You raise a good point. I don't know anything about this guys background. However, as outdoors people, we sometimes assume that because we have experience in one area and think we know how to take care of ourselves there, that we can then automatically take care of ourselves in some different environment. While previous experience elsewhere is useful, it also pays to take your time and be conservative until you have some experience in a new environment.

Outdoors people often move to Anchorage from down south, and think that it is pretty much the same up here, and that they know what they are doing. After awhile they learn that it is the same....but then again it isn't. I was the same way when I came up here 25 years ago. I grew up hiking and climbing in the Pacific NW, and then lived in the Rocky Mtn states for awhile. I thought I was a hot shot outdoorsman. After I seriously froze my youknowwhat off a few times, got blown off some trips, and got truely scared more than a few times, I realized that I really didn't know so much as I thought. While we do get some nice weather, it can quickly get really bad, and stay that way for a long long time. The country is vast, and rugged. What are shown on maps and guidebooks as trails are often really just glorified cross country routes. If you aren't careful, it is very easy to get into serious trouble.

I love the desert, when I get a chance to get down there. However, I also recognize that I'm really just a neophyte in that environment. When you go to a new place, it's best to take baby steps until you really know what you are doing. And really knowing what you are doing can take longer than you think.