KelliD & jbashaw16, no need to justify your actions to anyone. I happen to know you weren't the only ones who called emergency services that day. I heard they got a call off from near the top as well.
I don't think any of us have the right to say calling 911 was not warranted in any particular situation unless we were there next to the person making the call. This was not just an average rainstorm people were dealing with and conditions changed quickly. Even if you were able to cross some water, it doesn't mean the people crossing it an hour or even 15 minutes later could have made it. If someone couldn't get down, and they didn't believe they could survive staying on the mountain (for whatever reason), their life was in danger.
Myself, I had a Spot Satellite GPS Messenger on me as did Mark in our emergency camp. We discussed if we should push the 911 button. We both agreed that we would not push it because 1) We believed we had the situation under control 2) We didn't think anyone could land a helicopter anywhere near us anyway - we turned out to be wrong about that 3) We didn't want to incur the cost of an expensive helicopter ride out of there when it wasn't absolutely essential for anyone's survival. If any of the victims had not responded well and we believed their life continued to be in danger, we would have pushed the button without hesitation. It was a judgement call that happened to work out in this instance.
I think we should also be careful not to project an elitist attitude that everyone in trouble that day was simply unprepared or that people with less experience than we have had no business on the mountain. How far should we take this? Are all victims of natural disasters simply unprepared? Of course not. Nobody has a crystal ball. If Parks and Recreation knew what this storm was going to be like, I'm sure they would have closed the trail before it hit. Should all hikers have a rain poncho? Yes. Should all day hikers be required to take a tent and a sleeping bag to the summit? I will probably at least take full provisions to Trail Camp from now on but I don't believe that should be imposed on everybody unilaterally.
Those who were not there really have no context for what this storm was like. This wasn't a typical summer shower. It was a massive storm. I have never seen anything like it before. 20-25 year hiking veterans have told me they have not been in anything like it before. When we got to the restaurant, we heard stories of hikers fresh off the trail with hypothermia symptoms that had to be stripped down and thrown in the shower. We were told they will be cleaning up trail damage for years as a result of this storm.
It is true a few people were unprepared or acted irresponsibly and a few panicked. However, let's remember to give people some credit. For the most part I think people were reasonably prepared for what they could have reasonably encountered that day on the trail. I think most people made reasonably good decisions under extremely difficult circumstances. Experience is the best teacher. My sons and I were basically prepared with everything we needed to be on the mountain but we made some mistakes in deciding what we would take with us to the summit. I take full responsibility for that. I made some mistakes and I learned from them. Luckily, nobody was hurt or died as a result of my learning experience.
As far as children being on the mountain goes... My personal feeling is children under 5 have no business anywhere near the summit. I'm not going to say how far they should go because each set of circumstances is different. However, I agree they probably shouldn't be beyond Trail Camp. We probably don't need to impose a new rule for this. We have more than enough rules already. Parents need to use their heads. Those who blatantly risk the safety of their children, should be prosecuted for child endangerment. The couple with the three kids under the age of 5 definitely and unnecessarily risked their children's lives. As has been said before, each kid is different. My 10-year-old son is an avid hiker. We live in a mountain community and he has been hiking his entire life at high altitude. I think for kids like him, who have training, a summit is OK but I wouldn't have taken him last year. Just my two cents...
Mike
Last edited by BigPines; 08/03/11 11:30 AM.
