, but it could also
kick your ass if you're unprepared.  Take it seriously.

I'll throw in another plug for the book "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies,
and Why" by Laurence Gonzales.  If you're at all interested in the
psychology of how human beings react under stress and how our hard-wired
instincts are often exactly wrong for the situation, you should read this
book.  It's not a "how-to" survival manual; it's a fascinating look at how
our brains operate and has applications far beyond the wilderness.

Eric