Clackamas County crews rescue 7 hikers near Ramona Falls

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Charley
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Re: Clackamas County crews rescue 7 hikers near Ramona Falls

Post by Charley » June 13th, 2021, 5:12 pm

I suffer from a certain kind of mountaineering disease that involved seeking out interesting ways to ascend Oregon's highest 100 peaks. So, I've hiked, mountain biked, and skied (both Nordic and AT) about 35 of these peaks.

One of the worst trips was on the trail that leads up to Dead Horse Rim. This trail is open to bikes but suffers from so many dead trees that I think, in my mentally ill quest to "ride my bike" up to the summit, I must have humped that bike over hundreds of downed lodgepoles, and actually ridden no section longer than about 100 yards. I did it, and I'll still count it as a "ride," but good lord, what a dumb hobby.
IMG_6115.jpg
Moral: downed logs can ruin your day.

(Also, I'm a big advocate for introducing people to our public wildlands, and getting outside is a great thing to do. Maybe the apps help, but these dumb, harmful apps need to improve. I wish they could get sued into a better state, or out of existence, but I suspect that their customer releases make that impossible.)
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: Clackamas County crews rescue 7 hikers near Ramona Falls

Post by Waffle Stomper » June 14th, 2021, 9:37 am

There are so many inexperienced hikers who have not experienced obstacles and hazards on a small scale that they make poor decisions when they encounter something like this. And, they overestimate their abilities. Hopefully lessons will be learned and passed on to friends and family.

Or perhaps not.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

Aimless
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Re: Clackamas County crews rescue 7 hikers near Ramona Falls

Post by Aimless » June 14th, 2021, 9:43 am

When the possibility of being turned back during a loop hike was never factored in by the hikers involved, there is a very strong impetus to keep going forward no matter what and trust it will work out somehow rather than turn around and backtrack.

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: Clackamas County crews rescue 7 hikers near Ramona Falls

Post by Waffle Stomper » June 16th, 2021, 8:03 am

Aimless wrote:
June 14th, 2021, 9:43 am
When the possibility of being turned back during a loop hike was never factored in by the hikers involved, there is a very strong impetus to keep going forward no matter what and trust it will work out somehow rather than turn around and backtrack.
Very true. And nobody wants to be the one to say let's turn around.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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drm
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Re: Clackamas County crews rescue 7 hikers near Ramona Falls

Post by drm » June 17th, 2021, 8:04 am

Waffle Stomper wrote:
June 16th, 2021, 8:03 am
And nobody wants to be the one to say let's turn around.
That would be me. Back in my technical climbing days, I would be the one who would say, it's not going today, time to rap off. The weather is turning too fast, we are off route, whatever. I once had to sit and refuse to continue when a friend wanted to continue climbing on this steep and poorly connected patch of snow on the side of a mountain. He pulled out the rope and said he would belay me. From what? A stance on a tiny steep snowfield with his feet planted in the snow?

But that also means I've had to deal with those who don't want to turn back when conditions call for it, so I've seen it.

In this case, we are fortunate that the PCT provides an alternative routing. I hope the FS has put up prominent signs at the TT/PCT junctions on both ends.

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