Survivor Guilt & Moving On

[Bakes5]

Powerful stuff indeed. Proud of you for moving on.

Regarding encouragement to folks....I'm sure I have broken many a spirit over the years but hopefully have helped someone turn around before they got hurt. We have all seen the people coming up the mountain or canyon who have no business being on the mountain. On any given weekend, they are the ones you come across who have spent 3 hours getting to the 1 hour mark of a 3-4 hour climb. Usually see them at about noon or 1:30 when you have been descending for a couple of hours. Often in inappropriate footwear (saw a guy from Indiana in those thin neoprene water shoes on Yale earlier this year). Clearly out of shape, etc. Whenever I come across someone in this situation, I am always the harbinger messenger of doom and gloom and encourage them to turn around. Late in the afternoon, exhausted, storms a brewin, etc. Thing is, every one of them continue up the mountain. I hope that me giving them a clear assessment of their chances and risk makes it easier for them to turn around. Mind you, I only do this on the folks who appear to have no chance or when conditions are rapidly deteriorating.

This stuff weighs heavily on me. To the point I rarely invite people on adventures with much risk/exposure anymore. I'm more than happy to join others but I don't like the responsibility when randomness happens and people go over handlebars and lose teeth, break bones and I was the one pushing the trip.

It's the old "I did not cause the accident/injury but if I did not exist then it would not have happened" dilemma. Hopefully, I have given enough people "permission" to turn around over the years that the universe is balanced due to my existence.

Mountains, rivers, canyons, trails and slopes are dangerous places. Even the best of us can get injured at any given time.