Do Not Underestimate the Outdoors

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather...dead-new-mexico-s-sweltering-carlsbad-n775281

I know we all read these stories and say: "Not me, I am a survival expert who has a knife."

My own personal experiences in different environments have taught me some valuable lessons.

A few:

1. Rhabdomyolysis in the Grand Canyon. It is not the walk down that gets you.
2. Severe dehydration in Death Valley.
3. Wife developed AMS climbing in Colorado. Basically had driven 16hrs and then hit the mountains without any acclimation process.
4. Dehydration in Central America
5. Dehydration again searching for Gila Monsters in NM.
6. Too many close hypothermias to count.

I would like to think that I am more intelligent now, but the point is, we often are too prideful or ignorant to realize our limitations until things go south.

One that I always remember:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Tanner

 

Wow. I had never heard about Evan Tanner. I've skirted dehydration a few times and been out with those to crossed the line. It's easy for experienced folks to forget the basics and end up in bad spots.

On a trip up the Porter's Creek Man Way with two experienced Smokies hikers one of them didn't follow the water purification drops instructions and ended up with a parasite and the other didn't drink nearly enough and ended up pretty out of it when we got back to camp.

 

No doubt. We are fragile creatures. Undeniably.