T Ratotill Canister
t ratotill canister Vol. XXXI, No. 1 JANUARY - MARCH, 1998 BAD DAY ON THE MOUNTAIN This is not a story about a bunch of people dying on a mountain or getting hurt or seriously injured. It's just a story about how a lot of little things can go wrong on a hike, particularly a winter hike when the weather is severe. It was a day when there seemed to be a weather report every three minutes with warnings about wind chills and to keep indoors. Nevertheless, my wife, Kathy, and I, and two companions, Ralph and Pete, both of whom were strong and experienced, decided to climb South West Hunter and Westkill. In addition to plenty of clothing, food and liquid, we carried compasses, altimeters, and the Westkill topo on which I'd calculated our bearing, 130 degrees, from Diamond Notch to the summit of South West Hunter. But the summit was on the next quadrant, "Hunter," and I hadn't been able to find that map. We figured my bearing would get us in the ballpark; then we'd find the canister. At the trailhead, another two hikers were getting ready to head out. One of them said, "Don't bring snowshoes, there's not enough snow yet." I walked up the trail a little way to see for myself, and decided to lash my snowshoes, as well as those of my wife, to my pack. Pete and Ralph decided to leave theirs in the car. We started out, commenting how beautiful it was and what a great day it was to be in the mountains.
[Show full text]