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[pct-l] Into Thin Air and the PCT



While the PCT may not have the magnitude of difficulty that Everest has, it 
is quite possible to lose your life while hiking along it, either through 
error or accident.

I had an experience several years ago on a group hike that is relevant -- 
though it turned out well.  I went on a Sierra club trip to Thousand Island 
Lake. It was just  a weekend trip - 7 hours to drive to Agnew Meadow on 
Friday night, hike in 12 miles on Saturday, bag Davis Peak on Sunday 
morning, hike out that afternoon and drive home Sunday night.  Trouble was, 
that was a lot of hike for a group.  On Sunday morning, part of the group 
started the climb, while the rest stayed behind, with the intention of 
starting back for the cars mid-morning.  We climbed through snow to a small 
tarn behind Banner.  Some of us realized that as slow as we were going given 
the conditions, we were unlikely to make it back to the cars before dark, so 
we turned around.  The leader and assistant leader were both determined to 
bag the peak.  They weren't sure how far it was, probably another 3 miles or 
so, but they were out there to climb that mountain, and the fact that there 
really wasn't enough time wasn't going to stop them.  So they told us to go 
back without them while they went ahead to climb Davis.  The problem was, 
this was a group hike, they were the leaders, and they left us to make our 
own way cross country through soft snow to Thousand Island Lake and then on 
to our cars 15 miles away.  This was my first snow climbing experience. None 
of us had ice axes or even ski poles.  And the leaders apparently felt no 
responsibility for getting the group safely back to the trailhead.  We were 
lucky, the three small groups stuck together and no one got hurt or lost. 
The ones who didn't try the peak got back to their cars mid-afternoon, we 
got back to our cars about 5:00 and the leaders got back to their cars about 
8:00. That was my last trip with that leader, and he stopped leading trips 
soon after.  Good thing.  His focus on the goal at the expense of the group 
was dangerous - we were just lucky.

Ginny
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