One of the things that I've learned through group & solo, hiking, whitewater paddling and sea-kayaking is that while there can be safety provided by the group, one should never _rely_ on that group safety factor. If the conditions are such that I feel that I wouldn't want to paddle them by myself then I don't go. This is a style that works for me because I don't ordinarily take multi-day trips as part of a large group - I can definitely see that it could be problematic on a long group trip with bad conditions. After reading John Winter's description of their Labrador trip I was struck by the similarity of the group's decision to "not risk life to rescue someone" to the same principle that I learned years ago as a life guard - don't let an attempted rescue create _two_ victims. Each situation has to be judged when it occurs, the conditions and risks immediately assessed, and appropriate action taken. My instructors drilled into my head during several whitewater rescue courses that the first and most important rescue skill that you could ever have was that of "self-rescue". You're the one in the water having the bad time - you're the one with the absolutely greatest interest in your own survival. I'm not in any way downplaying the necessity of having good, _practiced_, rescue skills and having a sense of responsibility to the members of the group and even others that may not be a part of the group. These are qualities that I constantly strive to develop and that I look for in my paddling companions (along with a sense of humor and extra food!!<g>). David Seng / david_at_wainet.com Wostmann & Associates / phone - 907.586.6167 223 Seward St. / fax - 907.586.2996 Juneau, Alaska 99801 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Feb 26 1998 - 09:44:39 PST
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