The closest you've come to a disaster while hiking?

[Gary M]

Thanks. I thought my story would be appropriate for the topic.

The worse thing to happen to me was a hurting my foot badly when i was a raft guide. I had to be carried out, but it wasn't too far to the car from the river.

I'm a huge advocate of carrying a personal locator beacon (i use an ACR resqlink), and being informed (Wilderness First Responder or at least basic first aid). Relying on search and rescue and others is not the best plan because the likeliness of running into someone like me in the back country is slim.

Gary, I've thought about organizing a few "TrailGroove" hikes, maybe even an easier mountain, in either Colorado, Wyoming, or Utah. If that happens, i'll let you know. :-)

It was a fascinating story, and the TG hike is a great idea. Not sure if I could get away to head west, but surely some readers could.

This is not an easy subject matter for me, but I have to admit a certain amount of fear (perhaps respect is a better word) of mountain climbing. I'm a life-long flatlander; only hiked Utah once and that was what I would describe as "car day hiking". I hiked the Grand Canyon a bit and some desert hiking, but that's all for me in the west. I've done quite a bit of somewhat dangerous things in my life (such as scuba and living in St. Louis!) and challenges normally do not concern me. But as noted, the idea of climbing a mountain does seem to strike a nerve with me. I guess just because I've never even tried before.

Gary M

Olathe, Kansas