‘That girl is going to get herself killed’ (2022)
I would like to say that I&#x27;m generally a pretty experienced outdoorsman. I camp, hike, backpack, snowshoe, boulder,sport climb, used to snowboard extensively and do whitewater rafting. I&#x27;ve summitted Mt. Washington, NH in late October, done plenty of hikes from Death Valley and the Mojave to Sequoia NP, to the bright angel trail, etc. Enough to say I&#x27;ve got some experience, and done my fair share of risky stuff.<p>Most people really should not be in the wilderness. It sounds elitist, but truthfully, the vast majority of people are unable to handle themselves in nature. They can&#x27;t navigate using a map &amp; compass, they get too close to wildlife and feed them, they don&#x27;t adequately store their food in animal-resistant containers, don&#x27;t understand how to treat water and deal with small medical issues, don&#x27;t understand FIRE RISKS, how to manage fires and simply how to not have fires. They trample off trail and destroy flora. They don&#x27;t carry first-aid or basic survival kits. They carry inadequate gear. I could go on and on. Most people do not belong in nature.<p>There are so many facets of safety and competence that go into safely exploring the wild, it&#x27;s impossible to enumerate them here. Stuff like climate, rockfall risk, relative isolation, tempurature changes between day&#x2F;night, wind, animal risks, etc. Knowing where you&#x27;re going, how long it&#x27;ll take, having a backup plan, leaving an itinerary with a trusted person, knowing the profile &amp; route of your travel, knowing what&#x27;s likely to go wrong, understanding the danger of drinking untreated water, checking sources to see what potential issues have or may arise commonly, being able to tell direction based on the sun &amp; stars. These are all basic skills of outdoorsmanship that most people do not have.<p>Sadly, these are mostly types of common sense. The lack thereof is the real issue, not ones experience level. Don&#x27;t be a dumbass, and you&#x27;ll probably get out just fine aka: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. The other real issue is people not knowing when to suck it up and retreat. Knowing your limits and when to call it quits is more important even than being prepared. One can be a dumbass or unprepared up to a certain point; but beyond that point, there are very real consequences. Knowing when to back out is, in some senses, even more important than being prepared.