New Mexico man recounts mountain ordeal that took life of wife http://bit.ly/w0t32g

Ouch. What a horrible price to pay for taking a short cut.

HJ

Removed by the sheriff.

Hey now. :-) Let's not forget she was an adult too and responsible for her own safety as much as he was.

"They had two sandwiches, four cookies, two chocolate bars and two cans of juice."

She could have just as easily packed an emergency kit for the car just as easily as he.

They were not prepared, they made some bad choices, and she paid for it. I'd say that was *their* fault, not *his* fault.

-john

Removed by the sheriff.
Sheesh.

I would bet cash that neither of them had proper preparations. So there! :-p

-john

There always seems to be a typical sequence of posts following an incident of this type, which is often taken straight from news accounts, which often omit relevant details and information.

We, fully informed and knowledgeable in matters of survival, then state and categorize their mistakes, generally listed as deviations from the Established Principles as listed in the Survival Manual, which we can all recite by heart.

Sometimes the criticism becomes astonishingly harsh and bitter. I wonder why sometimes.....

Posting and discussing these tragedies can be useful and informative and as cautionary tales, they can inform us. When I began hiking and climbing, it really helped me to read the analytical and informed accounts in Accidents in North American Mountaineering, the annual publication of the American Alpine Club.

I would like to think that we can ponder tragic situations of this type without dissing the unfortunate participants. The is very easy to do, but it doesn't move analysis forward. It does allow you to conclude that they were defective or uninformed, while we, embracing the Established Principles, are among the blessed. That might be just a little too simplistic.

I think if any of us lost our spouse (particularly in a 60 year long relationship - how many of us have a chance at that these days?) that would be plenty of tragedy enough, without the heartless comments of strangers.

Anyway, it is the Christmas season - joyeux noel and all that. Peace

This is really pushing it.

You need to check yourself.

Eighty-six and eighty-two years old, my grandparents ages when they died.

I'm surprised either lasted five days, let alone that one made it back alive.

The article says they'd had an adventurous life together, traveling to some challenging areas overseas.

Very sad. R.I.P. and condolences to the family.

I hope and pray that if I ever find myself in such a situation that I remember all these tragedies and not pursue a questionable "shortcut."


They accidentally ended up on a different highway. Realizing their mistake, the couple consulted a map and decided to take a forest road that connects back to the main road.

"I should have turned around right then and gone about 5 miles back to where I had turned in," Davis said. "So, I goofed right there."

Removed by the sheriff.
WTH?!!