On 2018-11-15 16:10, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 1:45:43 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-11-15 12:25, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 12:06:53 PM UTC-8, Joerg
wrote:
On 2018-11-15 11:26, Duane wrote:
On 15/11/2018 11:14 AM, Joerg wrote:
[...]
The other reason for carrying excess is other riders and
most of all hikers who mis-planned. Or who didn't plan at
all.
That's just ridiculous.
I think so too but there is a surprising number of people who
walk off into the wilderness with one lone 500ml bottle of
water. We found a totally dehydrated young guy off the trail in
Yosemite who was mumbling to please let him die. Or course we
didn't but it took a lot of water and later all our candy bars
to get him onto his feet and assist him down towards the valley
until we could get ranger help.
I think you're a dope magnet. I've spent (on a cumulative basis)
months in Yosemite high country and never encountered someone
mumbling to please let him/her die. My wife was a back-country
guard for the US Forest Service in the Olympic National Forest,
and I'm sure she had a lower dope count than you -- and she spent
days at a time wandering through the forest looking for dopes.
Plus, I always drank out of rivers in Yosemite once above the
valley floor. If I were out of water, I wouldn't worry too much
about parasites. There are pills for that.
He had taken the straight route up the "stairs" towards half dome.
No accessible creeks where he was. That by far wasn't the only
case. For example, there was a Chinese tourist stumbling up the
Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon. Her smallish bottles were
empty and she behaved weirdly. Aside from giving her water it
looked like we had to get her help, fast. Luckily there is a ranger
at Bright Angel Point which wasn't very far from there.
Yes, I've heard the crazy Chinese tourist story. As I recall, the
rangers would not let people down the Bright Angel trail unless they
had the required amount of water. Are they no longer checking?
I have never been checked for water, neither on the Bright Angel nor the
Kaibab trail. However, my various trips down there were all more than 20
years ago. The only thing a ranger ever checked in the canyon was a
camping permit.
And are you talking about the cables up the back of Half Dome?
We found him after we had climbed back down the cables, a few hundred
yards from the bottom of the cables. Quite far off the trail and I only
saw him by coincidence, he was laying motionless in some bushes. If
nobody would have seen him who know what would have happened.
... If
you're talking about the stairs up the Mist Trail, they put you right
at Vernal Falls and a few steps from a drinking fountain. And then
you go to Nevada Falls, a great drinking spot -- at least
historically. Maybe its AFU now, but I used to drink there -- and I
almost lost a hard salami over the falls one year while hiking up to
Half Dome to spend the night on top. We'd go up there for the
harvest moon and howl.
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm
Quote "Weather conditions and personal preference affect the amount of
water you need, but suggested minimum amounts per person a
1 gallon (4 liters) if hiking to the top of Half Dome"
These folks are not kidding. They never do.
When I hiked there two of the three potential drinking water points
always had stern Giardia warnings against drinking the stuff. I carried
little chlorine pills but only for emergencies sind I also always carry
plenty of water.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/