Your concerns are very justified. Unfortunately, it seems to be the mindset in many areas, not just hiking/climbing. I've seen guys with no more training than a weekend class, ride out of a Harley dealer on $18K worth of steel and if they're lucky, they only drop it at the first stop light and not wrap it and them around a tree.

Too much immediate gratification. People don't want to learn, and they don't want to stop and enjoy. They just want to get it done so they can get on to the next fad that their not equipped (mentally or physically) for.

When I was a kid... <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />