Thursday, June 6, 2013

Do NOT hike alone!

I used to do it myself, when I was younger.
But it is neither smart, nor safe.
A 22-year-old BYU student found dead on June 6, 2013, on the Y Mountain trail, above Provo, Utah, some 4 days after he likely fell off a cliff. He was hiking all alone, on a trail not used a lot at the time.
Cell phones do not necessarily make hiking alone safer.
-I used to hike alone in my early 20s too, in similar terrain, above Weber State University, east of Ogden, never seeing another person for hours. I was lucky, never having an accident.
At age 22, you have peak energy, peak ability, peak independence - and not so peak judgment -- always.
Would the young man not have died with a fellow hiker along? Perhaps. We'll never know. But, at least that would have likely saved 4 days of search and rescue.
If you are going to hike alone, at least only do it on busy trails, on busy weekends.
-ALSO, do NOT confuse hiking with climbing. The deceased 22-year-old student also thought it was safe to rock climb alone and without any equipment.




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