Sounds like your expedition leaders weren't competent to run that trip, Ben. You must have had a crappy time.

In a manner of speaking, I still am. However, I will finish the trip, even if others may not!

Choosing good leaders that have proven their ability to lead is perhaps the most important part of any endeavor. How can anyone be expected to follow someone they can't trust?

Don't let those things ruin your life! You can still make your own luck, so far at least.

This is beginning to sound like a parable, but if so, it's a good one!

There was a good article in Fast Company a few years ago about Snapper lawnmowers and Walmart. It talks about the pressure Walmart applies to keep reducing cost every year and Snapper finally walking away from Walmart.

http://www.fastcompany.com/node/54763/print

I don't remember where I read it, but another good article I saw about Walmart talked about how the like to offer a range of models, like lawn mowers, where the lowest-priced one is clearly inferior quality. That convinces you that the second-cheapest model is a great value in comparison. I saw this a while ago in their DVD player lineup. The $29 model was all-plastic and didn't even have the weights manufacturers stick in products to fool you about the quality. The $59 model was just average quality but clearly looked and felt much better than the $29 model.