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Posted by Alicia on January 3, 2007 at 8:02:26 pm EST
In reply to Re: I owe my life to... posted by SteveTheFolkie on January 3, 2007 at 8:46:46 am EST

Steve, I agree that what you learn from personal experience sticks with you. Sometimes it’s a dramatic lesson (like your example of losing your food to a bear). Often it’s an accumulation of learning what works for you (how much food and water you need; how do you keep your socks and gloves dry; how far away really is that lake on the map) because you have to deal with the repercussions of your actions. Most of us try not to make the same mistakes twice (making room for new mistakes, perhaps).

I’ve taken first aid courses a number of times, but the most useful one I ever took was a three-day wilderness first aid course that had us backpack into a campsite, rather than stay at the AMC lodge. Role-playing responses to emergency situations in the woods, where you’d actually have to use your skills, was much more realistic and stuck with me longer than if I’d sat in a lodge learning the same info.

I still think there are some very useful books hikers and mountaineers should reference (like “Freedom of the Hills”), but their information is most valuable when backed up by some sort of experience using that information.

Sorry, for going a bit off Dan’s topic. After thinking more about his original question of what “I owe my life to...” I have to choose my head. I know it gets said over and over, but I think it’s true. I’ve since thought of two instances (one canoeing in white water and one glissading) where keeping my presence of mind got me out of a bad situation fully intact (I can’t say the same for the canoe).

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• Re: I owe my life to... - SteveTheFolkie 12:46:02 01/04/2007

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