What do you tell non-climbers?

[steelfrog]

What do you tell non-climber types who get their panties in a wad over some of the pics we take, and lecture you about risks, etc?  I'm talking about the peeps who don't go out and do anything but then are judgmental about PERCEIVED risk taking, etc.  I don't view anything we do as particularly risky, and believe it is much less so than driving the streets of Dallas everyday.  To be honest, I have taken to just not sharing trips with most people because I don't want to hear their ill-informed opinions.  What say you?

[lsnead]

All I can say is everyone's got an opinion, and everyone's a critic.
There will always be someone, not necessarily on this forum, but in general who will say 'that's dumb' or 'unsafe' or 'you should be at home drinking beer watching bowl games instead of climbing ET on New Years Day..', etc..
You just got to take it in stride and not care what they say.  Just go out and do it and have fun..
If you die, I'm sure Laurence Parent will write about you in the sequel.. "Death in Big Bend.. Part Deux.."

[chisos muse]

All I can say is everyone's got an opinion, and everyone's a critic.
There will always be someone, not necessarily on this forum, but in general who will say 'that's dumb' or 'unsafe' or 'you should be at home drinking beer watching bowl games instead of climbing ET on New Years Day..', etc..
You just got to take it in stride and not care what they say.  Just go out and do it and have fun..
If you die, I'm sure Laurence Parent will write about you in the sequel.. "Death in Big Bend.. Part Deux.."

What Lance said..plus, if I was telling them perhaps a few colorful metaphors, but that's just me. 

[Homer67]

I think some people get cowed by the desert and the mountains. 

The more one spends in the Bend, the easier it seems.  When I took my wife for the first time, and my first return in 17 years (April 2010, when I wish I had my wits about me more as the desert was absolutely gorgeous at this time), things did look really big and a bit scary.  We thought Mule Ears was hard! Of course we had hauled in tons of unneeded gear and goodies. Even the idea of having to use the shovel seemed unsavory.   Man, we were green!

I have some friends who recently made their first trip.  They camped in the Basin, hiked the Window and Santa Elena and went down to Boquillas, passing through Terlingua on the way out.  I can tell the desert seems daunting to them at this point!  I think it's a common phrase, "You use a shovel, huh?"

Now that we have done the OML, we are looking to other week-long overnighters where we can really explore now, a reflection of spending a few days in BiBe.

Here is a photo of the desert on our first trip back to the Bend in April 2010:

View just south of Trap Mountain off Mule Ears trail  April 2010 by Superhomer670, on Flickr


This one shows how nice it looked from the ME trail toward Goat Mountain:

360 degree+ Pano of Mule Ears trail  paril 2010 by Superhomer670, on Flickr

[dkerr24]

Their concern might be well-founded if you read some of the rescue stories in the bigger parks like Grand Canyon.  Hikers there have done some really, really stupid things in the face of obvious danger.
Just a walk down the first 3 miles of Bright Angel Trail and you see some of the most stupid examples of human behavior on the planet.

Darin

[kevint]

Just tell them it keeps you off the roads where it is REALLY dangerous.

[Jimbow]

I usually tell them that they are right, it is too dangerous for *them*. But I have been doing this for a long time, taught hundreds of young kids to backpack and keep themselves safe, and if they want, I can teach them also.

[PacingTheCage]

My 30 year old son sent me a picture of the trail to Angels Landing in Zion NP last week and said, "please, Dad, don't ever do anything this stupid".  I laughed and wrote back and said, "too late"!  Also included some pics from trips to the South Rim and other spots and he was equally concerned. I appreciate the concern but I think, as said above, until those who don't hike or climb actually experience it they don't really have an understanding about what it is really like.  I know my limits and abide by them.

[steelfrog]

Ha ha!

Like this one on Angel's Landing (Virgin River below):



Or this one of my Bro, looking down the NW face of Mt. Hoffman in Yosemite:

[bjbriggs]

I agree with Darin, you see  some strange one's at the Grand Canyon.  I did tell some hiking down Bright Angel that they needed more than 16 oz of drinking water.  Look at this Guy !
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/may/23/canyon.jump#/?picture=334339448&index=0

[lsnead]

I agree with Darin, you see  some strange one's at the Grand Canyon.  I did tell some hiking down Bright Angel that they needed more than 16 oz of drinking water.  Look at this Guy !
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/may/23/canyon.jump#/?picture=334339448&index=0

Wow.. That's ballsy, but not quite what it seems..
http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/canyonleap.asp#photo2

[bjbriggs]

Wow.. That's ballsy, but not quite what it seems..
http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/canyonleap.asp#photo2
[/quote]


You never know now a days whats real and whats not......Thanks    Still scary looking.

[steelfrog]

I can't see the pic, but people regularly do the R3 wth about that much water since you can get water every 1.5-3 miles. I suspect this guy has other problems as well

[homerboy2u]

What do you tell non-climbers?....you tell them nothing. You just do it, know the full extent of your limits, and then just enjoy your trek.

  Worst thing, you could do is say something...then log back in here to check out their answers....I mean,please......

[fartymarty]

What do you tell non-climber types who get their panties in a wad over some of the pics we take, and lecture you about risks, etc?  I'm talking about the peeps who don't go out and do anything but then are judgmental about PERCEIVED risk taking, etc. 

Yeah I get that too, it's bad enough for just hiking out in the desert with snakes, then add that it's near the "dangerous Mexican border" (sic) and then
traveling out there on a motorcycle? Well to them I just have a death wish. I tell them to go back to their golf game and not worry about me. Then,
when they complain about their lower back problems, I smile and say maybe they should quit golf and take up hiking. Deaf ears,
it's just more crazy talk to them, coming from the guy that's hell bent on dying.