Not sure how I can read all these and not wear a PFD. Then again, when you get down onto the July inferno water, with every intention to push your body within a hair of your physical limit and then some, you do have to weight the risk of heat stroke versus drowning.
The Howe Sound accident brings out the question that's been brewing in my head for a while: how can you tell a threat from a challenge? How do you know whether to dress for training or for survival?
The survivors in the Howe Sound accident made a conscious decision to leave the capsized victims in the water in order to go get help. (whoever trained these "adventure-racing athletes" needs to be spanked anyway. Kayak-safety 101: you * * * just don't let go of your kayak after a wet exit. * * *) Maybe it was a wise decision, some of them were saved. I think it's admirable that they can calmly access the situation and make the judgement call during the crisis, it takes strength to know your limit, to know when to back down from nature. But I wonder if they ever second-guessed their decision to leave their friends for death.
I know and agree that the first rule of any rescue is to ensure the safety of the rescuer(s); but I also know I will never be able to make the decision to leave my patient. It's not a case of romance over logic; it's just that, when you're fighting for survival, you don't ever consider the possibility that you can fail.
When you paddle solo, and you run into troubles, you don't think about death; you focus on identifying your problems, and what you need to do to solve your problems. You don't make a judgement call to abandon self-rescue efforts.
So you're trying to save your friends, how is that any different? Yes, at some point you realize you can all die in the exercise, but you don't think about that, do you? You think about getting your friends out of the water, you think about getting them away from harm, you don't even consider the possibility that "I can't solve this problem," you only analyze why your current method doesn't work, and what you need to change to correct that.
I know I'm not making sense, but I also know I'll never be able to "do the right thing" and concede defeat in survival.
Which means I'm a lot more committed to meticulous trip planning, because I don't want to be caught in the wrong shoes again. I'm willing to face calculated risks alone, but I will no longer allow myself to drag others into the plot.
Siu Ming kept saying, "lead people into adventures but not risks." I'm not sure how you can have adventures with zero risk; but I'm starting to see, from a leadership point of view, you're wise to abide by this motto.
