$25,000 fine assessed for teen hiker

[J.Dub]

I better be nice, at least until I'm safe back home on Monday...

Oh dear, it appears that I threaded this belay device backwards AND forgot to screw down the locking biner...



"Come fly with meeeeee......"

 

[Paradox]

Oh dear, it appears that I threaded this belay device backwards AND forgot to screw down the locking biner...



"Come fly with meeeeee......"

Get used to it. I chose to leave him hanging in a cravasse for 8 hours, with a ball point pen as his only anchor. You could hear his hollering halfway to Muir.

 

[Chip]

Get used to it. I chose to leave him hanging in a cravasse for 8 hours, with a ball point pen as his only anchor. You could hear his hollering halfway to Muir.

"With friends like these..."

Actually I consider ball-point-pen anchors and improperly threaded belay devices all part of the learning experience. It's nice to survive these outings and have something to "Night Terrors" about later.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Then-U.S.C.G. Commandant James Loy explained it best, in 1999, in the Coast Guard�s very similar position. �If the specter of financial reimbursement hung over the decision to report maritime distress, we could get fewer calls, we would get calls during later stages of emergencies, and more people would die at sea. This factor alone outweighs any consideration of how much money we might recoup,� said Admiral Loy.

This quote, included in the statement by NASAR, sums it up best. Whether at sea or in the mountains, rescue operations being delayed by the fear of the cost of rescue are likely to compound the problem, for both the victim(s) and rescue personnel. Which means more money, more deaths, more grief.

Looking at the extremely awkward PR optics at this point, I have to wonder if Scott was chosen deliberately just to show how desperate the need for funding is:

"Hey everyone, look over here, we are so broke we are shaking down a 17 year-old kid for $25k because he made a few bad decisions under tricky spring conditions. Oh yeah, and he got himself out and already kicked down 1k on his own. Does that make us jerks, or just hard up for cash?"

One other thought that keeps coming back to me per the mythical ( and no doubt, horribly boring) "reasonable person": Imagine what a dull world we would live in if it was only occupied by reasonable people? Was Bob Marshall "reasonable" when he took off on sixty mile days alone in the wilds of the ADK? Was Guy Waterman "reasonable" when he climbed the compass points of the 48K, much of it in winter? I think not.

Here is to unreasonable people everywhere - you make our world brighter, better, and a whole lot more interesting.

 

[David Metsky]

Apparently the parties are in negotiation.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1189068&srvc=rss

 

[deanmacg]

Take driving, for example, which I think is

1. Rife with negligent behavior
2. Full of consequences for your actions
3. A leading consumer of emergency services

Suppose you were found negligent by A. Reasonable Person. How would you react then to a bill for the police, ambulance, etc.? Yes, some is covered by your insurance, assuming you have it, but not all. At what point do you draw the line for negligent behavior:

Talking to your passenger
Talking to your kids in the back seat
Handling your kids a drink, snack or something else
Breaking up a sibling fight
Nodding off on the drive home because you've been up for 24 and hiking 17 of them
Talking on the cell phone
Changing lanes without signaling
Speeding
Tailgating
DUI
Not wearing a seatbelt
...

This is all socially acceptable. EVERYBODY does them. Being that I was a BS Scoutmaster & a NE115er I was impressed with this kid - I say cut him a break.

 

[Little Rickie]

Being that I was a BS Scoutmaster & a NE115er I was impressed with this kid - I say cut him a break.

As a long time Scouter myself I'd say a service project would be appropriate.

 

[deanmacg]

As a long time Scouter myself I'd say a service project would be appropriate.

That's sensible

 

[cushetunk]

One other thought that keeps coming back to me per the mythical ( and no doubt, horribly boring) "reasonable person": Imagine what a dull world we would live in if it was only occupied by reasonable people? Was Bob Marshall "reasonable" when he took off on sixty mile days alone in the wilds of the ADK? Was Guy Waterman "reasonable" when he climbed the compass points of the 48K, much of it in winter? I think not.

Here is to unreasonable people everywhere - you make our world brighter, better, and a whole lot more interesting.

Three cheers to that, but I think if you (and me too) are going to be unreasonable and push the boundaries of society, then we can't realistically expect society to be on board with bailing us out for free all the time. Risk taking is only meaningful if there are consequences.

That said, the question at hand is not really whether sometimes unreasonable behavior is called for, but how low the bar is going to be set to deem certain hiking unreasonable.

 

[Neil]

I guess Cris Colombus was an unreasonable dude.

What do we owe him?

 

[Ridgewalker]

I think the SAR system in NH needs to be evaluated for its policies and ambiguous definitions of verbiage in its rules. My 2 cents on the matter. Let the Eagle Scout be admonished for a bad choice, if there was one, or like Little Rickie said a service project.

 

[Stash]

Let the Eagle Scout be admonished for a bad choice, if there was one, or like Little Rickie said a service project.

For us non-scouts. What's a service project?

 

[WinterWarlock]

For us non-scouts. What's a service project?

In this case, probably similar to community service...but in this case, to be relevant, they should make him help out with hike safe education in some way.

 

[Ridgewalker]

A service project is tantamount to community service, its typically rendered to civic and non-profit organisations other than the scout's unit to teach the boys selfless service, leadership, and volunteerism.

 

[Little Rickie]

For us non-scouts. What's a service project?

A couple hundred of hours working with or suporting search and rescue people would be a nice project or speaking to youth groups at vistor centers or at trail heads about the risks of hiking the high peaks would work too.

Service projects in place of $ for a young person can benefit the offender just as much as those served, maybe more. Money can't but that. I hope he gets a wise judge.

 

[J.Dub]

A couple hundred of hours working with or suporting search and rescue people would be a nice project or speaking to youth groups at vistor centers or at trail heads about the risks of hiking the high peaks would work too.

Service projects in place of $ for a young person can benefit the offender just as much as those served, maybe more. Money can't but that. I hope he gets a wise judge.

I daresay that a service project like this might benefit the hiking-community-at-large even more than a $25,000 cost reimbursement...

 

[Little Rickie]

I daresay that a service project like this might benefit the hiking-community-at-large even more than a $25,000 cost reimbursement...

Makes sense but that may not mean much once the legal types get involved. Lets hope he gets a good judge.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I guess Cris Colombus was an unreasonable dude.

What do we owe him?

Not much, but cannot state my real feelings about CC, as those would be politically incorrect here.

 

[Chip]

Not much, but cannot state my real feelings about CC, as those would be politically incorrect here.

Ah, well, it's a day off from work anywho...HEY, on a similar note; that Vinland map may be real. Neil surely owes the Vikings something.

More relevant: The fine is due tomorrow and is still being negotiated.

 

[kmac]

KMAC,

Not in the case of my dear friend, Ray Loring. He had a fatal heart attack during a bushwhack of Peak Above The Nubble.

Marty

Marty-
I'm sorry to hear about your friend, my very good friend's brother died hiking in the ADK's from a heart attack a couple of years ago,very sad.

"Cudos" to this young kid who saved his own life with the skills he learned as a scout. I have put myself in percarious situations, as I guess many of us had, and this definitely puts a different spin on it.

I do agree with Tim Seaver ......Reasonable living...how very boring!

kmac

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