Nature in Its Natural State: Post 08- Trail Safety, Made and Simple

I was recently chatting with John Deike, your resident editor-in-chief of this fine publication, about the young girl who fell in the Gorge Metropark.  I am very sorry to hear of her situation, and it reminded me of my young years growing up in that park and others in the area.  I told him that I knew a number of people that fell around the area when I was growing up, and I recounted a few stories where we did some really dangerous dumb stuff. We decided it might be a good opportunity to pass on a few thoughts on the topic of safety on the trails.  And safety in general really.

The Gorge Metropark is awesome, let me start by saying that.  It is my favorite Summit County Metropark.  It is as rustic as many parks that are hundreds of miles from a city, whilst being only blocks from one.  It has wicked rock formations, and great vistas. It is truly a place that spurs the spirit of adventure.  It makes you want to climb the rocks, to cross the ravines on pipes and trees, to descend a slope and take a swim.  It refines your skills, so you can eventually backpack for a week in the vast and difficult Adirondacks, or scale the slippery granite trail up Half Dome in Yosemite.  It refines those skills because it gives you the taste to explore.  To see the mighty things that nature has to offer elsewhere.

So no I don't think anyone should be placing blame on anyone or anything.  I know that it seems that people hurt themselves more in this area than others, but it is also a place with more unique natural features that makes it a bit worse when people do fall.  I am going to New York next week to a place called Letchworth State Park.  It is a river gorge like this one, except the gorge rim sits 600 feet over the river.  I am sure people have fallen there too.  I bet the injuries are more severe.  I don't believe that trails should close, and that signs should go up everywhere, and that kids should be immediately be arrested after they are injured.  People who leave the beaten path and explore the unknown are of the strongest in our society.  Sometimes an adventurer does not make it home.

Let me share some anecdotes on the matter.

1) Never Trust The Terrain

In January, I was in Virginia, my second day into a 5 day winter mountain backpacking trip.   Unsure of what level of winter gear I may need,  I was overpacked and wobbly.  After stopping for lunch, we decided to climb down a rocky area to chill by a waterfall for a minute before lifting those heavy bags.  Both of my homies were down further than me, and I stepped carefully over a rock and on to a flat bit of dirt between that rock and a volkwagon beetle sized boulder.  As I steadied myself on to the dirt, I just ever so slightly rested my hand against the boulder.  It started to move forward, I went into this slow mo dreamlike state for a second, until I was able to scream "Yooo Look Out!!!"  The boulder cleared my friends safely as it rolled all the way down the mountain slope, and smashed a log into pieces as it hit the riverbed.  That freaked me out.  I realized that when you are off trail, even just 50 feet from a super traveled one like the Appalachian Trail, you must use caution.  Things can shift, and slide, and break, and you must be ready for that.

2) Never Blindly Trust Other Outdoorsmen's Work

This is a quick one.  Sometimes people will solve the problems that nature creates for them in their journeys.  Sometimes when you cross a bridge that someone made, or take a path that someone has walked, they were not as savvy as you hoped, or they were not doing the same type of excursion as you.  Exercise a little scientific process when these situations arise, that's all.

3) Never Trust Your Gear More Than Your Own Noggin

I saw a video recently called the "Bodies Of Everest".  It was about the many people who die trying to scale Mount Everest, and that they remain on the mountain forever.  They cannot be carried down because there are no extra resources.  Many times, the climbing parties just slide the bodies into crevasses for makeshift burials.  They showed graphic images of the bodies and I guess when you make the Everest climb you see these bodies and its a reminder of the possible perils of your adventure.  Seeing the corpses isn't what stuck with me though,  it was the bright gear.  I have been buying some nicer stuff lately that can take me further into the wilderness more safely, and have been spending a pretty penny on it too!  The gear these corpses have on is the toppest of the top of the line.  But it wasn't enough.  A moment of lost focus, or a tinge of panic, changed everything for these people, and they paid with their lives. But the fancy, hard core gear will do its job and stay pristine for years to come.  So stay focused and use your gear as tools of safety, and not as replacements for good judgment.

4) The Leader Of Your Group Is Probably The Most Able-Bodied

This one is for mostly for the younger peoples.  The person that just did the impossible and scaled something that should have killed him is probably an athlete, or ultra-determined, or just good at expeditioning.  That does not mean you can do everything he can.  I was at Nelson's Ledges and I saw a kid slide down a very steep rock wall.  Probably 40 feet down into boulders. He yelled up that it hurt a bit on his bottom, but it was fun.  I looked across the gully to the next in line, a girl a few years younger than the rest of the crew.  She volunteered to go next because she was trying to be the big girl but I saw the fear in face.  The beat of hesitation that she was showing, it was going to get her hurt.  I yelled to her.  I told her she didn't have to do it. She stepped back like 18 feet, and just looked so relieved.  All she needed was someone to confirm that she maybe couldn't do what that kid did.  Know your limits, and don't be afraid to walk away.  And don't hesitate to be the voice for someone else.  Adventuring only is fun when everyone makes it home safely. 

Well, nothing deeply philosophical here, but some good trail safety thoughts.  Just remember, wear good shoes, be aware of your surroundings, and push your limits one at a time, and your adventures will stack up across a lifetime!