Unlike many people it seems, I do agree that his outstanding medical history is problematic. It is not to say that he should not hike at all....however, he did choose to do something risky as far as his particular hike involving some above tree-line. Depending on where his 4.9 miles was proposed....is another issue. I assume he headed to greenleaf from the notch with a short stretch above tree-line on that curved ridge, and hopefully not on the northern bias of the notch which is exposed and ledgy. The other factor is that the weather deteriorated, and I dont know what the forecast was for that day; whether or not there was plausible risk or uncertainty which he accepted or not. This issue really concerns me, however the idea that the solo hiking divisive concern comes into play is most likely a fear based concern that ultimately only came into being because of his medical issues......compounded with solo hiking, age, and weather. The idea that we could all be subjected to a bad precedent in the solo hike scenario; I doubt very much.
whats interesting is that his lawyer said "the weather deteriorated after"....I fond this funny because I think most Americans and westerners in general view everything in a vacuum....as if the perilous event of his injury had nothing to do with the arrival of perilous weather. Though we cannot charge anyone with being clairvoyant or preternaturally perceptive, A true hiker does learn and come to know when an auspicious time is present and when it is not. The mountains speak very loudly to those with humility and kindness. Have I been caught in small viable mistakes before?? have the mountains reminded me, and punished me with a stern warning?? YES....but I listen to the warning. This does NOT mean I think I wont get injured or that I have no compassion for this man. but you can ask yourself.....if he had not pushed it, would it have happened??? I doubt it. we go to that outdoor cathedral because it does dole out unmitigated truth and consequence .....we go for that apical moment which requires apical decisions, complete presence, and virtuous,altruistic positive mind.....yet we look little at how consequence and cause and effect are very different in the mountains......they DO have a ripening effect that IS different from at home, not matter what anyone says.
My main concern is that I dont want the precedent to be set that we can be charged for humanity-based services. This casts a climate of resentment and doubt into rescuers who know someone may not pay(immediately).....it also touches on the issue that indeed these services should be free of charge as they are in Europe. However, we do have to account for 2 issues; 1. that NH does not have income tax, and 2) that federal income should cover this expense, and despite what anyone says...is entirely affordable. BUT, the reality is that fiscal responsibility in a nation of our size will not happen. we should be divided into provinces of smaller effective governance where states individual economic,resource and climate issues can be administered with specific dexterity.
That said, a small fee to support rescues would be good. I dont accept that the state should have to pay for it. The FED should pay, BUT we live in a bogus world and we have to be realistic. IF that does happen, then the fee must be nominal, even less than 25 dollars, to ensure/reduce that we are not seen as an exploitable cash cow.....Ultimately,we should be looking to Europe and Canada for answers. The mom and pop hiking crowd of the early nineties is gone. The internet has ushered in WMNF use on an unprecedented scale. You essentially have a seasonal municipal structure and economy that needs to be managed. This little NH make people pay routine is sort of a childish and pejorative blame game that misses the issue. The issue is they have been collecting meals tax and drawing crowds in for years, and now its time to pay the piper and put some pants on, man up and get organized. Yes, some people are foolhardy. but scapegoating them with aggressive and narrow focused tactics is not going to birth a golden age......last but not least, it emphasizes the need for a hikers guild exacting an altruistic and benevolent influence that the AMC fails to because its a money farm, and for outward bound style training to become more popular. When I was younger, everyone was much more experienced,lucid and grounded.....not on cell phones, not charging batteries in the sun. Trash everywhere now....a whole nother issue at the heart of this.....a societal problem, over-worked, ungrounded, electronisized, un-clear heads heading out into a ruthless place and making in-organic decisions......and dont get me started on the HUTS....HE WAS " JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT TO THE HUT" just a short distance to salvation, as if the mountains are a sidewalk.....those huts are a serious issue of safety and over-use/erosion. not even gonna go there.
