A response

The whole "go outside sitdown, wait" blog got a bit of traction. Well, ok, it got a lot of traction. Ive never had a blog with 25000 views before, so something must have hit a nerve. 

There have been a number of responses, and a vast amount of the read something like this:

"yeah, damn right. I only ever go on the hill with a rucksack and 3 layers of clothes and a cooker and an extra bottle of gas and 2 gps devices and a tent and a sleeping bag and a spare sleeping bag and an extra down blanket and a helicoptor strobe and a back up drone to make sure I'm seen. Anyone who doesn't is irresponsible in my eyes, but at least I'll be able to look after anyone else that I'm with who might happen to come a cropper". 

I suppose I'm here to call this out. 

Despite writing the aforesaid blog, and knowing all the information about just how long it might take for mountain rescue to get to various places in the hills, I am emphatically NOT someone that takes out everything AND the kitchen sink in case of a problem. There are a couple of reasons for this.

1) survival vs being comfortable

I generally take enough stuff with me for survival. I might become immobilised, I might have an issue, however, with the kit in my bag I fell pretty confident that I'll be able to survive until some kind of rescue gets to me. No, I doubt I will be comfortable, but that really isn't the point. I'm immobilised, it's not like carrying a tent is going to make me comfortable. Morphine might make me comfortable, but that would be pointless to carry- as I'd probably then expire, and it's also illegal. 

Just because you carry a huge bag with a load of kit doesn't make you any more ready for an emergency than someone out running with what *appears* to be a small amount of kit. Do not underestimate how much kit a runner can carry in a small bag. 

2) Telling someone where you're going

I'll always tell Lynne my planned route, we have an agreed time when I should be back, a time when she is to call me/txt me if I'm not back, and a time to wait after that call before she gets MRT involved. It gives me a window to get back to her if I have signal, but it has a failsafe that if I don't get in touch, I know someone will be out going over my approximate route to find me. If you don't have a partner to do this with, you could try it with a sibling, or whomever. Ok, my sister lives in London, but that doesn't stop me sending her a picture of my route, and a time to call me if I haven't checked in, at which point, she can do the whole 999 business.

3) Shorts?!

I remember a back and forth with a guy on facebook a while ago. He was saying how irresponsible runners are for wearing shorts. "If you break a leg, how are you going to get your waterproof trousers on?!" he was saying. Which is a bit odd- because even if you're wearing trousers and you break a leg, its going to be just as difficult to put on a pair of waterproof trousers... I tried pointing this out, but not sure he got the point. 

All in all, I suppose what I'm trying to say is this: just because you see a runner go past with not a lot more than a bumbag or tiny vest pack on, it does not mean that they are any less prepared than you as a walker. It simply means they have made different choices, and may well be MORE prepared for the unexpected than you.