[pct-l] dogmatism

[CMountainDave at aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

At 05:41 PM 1/10/04, CMountainDave@aol.com wrote:
>  Put the
>rope around a tree until its mid point. Then tie both ends to something on
>your body or around your waist. Then cross. If you slip the rope will keep 
>you
>from going too far down stream

<<Actually, the rope will pull you under and keep you there until you drown.>>


______This is a little too black and white for me. A better statement would 
start with, "it is possible that"  ---  and end with ---  "so therefore one 
should think carefully before making a decision to cross a creek roped up." 
Someone wanted to know HOW to cross a creek using a rope. The final part of my 
original post, "no guarantees" was somehow conveniently left out
 
As a Mountaineer of some 40 years I have learned that dogmatic statements 
like "you should never" or "you should always" are a load of crap. Every 
situation is unique and every situation involving chance involves decisions of the 
moment, not rules
   David C