TR: A stupid, stupid mistake.

Brian <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Well, yesterday I made a stupid mistake on my hill walk
from Menstrie to Blairdenon in the Ochils

<Snip> Tale of lost rucksack.

I can hardly believe that anyone would leave a rucksack to
go looking for a 20 quid pole!

The real lesson is that if you had a GPS you could mark the
spot where you left the rucksack and get back to it.

Also the track generated would have led you straight back
to the pole.

<Tongue-in-cheek>

You are to stupid to go out without a GPS!
--
Gordon

In a recent message
<[email hidden]>, Brian
<[email hidden]> wrote.

[...]

Quoted message said:

I decide (foolishly) to put my rucksack down against this
little peaty 2 foot cliff, then I ran back to pick up the
walking pole. Found the pole
- then spent 2 hours looking for my rucksack which had
everything in it! The rucksack had everything in it - hot
drink, food, spare fleece, camera, gps, mobile phone,
first aid kit, car keys etc etc. I was getting colder and
more panicky as I couldn't find where I dumped the
rucksack.

[...]

Quoted message said:

I was getting colder, and searched for another hour, but I
decided the safest thing was to get off the hill and learn
an expensive lesson.

[...]

Writing just as a rambler, not a mountain-man, isn't *the*
most important thing to know when to cut your losses?

Which you did, of course.

One of the interesting things to come out of 'Touching the
Void' for me was looking in from the outside at two people
who decided to press on well beyond the point at which a
reasonable person would have given up.

Regards, Nick.

--
Nick Hopton and Anne Hopton Caversham, Reading, England
<[email hidden]

Brian said:

Well, yesterday I made a stupid mistake on my hill walk
from Menstrie to Blairdenon in the Ochils

Quoted message said:

After 15 minutes I realise I left my trekking pole behind,
this is when I made a very stupid mistake which could have
had very very serious consequences.

Quoted message said:

I decide (foolishly) to put my rucksack down against this
little peaty 2 foot cliff, then I ran back to pick up the
walking pole. Found the pole
- then spent 2 hours looking for my rucksack which had
everything in it! The rucksack had everything in it - hot
drink, food, spare fleece, camera, gps, mobile phone,
first aid kit, car keys etc etc. I was getting colder and
more panicky as I couldn't find where I dumped the
rucksack.

Quoted message said:

Looking back I should never have become seperated from my
rucksack - I don't know what made me decide to dump it -
perhaps it was the fact that I had gone too long without
food (I was going to have something to eat at Blairdenon) -
I should have kept the rucksack on and went to retrieve the
pole. It's done now though.

It's terribly easy to become a lot more stupid than you
realise when you get tired, short of food, etc.. It's like
getting drunk -- you don't realise you're drunk because
you're drunk.

As soon as you get into mistake-repair-mode, e.g., leaving
something behind, getting oddly confused over the route,
etc., you should warn yourself that you may have become
stupid, and it's going to be very important not to compound
this by doing something else stupid. Unfortunately it's
difficult to do this once you've become stupid. But
important. A ten minute break involving the consumption of
something starchy or sugary may be all that's required to
get the brain firing on all cylinders again.

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
["]http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Brian said:

I decide (foolishly) to put my rucksack down against
this little peaty 2 foot cliff, then I ran back to pick
up the walking pole. Found the pole - then spent 2 hours
looking for my rucksack which had everything in it! The
rucksack had everything in it - hot drink, food, spare
fleece, camera, gps, mobile phone, first aid kit, car
keys etc etc.

There are certain things which I always keep on my person,
not in my rucksack. Car keys for example, and mobile phone.
I also carry my cameras and GPS on a belt, so even if I take
my rucksack off I'm still carrying the essentials.

I'm not in the habit of walking off without my rucksack. I
occasionally take it off while I wander around taking
photos, but never very far and I never lose sight of it. I
did once take it off to throw it through a gap in the fence
which I then crawled through, and before I reached my
rucksack it rolled down the slope and straight off the cliff
into the river. A fun chase followed (heading for the
waterfalls) but luckily it got snagged on a tree in the
river, which I then had to wade through to get it back (in
February). My cameras were still on my belt though!

I know this is blatantly obvious with hindsight, but if
you'd just taken your GPS with you, you could have
marked the spot where you left the rucksack and found it
again easily.

Paul
--
wilderness-wales.co.ukwilderness-wales.co.ukOpen ↗
wildwales.fsnet.co.ukwildwales.fsnet.co.ukOpen ↗
photosig.comuserphotosOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, Gordon
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

You are to stupid to go out without a GPS!

But they have their limitations!

1 The Batteries can run down and the GPS stops working.

2 You can't plot bearings to and from a map

3 There are times when you can't obtain a "fix"

Gordon, are you seriously suggesting he should have used his
GPS to NAVIGATE back to his walking pole????

Please read the official handbook of the Mountain Leader and
Walking Group Leader schemes. (page 26/27)

;^) ;^) ; ^ )
--
Bill Grey billboy.co.ukbillboy.co.ukOpen ↗

In article <1084613855.17521.0@nnrp-t71-
02.news.uk.clara.net>, Jhimmy
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

The way I look at it is that the more time you spend on the
mountains, the more likely you are to make mistakes!

Best stay in the Toon and have a few more Broons :-)
--
Bill Grey billboy.co.ukbillboy.co.ukOpen ↗

On 15 May 2004 06:47:40 GMT, Brian <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I decide (foolishly) to put my rucksack down against this
little peaty 2 foot cliff, then I ran back to pick up the
walking pole. Found the pole

If it;s any consolation I once dropped the MTB on a bracken
covered hillside in the Dales so I could take a photo.
Composition wasn't quite "right" so I wandered about &
contoured around the hill tilI had the shot I wanted. Then
realised I hadn't a clue where the bike was. (I'd been
riding a bridleway that wasn't evident on the ground) I had
kept my 'sack on, but where wa the GPS? You guessed, bolted
to the bike ! Ended up at the top of the hill and followed
the tyre tracks down....

Chris Malcolm <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Gordon said:

Brian <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well, yesterday I made a stupid mistake on my hill walk
from Menstrie to Blairdenon in the Ochils

<Snip> Tale of lost rucksack.

Quoted message said:

I can hardly believe that anyone would leave a rucksack to
go looking for a 20 quid pole!

Quoted message said:

The real lesson is that if you had a GPS you could mark
the spot where you left the rucksack and get back to it.

<cough> His GPS was in the rucksack...

Oh dear! It's worse than I thought.
--
Gordon

Paul Saunders <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Gordon said:

The real lesson is that if you had a GPS you could mark
the spot where you left the rucksack and get back to it.

He did. It was in the rucksack.

Well, you know what we always say about folk who keep the
GPS at the bottom of their rucksack......

(And folk must be fed up with hearing us say it). ;-)
--
Gordon

W. D. Grey <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Gordon
<[email hidden]> writes

(I did say tongue-in-cheek)!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You are to stupid to go out without a GPS!

But they have their limitations!

1 The Batteries can run down and the GPS stops working.

Has only happened to me when I left the GPS switched on in
the car or when I arrived home after the walk. I always
start with fully charged batteries.

Quoted message said:

2 You can't plot bearings to and from a map

Eh?

Quoted message said:

3 There are times when you can't obtain a "fix"

If I get in one of those dangerous and alarming situations I
dash for home.

Quoted message said:

Gordon, are you seriously suggesting he should have used
his GPS to NAVIGATE back to his walking pole????

Yes, I know it is against all the Boy Scout rules, but I
would have kept an eye on mine in those circumstances, and
wouldn't have left it in the sack. Oh - what's the
use........

Quoted message said:

Please read the official handbook of the Mountain Leader
and Walking Group Leader schemes. (page 26/27)

;^) ;^) ; ^ )

Now I know you're taking the Mickey.

You don't need all that guff or any skills if you have a
GPS.

:-) :-) ;-)
--
Gordon

Ach I wouldn't worry about it, you're okay which is the main thing,
and the only thing damaged is your pride and your wallet.
I've done the same with my ice axe first time I used it, luckily
I found it, I had no GPS at the time, so had no track to follow
back, just footprints and by the time I scoured the area, there
was a mass of footprints in the snow going in all directions !
We live and learn.
Hopefully :-)

KRO

24Hrs after the "incident" I cannot believe how stupid I
have been!

It has certainly been a wake up call. I was just fortunate
that I was able to make it off the hill without incident.

Certainly been a wake up call.

--
Brian

Paul Saunders <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I remember reading years ago that emergency equipment
should be carried on person, rather than in the rucksack.
Not sure I've ever stuck to that rule consistently, but
it's certainly something to bear in mind. I would never
wander any distance (in theory) without my GPS, but I did
exactly that on my Moelwyns trip with Phil Cook. Good job
he met me at the summit because I'd never have found my way
back to the tent in that fog without him.

This business of not keeping emergency stuff in the rucksack
makes me always keep the car keys in a zipped pocket,
because my escape routine if pursued by a hypothetical bull
is to drop rucksack to distract it while I run. Forlorn
hope, I'm sure....
--
Gordon

In article <[email hidden]>, Gordon
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Please read the official handbook of the Mountain Leader
and Walking Group Leader schemes. (page 26/27)

;^) ;^) ; ^ )

Now I know you're taking the Mickey.

I'm still aghast at the reticence of the "official" bodies
to think of GPS as just backup!

I understand SARDA have been showing off their new fangled
GPS's recently and saying how useful they are. The dog wears
the GPS and the fix is transmitted back to base or handler.
--
Bill Grey billboy.co.ukbillboy.co.ukOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, Paul Saunders
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Actually quite pleasant to sit out in the garden in the sun
with a chilled drink, chatting to my parents about WWII
shelters and the details of growing your own vegetables
(now that doesn't happen very often!).

Swing the lights and I'll tell you a tale of the sea.:-)

Quoted message said:

You haven't really met my parents have you Bill? I mean not
really chatted to them?

No I haven't. Met them briefly once that's all.
--
Bill Grey billboy.co.ukbillboy.co.ukOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, Paul
Saunders <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I pointed out what I would and wouldn't have done in that
situation, but I also pointed out some mistakes that I've
made to put it in perspective, to make it clear that I'm
not perfect either.

Who was it said " I used to be conceited but I've been
cured....... Now I'm perfect!" ?
--
Bill Grey billboy.co.ukbillboy.co.ukOpen ↗

Gordon said:

Brian <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well, yesterday I made a stupid mistake on my hill walk
from Menstrie to Blairdenon in the Ochils

<Snip> Tale of lost rucksack.

Quoted message said:

I can hardly believe that anyone would leave a rucksack to
go looking for a 20 quid pole!

Quoted message said:

The real lesson is that if you had a GPS you could mark the
spot where you left the rucksack and get back to it.

<cough> His GPS was in the rucksack...

Quoted message said:

Also the track generated would have led you straight back
to the pole.

Quoted message said:

<Tongue-in-cheek>

Quoted message said:

You are to stupid to go out without a GPS!

*Almost* the correct conclusion :-)
--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
["]http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Gordon said:

The real lesson is that if you had a GPS you could mark
the spot where you left the rucksack and get back to it.

He did. It was in the rucksack.

Paul
--
wilderness-wales.co.ukwilderness-wales.co.ukOpen ↗
wildwales.fsnet.co.ukwildwales.fsnet.co.ukOpen ↗
photosig.comuserphotosOpen ↗

Jhimmy said:

Realising it was only 5 minutes back I dropped my rucksack
alongside a fence and ran back to collect my cap.

If it was only 5 minutes, why take the rucksack off? Too
heavy perhaps? If you and Brian can't be bothered to carry
your rucksacks a short extra distance then perhaps you're
carrying too much gear in the first place?

Paul
--
wilderness-wales.co.ukwilderness-wales.co.ukOpen ↗
wildwales.fsnet.co.ukwildwales.fsnet.co.ukOpen ↗
photosig.comuserphotosOpen ↗