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Re: [pct-l] Mt Whitney weather



RE: Was I the leader?
My tenderfoot party met a boy scout leader. He was a "Can do" [he carried a 70
pound pack] as opposed as a "cautious, be prepared" type like me. They decided
to follow him, not me. They were with an expert but the expert was not me. I
bypassed the summit and would not allow my son to go with them! How much
stronger a statement could I make.

In these conditions [the ones I experienced on Whitney] the only solution is to
STOP and HOLE UP unless you KNOW you can make it to safety. The plan that day
was to stop at outpost camp. I stopped. They couldn't because their gear was
soaking wet, they were tired, on the fringes of hypothermia and could only think
of walking out.

Were their actions idiotic?
For a long time I thought they were simply the victim of a freak storm. They say
"there was only 1 small cloud in the sky" Then I saw the pictures they took on
the summit. They were laughing and posing when I would have left immediately.
The sky was 1/2 black. But remember, they were with an experienced leader.


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