Things you just don't get

[VaderDave]



Thing I don't get: A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook about how proud she was of her husband because he did some five-day survival thing. Being the outdoorsy sort, I'm down with this, at least conceptually.

The part I don't get is how spectacularly irresponsible he was on his adventure. He and some friends went into Death Valley with almost no gear (just what he could fit in a pack), no communications equipment, and only a vague idea as to location.

Oh, and they didn't bring any water.

This is a guy with a business, a wife, and a preschool-aged kid. I get pushing yourself, I really do, and I'd love to do a backcountry trip sort of like this. However, I don't get the logic that says going into a hostile environment while self-imposing pretty much the worst case scenario is even remotely a good idea (or something that should be lauded).

Always bring the gear in case you need it. Make the goal not to use it. Anything else is definitely foolish. 

That does seem pretty irresponsible. I love backpacking but I always make sure I've got what I need (truly need). It's fun to try to start fires without matches/lighter and do other survival-y things to develop new skills, but intentionally creating a real survival crisis just seems foolish to me.

 

[VaderDave]



Since when did "wearing a hoodie" become a euphemism for getting tea bagged?

Heh.

 

[GreenFrog]



Heh.

 

[ethanm]

That does seem pretty irresponsible. I love backpacking but I always make sure I've got what I need (truly need). It's fun to try to start fires without matches/lighter and do other survival-y things to develop new skills, but intentionally creating a real survival crisis just seems foolish to me.

It reminds me of Billy Badasses who would leave their cot in the barracks when we went to the field. Inevitably it would rain and they'd be fucked and I would laugh at them.

 

[MrG]



Always bring the gear in case you need it. Make the goal not to use it. Anything else is definitely foolish. 

That does seem pretty irresponsible. I love backpacking but I always make sure I've got what I need (truly need). It's fun to try to start fires without matches/lighter and do other survival-y things to develop new skills, but intentionally creating a real survival crisis just seems foolish to me.

Exactly. If you want to do it all the hard way so you can say "I never touched that bottle of water in my pack, and the satellite phone was never turned on," that's great, and I get it. However, eschewing even basic preparedness just to say you did it is McCandless-level foolhardiness and extremely dangerous.

 

[ethanm]

but Bear Grylls does it!

 

[HRoi]

Best part of that scenario is all the taxpayer dollars spent on helicopter searches and **** once the bad stuff happens

 

[VaderDave]



Best part of that scenario is all the taxpayer dollars spent on helicopter searches and **** once the bad stuff happens

Apparently some states and counties have passed laws that allow recovery/collection efforts against the person being rescued. I wonder how often they actually collect.

 

[Harold falcon]



Thing I don't get: A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook about how proud she was of her husband because he did some five-day survival thing. Being the outdoorsy sort, I'm down with this, at least conceptually.

The part I don't get is how spectacularly irresponsible he was on his adventure. He and some friends went into Death Valley with almost no gear (just what he could fit in a pack), no communications equipment, and only a vague idea as to location.

Oh, and they didn't bring any water.

This is a guy with a business, a wife, and a preschool-aged kid. I get pushing yourself, I really do, and I'd love to do a backcountry trip sort of like this. However, I don't get the logic that says going into a hostile environment while self-imposing pretty much the worst case scenario is even remotely a good idea (or something that should be lauded).

Ugh, and of course when they get stranded they expect someone to come airlift them out. I loathe those people.

 

[lasbar]



Ugh, and of course when they get stranded they expect someone to come airlift them out. I loathe those people.

Another f..... family man..

 

[jcman311]



but Bear Grylls does it! 

In his hotel....

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014...ts-some-substance-to-hotel-fakery-allegations

 

[ethanm]

Thatsthejoke.jpg

 

[Find Finn]



Best part of that scenario is all the taxpayer dollars spent on helicopter searches and **** once the bad stuff happens

Leave them and give Darwin the points.

 

[ethanm]

Yeah, man screw his children and wife. Let's score one for social Darwinism instead!

 

[Master-Classter]

I remember an episode of Survivor Man (Les Stroud, our local Canadian version of Bear Grylls) far up north in the woods where he was acting out a plane crash with a broken arm but after 2-3 days he said yeah you know what I'm actually starting to get into real danger here so I'm not going to play this broken arm thing anymore, it's hard enough to survive for a week here as it is. Great show IMO, and different to Bear because Les is actually out there alone with his own cameras and has to survive for the week.