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1078 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2012 : 5:56 PM
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Originally posted by Trail Talk
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Originally posted by Rachelo
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Originally posted by DCIPHER
After a while, she started regaling us with her ascent to the summit Robson! I had not gotten the impression from her before that she had done anything of that magnitude, and I was pleasantly surprised "oh really! wow! That's a serious peak!"
That is the craziest thing. I ran into a woman this spring who described her friend telling her about "doing Mount Robson" and how recommended it was that was obviously a backpack into the park.
LOL, you have to put up with that mentality in the running community too...just listen to the stories of all who've done a "half"-marathon without even training ;-)
Yeah, I suppose there are equivalent people in every endeavor in life! Certainly have been in all the ones I've been in.
Tennis is a totally different paradigm, but you still have rampant overratings, incredibly exaggerated (and many times completely fabricated rankings (I used to be #4 in _____, he used to be #1 in ___________), and of course, the recreational delusion: I hit my forehand just like Federer....I just hit a 130mph serve, when the reality (and I own a radar gun) is, you just wildly smacked that as hard as you could and it was 78mph..... |
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2421 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 3:12 PM
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Originally posted by dshugar
The friend of a friend of a mine claimed to be heading to Nepal to "do" Everest a few years ago. Base Camp was what she meant, but she really did see it as conquering the mountain.
I know a very large lady who decided her life goal was to summit Everest, then toned it down to a desire to do Everest Base Camp. She planned it for a couple of years, got some really good gear, sold T-shirts to all her friends to help her raise money, did a lot of local hikes around Las Vegas to get into better shape, and did it about two months ago.
However, because of her poor physical condition she was literally dragged up the last section of the trail by a pair of Sherpas, then immediately flown out by air ambulance.
My immediate reaction was that she'd failed, but she made an interesting comment. She said that it was her dream and no one else's. Whatever her reasons for doing it were, in her mind she had succeeded and no one else had the right to judge her success or failure.
She gave all her gear away to the Sherpas and has now returned to Vegas. I suspect she will never attempt anything that hard again, but she can always look back and say "I made it to Everest Base Camp'. Good for her. To quote Sir Edmund Hillary, "It is not the mountain that we conquer, but ourselves.". |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2012 : 11:00 PM
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I'm generally of the mindset that you haven't really made it until you've made it back, but I think one can generally call into question an 'accomplishment' that ended up requiring a rescue and others to put themselves in danger to save your sorry ass from somewhere you had no business being.
If she'd just hired someone to carry her the whole way, or paid to fly in, that would certainly be her choice, but needing rescue through no fault but your own is a whole different scale. |
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2421 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2012 : 2:51 PM
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Fair enough, Rachel, and that was my initial reaction, too. But I think that applies to people who set themselves a goal, then fail.
In this case, I don't think it was really as much about climbing the mountains as overcoming her own weaknesses, doubts and fears. When I said 'large' I meant big and tall but I also meant quite obese. I think that from her perspective this was one of those 'impossible' dreams, and I can't fault her for achieving something that she had believed was unattainable. She could easily have turned back, but she made it to the top because of her own determination - she set herself a goal and kept going until she did it, come hell or high water and in spite of the level of her abilities. And that's not a failure, but a success.
If I was going to Base Camp, I would be tormented for the rest of my life by a vision of the summit not reached, but for her, Base Camp WAS the summit. And while her reasons for doing so might not be the same as ours, I expect that the changes she made to her lifestyle to get there will stick with her at least as long as the memories of the trip.
For the Sherpas, there was no extra risk, just an extra load to carry, and while she needed help to get to the top, she did manage to do it on her own two feet. Imagine how she would have felt if she'd made all that effort then turned back 1,000 feet below Base Camp.
Many people judge us, the fools who go into the mountains all the time, as reckless idiots taking needless risks for incomprehensible goals. Who are we to judge someone else's goals, or the routes they might take to get there?
I think Hillary said it best, and that lady meets his criteria.
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Edited by - peter1955 on 07/06/2012 3:02 PM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2012 : 9:13 PM
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I don't say anything against setting a goal to get to Everest Base Camp. That seems entirely reasonable. As someone who has no interest in climbing Everest, I could still see the neat factor of looking up from the Base Camp.
When I spoke of endangering others, I meant needing to be helicoptered out immediately upon arrival. Flying a helicopter at that elevation is never without notable danger. If it's necessary to evacuate someone who fell and injured themself, or followed acclimatization protocols but whose body just couldn't take it, that's one thing. but to require others to endanger themselves because you were in a place you didn't belong at all is rather self-centred.
I feel the same way about people who get summit fever in the Rockies and keep climbing up on the last of their energy and daylight and then need a rescue from, say, Grotto Mountain. Not because they had the sort of mishap that could happen to anyone, but because they used terrible judgement and had no business being there. If a friend told me they hiked up Grotto, collapsed and had to be carried up the summit ridge, and then needed SAR to pull them off the top, I certainly wouldn't be congratulating them on their 'accomplishment'... |
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2421 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 10:06 AM
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Flying anywhere in the mountains is always a risk, but you said "If she'd just ... paid to fly in, that would certainly be her choice". You're saying it would have been okay to fly to Base Camp, but that to pay for a rescue flight is wrong? On Everest, they charged her $18,000 for the flight, so I guess they figured it was worthwhile. It's also a flight they seem to make a few times every day, so I would think they'd have it under control.
Did she have any business being there? She prepared for the trip by doing a lot of local hikes and getting the right gear, and she even volunteered with the local SAR group to get some experience in less than optimal conditions. I would have to say that the trip was at the very borderline of her abilities, but to be fair, altitude sickness can hit anyone, regardless of their physical condition. She obviously believed she could do it, and that she'd done everything she could to prepare, and I'm sure the tour company encouraged her to keep going.
And as much as you or I might disapprove, we both know the feeling of letting 'summit fever' get in the way of our better judgment. Not saying we've let it happen, but I'm familiar with that 'so near, and yet so far' feeling when you have to turn back just a little bit before your goal.
To go back to my original posting, I was struck by her comment that no one else had the right to judge whether she'd succeeded or failed. It was her goal, and she reached it - if she was happy with it, we can't argue with that! |
Edited by - peter1955 on 07/11/2012 10:13 AM |
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Powell River, bc
Canada
2537 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 10:12 AM
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| World is just FULL of judges..............sucks but it's reality :( |
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82 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2012 : 10:04 AM
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Just to add my two cents...
I have backpacked for just about 30 years now (I'm 49) and have started using trekking poles for the last two years. No outdoor store employee sold them to me; I did some research on the benefits of these things, and got a set for both me and the wifey. We LOVE 'em ! Not only do they reduce the loads on our aging knees on the downslope; but they generally add the workout to the arms as well. No more puffy, tingling-hands ! We both find it spreads the workout to both the upper and lower body; and we arrive at our campsite a little less fatigued. And there is no better tool to have when fording fast-flowing streams with your boots hung around your neck ! I wish I would have tried these things 30 years ago...
Andrew Klinzmann |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3507 Posts |
Posted - 08/13/2012 : 12:11 PM
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I just returned from yet another trip through Berg Lake. Looking for solitude, I went past Adolphus Lake and spent some time in JNP away from the crowds, but still enjoying being near Robson.
The trail past Adolphus is really poor right now. The lake is very high, and so it's wet everywhere. Lots of muck. LOTS of mossies up there, too!
On my way up, I arrived at Berg Lake at about 6:00pm, so I stopped at the shelter and made supper before moving on. Just as I finished eating, a group of four young women arrived that had been resting at Marmot Camp when I was ascending. They were obviously knackered and struggling mightily under their packs. I asked if they'd like a little friendly advice. In broken -but good enough for me- English they said sure. (They're French...)
These women had the most ill-adjusted and packed backpacks I think I've ever seen. As an example, all their load lifters were completely slack and the tops of their packs were leaning way back from their shoulders.
We spent the better part of an hour unpacking, repacking, and adjusting their packs. I also showed them how to pop the pack onto their thigh, then hip, and finally through both straps. They were sitting down, putting their arms through the harness, and then struggling to stand and do up the belt. I'm not sure I could have done that! They were actually pretty fit and strong.
Now, I confess that while I enjoy making people's backcountry experiences better, I'm sure my willingness to jump in might have had something to do with them being four rather spectacularly beautiful late 20's French women... |
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A sea of trekking poles and hodads...
