Hiker Dies in the White Mountains

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-trader-in-the-wild/

I read that article a few days ago, she was one hell of a women. I have lived a long time and done a lot of things, but I would venture to say that I still haven't led half the life she did. Monday morning quaterbacks will and have had their say, she was a real adventurer and I suspect if she was going to die, she died how she would have wanted to die.

PeeTex wrote

I suspect if she was going to die, she died how she would have wanted to die.

Everybody is going to die, eventually. And I'm guessing that freezing to death in the wilderness is probably not how she would have chosen to go.

People that get after it and spend a lot of time doing so in the mountains don't want to die in any way, they love living. Some assumptions we had made seem to be somewhat true according to that article. It sounds like she was an inspiring and motivated person, but this can also get someone into trouble. The truth is being a weekend warrior no matter how hard you train does not prepare someone to go up into the big mountains, lots of experience does. You can pay for a guide and a sherpa but you can't purchase time and milage.

raisingarizona wrote

The truth is being a weekend warrior no matter how hard you train does not prepare someone to go up into the big mountains, lots of experience does. You can pay for a guide and a sherpa but you can't purchase time and milage.

That latest article was very good and enlightening. It does say that she attempted a winter Adams/Madison hike with her husband but turned back without hitting Adams because her husband wasn't up for it. So she had done some scouting at the least. The article doesn't detail the extent of her experience outside of guided trips, but lots of weekend warriors can rack up tons of experience. However, it still doesn't seem like she had much experience with the Presi's or she had over confidence in herself. While the article didn't spell it out or even address it, I think all the facts continue to point to the issue of picking a date on a time crunched schedule. If she had flexible time, would she have stuck to the plan? Maybe, who knows. But I can't imagine given her work that she had much free time for excursions from NYC to the Presi's.

mattchuck2 wrote

PeeTex wrote

I suspect if she was going to die, she died how she would have wanted to die.

Everybody is going to die, eventually. And I'm guessing that freezing to death in the wilderness is probably not how she would have chosen to go.

True - but to die doing something you love beats rotting away in a nursing home. No one wants to die.

PeeTex wrote

True - but to die doing something you love beats rotting away in a nursing home.

Not if it's 50 years too early

skimore wrote

PeeTex wrote

True - but to die doing something you love beats rotting away in a nursing home.

Not if it's 50 years too early

I am with Skimore and others on this. "Dieing doing something love" usually means that you have died an accidental and likely horribly unpleasant death, and caused a great deal of grief to your loved ones. Living a full life and dieing in your sleep would be an ideal scenario. I love sleeping, so that would be an extra bonus.

Sometimes I think it takes more experience and confidence to decide NOT to go, than it does to go.

 

PeeTex wrote

True - but to die doing something you love beats rotting away in a nursing home. No one wants to die.

I'll take the nursing home and reflecting on dozens of years of adventure rather than dying without having done dozens of those years of adventure.

Sick Bird Rider wrote

skimore wrote

PeeTex wrote

True - but to die doing something you love beats rotting away in a nursing home.

Not if it's 50 years too early

Living a full life and dieing in your sleep would be an ideal scenario. I love sleeping, so that would be an extra bonus.

FTW!

My interpretation: people saying the person "died doing what they loved" are trying to express this:

They always knew there was a chance of death in their job, and that that chance was greater than it is in many other jobs. Knowing that, they still choose the lifestyle, and if they had to do "it" over again, they would.

It being the life choice, not the day.