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| Thread: Horrible Experience While Hiking | |
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blizzardboy
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Nerf Herder
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posted May 08, 2009 06:07 AM |
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Horrible Experience While Hiking
I was at my parents place with two of my younger cousins; they are adolescents, the boy is around 11 and the girl is around 8 or 9. I thought they would enjoy a walk in the woods and I took them out to the stream near the house. Well they were having fun and all, and I asked them if they wanted to take a trip up the mountain; it's a small mountain, but it was still turned out to be a horrible idea. It was an exhaustive process since I had to carry the 9 year old on my shoulders while going uphill some of the way. We got to the clearing where the powerlines run over the mountain. They wanted to go further up to the top of the powerline for the view. It evening at this point, and against my instinct I decided "Why not?" They seemed decently capable and even if were back later it would be an easy trip on the way down. It wouldn't matter if it was dark as we were coming down the soft mountainside towards the road.
Well we went up slowly through the brush and made it near the top, and then took a turn to the left (towards my parents house, which is located in the bottom of the wooded valley.) This was the critical error because I led us straight into really difficult terrain. I was nervous at this point because it took longer than I expected and when I hit the mountain going down, it looked like horrible terrain. Normally I would have walked around to find better terrain, but I was nervous and rushed at this point in time so I decided that we could go down that way. I assumed the terrain would become tamer as we went down, and it looked like it evened out some from my view at the top. Well, we went down, and we barely got anywhere and the progress was horribly slow. It was indeed horrible terrain and stayed that way. I wasn't lost the entire time, but the real dilemna is that my younger cousins were moving very slowly, and they were tired. It was a probably a 55 degree slop down and it was all unstable rock. I knew it would taken several hours to get down and it was already dark (fortunately it was almost a full moon tonight). The funny thing is that we were only probably 350-400 meters from the house, but it was all hellish terrain. I mean they were practically stranded. They had school tomorrow and their parents were going to pick them up.
Now I was barely within shouting distance of the house; if you screamed as loud as you possibly could you could hear the other person. My mom went out yelling for us and I yelled back. She could barely understand what I was saying, but I told her to call the Fire Department. It's not that we were in any real danger (if I was by myself I could have stormed down the mountain in no time), but what truly drove me insane was the fact that I was responsible for my two cousins, and I totally and completely f'd it up. What was worse was that it was dark and we were on rocky terrain; if they fell they could have gotten hurt real easily. My dad navigated his way up to us, and he lead us to the side where the rocks ended and thus getting down was enormously easier. We were home by 10:00. So everything turned out okay. But it had a much deeper impact on me because of the danger I put those kids in and the failure in judgment on my part. I mean it's so easy when you just screw over yourself, but when somebody else like that is in a tough spot, the burden of responsibility just weighs down on you tremendously. I was reflecting on it once we were down, and I realized that if something unlucky happened and one of them fell, hit their head, and died, I would never have been able to bear standing in their parents presence. I would have gotten the other one to the bottom of the mountain and then took off and gotten as far away as I possibly could; probably running to northwestern Canada or maybe even off the continent entirely. I don't know how I could ever have been with my family again.
Anyway, it probably doesn't sound nearly as dramatic from your perspective, but this was one of the most intense moments of my life. Thought maybe it would be an interesting story and provoke discussion.
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Elvin
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Endless Revival
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posted May 08, 2009 11:15 AM |
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We used to do that often as kids, go in unexplored areas, risk walking in slippery slopes, climb rather unstable cliffs not quite sure where we were heading but thank goodness we rarely took younger guys with us. The first time I went hiking with a larger party - including adults and youngsters - first lesson I was taught was that it's the slowest that determine the party's speed and pathfinding. No matter how easy it may be for you they will make it your personal hell if they can't keep up so it requires patience and considering safety before moving onwards.
In a way it wasn't your fault, you did not expect things to get messy but you can simply never know.. Especially when the sun is about to set in a few hours, not the best time to take your chances. Anyway no harm no foul, it's a good thing that it shook you because you'll know better in the future.
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razor5
Famous Hero
Freezing...
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posted May 08, 2009 01:35 PM |
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These trips are risky,especially when you have younger people than you.Anyway,I consider the luckiest thing for you was that you did not meet any forest animals(I mean bears,or worse snakes).I did so like you,going to the trip deeply in the forest with terrible terrain (I'm a person which likes to risk),but I don't understand a thing.What do you get more an more into that terrain,haven't see it gets worse?
And I think I wasn't so tired like them (I mean the kiddies),does you even asked them why are so tired and if they are frightened?
Anyway,it's important to keep you calm and don't became nervous,but I understand the situation 
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted May 08, 2009 03:20 PM |
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Being in the woods alone freaks me out. I once went hiking in a mountain in Pennsylvania alone and got lost. Then I almost got trampled by a large buck that came suddenly crashing out of the trees right towards me. I had to dive out of the way. You're all lucky I survived or I wouldn't be here today to keep you all entertained. 
Seriously though, nice story. Glad it all turned out fine. If nothing else it gave your cousins a great story to always remember.
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I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
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