Yep, you play with fire and you tend to get burned.
Agree with everything posted so far. It is tragic that it appears this has ended badly for them, but in the end they had to have known the risks they were taking and although I feel for the families this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
It is also true that many people are putting their own safety at risk and mega-dollars are being spent looking for them. I hope the families at least appreciate that.
When I lived up there, there were a couple different hikers trapped on Hood incidences. extremely bad weather not withstanding. I don’t understand what would possess someone to hike on the mountain in the winter in the first place. Just drive to timberline and view the mountain from your spot by the fire.
I feel badly for them and as one of them is from this general area we are getting regular updates. I do hope by some chance that they are alive, unfortunate for the first guy, but the timing and circumstances were just horrendous. Yes I agree they were foolish to go at such a bad time, that had already occured to me. But rather than finding blame right now I am instead going to wish for the best for them and their still grieving and not sure families who are spending this holiday season waiting for any news on their loved ones. Just my opinion, folks.
Right you are, but let’s keep things in proper perspective…we SHOULD maintin hope for these climbers while giving our fighting men and women in Iraq every possible thing they need to do their jobs and come out alive and whole.
So is it being suggested that someone should walk up to a grieving family and say “Sorry, it cost too much to look and we’d rather spend money elsewhere so tough luck.”
If that’s the case…are you kidding me?
No, that is NOT our suggestion…you are totally missing the point…Oh, wait a minute, you’re a cheesehead, never mind.
F.I.B. flatlander!
The preferred name in these here parts is “Fudgie.” [(-D]
And I’ll bet you wished all of us flatlanderw would keep our money down here in Illinois as well…right?
Then please tell me the point, if a person so ignorant as myself could possibly grasp the import of your previous commentary.
Come on now kids, you know arguing over the internet is like competing in the special olympics…even though you may win, you’re still retarded.
Please read again the original post…end of conversation.
YES!
The tourist dollars do not begin to compensate for the reduction in quality of life that the “northern Illinois” people have inflicted upon the state.
Now, if all the Illinois tourists could leave their “Illinois attitude” at the state line, then that would be a different story all together.
I’ve driven down to Chicago a few times recently, and I have come to the conclusion that most of the north-east portion of the state needs serious therapy.
THAT comment was totally uncalled for!
A few of us are having some fun razzing each other (continuing the ongoing rivalry between the Packers and the Bears), and you come along and insult a group of people that, through no fault of their own, do not live up to your high standards of what you deem to be ‘normal’.
Shame on you!
[#ditto]
I would assume that the climbers knew the possible hazards before they went on their ill-fated climb. If they didn’t then, they had no business trying that climb in the first place. There is no justification for wanting to climb a peak like that at this time of year, especially when the weather reports were so discouraging. But, that’s why some people do things like that. BTW the History Channel conducted a re-enactment of the 1911-12 south polar expeditions in Greenland. The Scott party was practically committing suicide the way they went about going to the pole. The producers of the show pulled the British reenactors out of the area for their own safety, and over their protests. So, the phenomenon is far from new.
The scenario with the house on fire isn’t really an apples to apples comparison, generally a house fire is an accident and innocent people have property and perhaps lives at risk, also neighboring properties could also be at risk. Climbing an ice covered mountain is an extreme risk one chooses to take and only endangers the lives of those who make such a descison…and the emergency workers who have to try and save theri sorry Arses.
It’s their interest or hobby or passion, fine, I am good with that and I understand some people have to go to extremes to challenge themselves as they have become so advanced in their “field” but it is arrogant to assume that one ones does something stupid and foolhardy as these climbers did, that now emergency workers are going to put their life equally on the line.
In Colorado you have to get permits to do extreme things (Normal people call them dumb ideas and stupid decisions) and the state has gone back after idiots that had to be saved with a bill for the cost of saving their sorry butts. I am good with that, it’s an individual decsison, but in so doing you risk the lives of innocent emergency workers and pile un-necessary cost on the state.
It is now suspected that the two missing climbers may have fallen to their deaths. Two slings and aluminum anchors were found along with a few other articles.
If the scenario with the house fire is incomparable, then how about a scenario where someone goes skiing at a popular resort, goes off course on the way down, gets lost and breaks a leg. Eventually someone says, “Hey, where’s so-and-so? Wasn’t he supposed to be here by now?” “Well, yeah, we’ll go look for him, but you gotta pay us up front for the search and rescue costs.”