Pete Hogan
New member
"Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end."
---Edward Whymper
I’m beginning to prepare for the upcoming winter season. Many of us prefer the winter for the peace and solitude of the quiet woods or the beauty of snow-capped peaks and crystal-clear air or even the exciting challenge of achieving a winter summit or checking one off a list.
After a couple of months of rest and relaxation, I’ve returned to the gym for every-other-day weight training workouts and my three-times-a-week, three-mile walks are now with a 20-pound training pack. I’ve also reexamined many of my hiking protocols as a result of some recent reading. I’ve spent the last few days carefully reviewing the thoughts and insights of the hiking community regarding last winter’s tragic fatalities in the White Mountains. I’m sure there are many members of this website who were deeply moved and affected by the untimely deaths and carefully thought about their own personal operating procedures – “pops”.
So what have you learned? Have you made changes on group size, equipment, weather factors, decision-making/risk-assessment and philosophy? Are you satisfied with past practices or have you added some and discarded others? Are some principles unalterable while others may be dependent on circumstances encountered?
With a little over a month before the start of the “official” winter hiking season, what are your “pops” for winter hiking? Do you have specific rules that are never compromised? Are you willing to share your secrets of success and longevity? It would be a good time to think about the past, learn from it, and safely enjoy the wonders of the mountains.
Here are a few of my own hiking protocols:
1. It has always been about the journey, not the destination. The mountains will always be there another day. There is no shame in turning back. “Failing forward” is not so much an unachieved goal as it is a continuation of progress.
2. Establish a turn-around-time depending on destination, distance, amount of daylight available, and potential escape routes AND STICK TO IT!
3. If weather forecasts and/or environmental factors (wind, temperatures) are not favorable, postpone for another day or terminate the trip en route.
4. Determine back-bearings before departing. Write them down and have them easily accessible in case weather deteriorates.
5. Leave hiking plans/contingencies, routes, expected return times, emergency phone numbers/names with someone and stick to your plans.
6. Keep the hiking team together throughout the entire trip. Start as a group, adjust the hiking pace to the slowest member, and return to the trailhead as a group.
7. Be prepared for emergencies. Be self-reliant and equipped to spend the night if necessary. Be able to perform first aid and (if possible) self-rescue.
---Edward Whymper
I’m beginning to prepare for the upcoming winter season. Many of us prefer the winter for the peace and solitude of the quiet woods or the beauty of snow-capped peaks and crystal-clear air or even the exciting challenge of achieving a winter summit or checking one off a list.
After a couple of months of rest and relaxation, I’ve returned to the gym for every-other-day weight training workouts and my three-times-a-week, three-mile walks are now with a 20-pound training pack. I’ve also reexamined many of my hiking protocols as a result of some recent reading. I’ve spent the last few days carefully reviewing the thoughts and insights of the hiking community regarding last winter’s tragic fatalities in the White Mountains. I’m sure there are many members of this website who were deeply moved and affected by the untimely deaths and carefully thought about their own personal operating procedures – “pops”.
So what have you learned? Have you made changes on group size, equipment, weather factors, decision-making/risk-assessment and philosophy? Are you satisfied with past practices or have you added some and discarded others? Are some principles unalterable while others may be dependent on circumstances encountered?
With a little over a month before the start of the “official” winter hiking season, what are your “pops” for winter hiking? Do you have specific rules that are never compromised? Are you willing to share your secrets of success and longevity? It would be a good time to think about the past, learn from it, and safely enjoy the wonders of the mountains.
Here are a few of my own hiking protocols:
1. It has always been about the journey, not the destination. The mountains will always be there another day. There is no shame in turning back. “Failing forward” is not so much an unachieved goal as it is a continuation of progress.
2. Establish a turn-around-time depending on destination, distance, amount of daylight available, and potential escape routes AND STICK TO IT!
3. If weather forecasts and/or environmental factors (wind, temperatures) are not favorable, postpone for another day or terminate the trip en route.
4. Determine back-bearings before departing. Write them down and have them easily accessible in case weather deteriorates.
5. Leave hiking plans/contingencies, routes, expected return times, emergency phone numbers/names with someone and stick to your plans.
6. Keep the hiking team together throughout the entire trip. Start as a group, adjust the hiking pace to the slowest member, and return to the trailhead as a group.
7. Be prepared for emergencies. Be self-reliant and equipped to spend the night if necessary. Be able to perform first aid and (if possible) self-rescue.
that small tree is not always there.
