Sheesh! Someone shows up for a 11,000' climb with unknown hikers??? That's just plain crazy! Though the fact that they made it means they must have been in great shape.
One of the 2 people that he brought only hiked the first 11 miles, which honestly is an accomplishment all on it's own(8,000 ft of elevation gain in that 11 miles). He was too slow, so the guy that brought him left him behind.
I hiked once with a group where one person refused to give up some of her pack, and hiked slower and slower.
yup, stupid move on my part. I really need to start doing stuff like splitting up some of the group supplies among the group to reduce my own load. For some reason I feel the need to be self-sufficient and don't want to be stuck without gear that I 'should' be carrying. If the group sticks together though, I guess that wouldn't happen.
Your group was wise in waiting for you. There is NO gain for anyone when they leave a slower person behind. In fact they open up the possibility of even more trouble, leading even to the need for a rescue. It is really great that the group consensus was to stay together. The aid they gave you likely was the reason all were successful.
99% of the time, I agree with you 100%. I wouldn't leave someone in my group behind, so not exactly sure why I expected them to leave me behind. In this instance though, we were past the "dangerous" part of the hike and there were lots of other hikers on a well defined trail. There were others in our group that weren't planning to summit, so I guess I figured that I would be fine and wouldn't really be alone. Maybe my familiarity with this trail make me feel more comfortable and self-sufficient that I should.
It sounds like you gained invaluable experience in several areas on this hike. Sure glad it worked out!
Thanks! I definitely figured out who
not invite on future hikes.
