Responding to a hiker who called for a ride home after her gear got wet. Wondering if she made the right choice.
Here’s her story:
I started a section hike this past weekend (not my first)and had to bail early. I’m curious as to what others would have done in the same circumstances especially if the option to get out hadn’t been there.
Basically on the second day of hiking in torrential downpours, after setting up camp for the night I found my pack had leaked. My sleeping bag was soaked and I had no dry clothes to change into. (Lesson learned even with a dyneema pack use a pack liner). I was soaked from hiking in it all day and now that things had slowed i was starting to get very cold. There was nothing dry to even attempt a fire. I messaged my husband to come get me via inReach, packed up the campsite and hiked the two miles to the nearest road crossing where i broke out the emergency blanket, cuddled with a Nalgene bottle of boiling water to stay warm, and made myself visible with my headlamp, while I waited the four hours for him to come to the rescue. I’m thinking through the “what ifs”. Had I been further from home I would have done the same and hitched to a hotel or something. What about not being so close to a road crossing? I’m disappointed that I bailed and feel like I gave up too easily but this was sort of the last straw in a list of little things that gave me the feeling I needed to get off trail.
My response:
You chose your best strategic decision for the circumstances. I would not call that bailing. You made a choice for your safety during your journey. No doubt, you will make gear changes and resume your journey. The trail and home are all in the same world and in the blank canvas on which you paint your fulfillment! Well done! On one of my town stops, I read a book called “Don’t Die on the Mountain” by Dan. H. Allen. The author described two types of decisions we are constantly making – pedestrian decisions and strategic decisions. Each step is a decision and each route choice is a decision. Keep making yours!!