>SeaKayakNH_at_aol.com wrote: > >> That being said, each person prepares and conducts themselves as if they >> were paddling alone, with no one to help them. In some cases the conditions >> are such that assisted rescues would be very difficult and >>dangerous. So each >> of us plans to rely only on ourselves for our own safety. We just happen to >> all paddle in the same area close enough to talk while we all paddle toward >> the same lunch spot. So in a sense, far from being leaderless, these trips >> are made up of only leaders. > >I really think you guys are fooling yourselves. > >I think, as an aggregate, your group of "leaders" is more likely to tackle >risky stuff than would be the "average" person among you __if alone__. I've >seen this sort of dynamic operating among ice climbers when "parallel soloing" >a route. > >Yeah, if asked if this is true, I bet most of your group of "leaders" would >dispute my claim. But, I bet if we looked at __your behavior__ when grouped >loosely versus __your behavior__ when alone, we would find greater willingness >to paddle close to boomers, diddle in surge channels, side-surf over shallows, >etc., when loosely grouped. > I agree that as soon as you get in a group you do not paddle as if you were alone. However I think there is still an advantage to the "leaderless" trip idea. It starts all the paddlers with the mind set of self sufficiency at least to some degree. I think it is all too common for paddlers joining a club paddle with a leader to join the trip with the mind set that they will be taken care of. There is a tendency to increase your risk exposure when you are paddling with a group. I also think that is the case whether there is an assigned leader or not. I feel that the "self-sufficient" mind set promoted by "leaderless" trips is a better starting point. It gives the individual more responsibility for their own safety and it also makes it easier for an individual to bail out. If you are on a "lead" trip, you need to stick with the leader. Sure a good leader will turn the whole group around if one person can not cope, but that assumes the are good and if they are good that they know how everyone feels. And the tendency is for the flock to follow the shepherd. Even if the shepherd is leading them over a cliff. I don't think either system is perfect. Probably the safest system is to only paddle with people you know. This lets you develop a system that works for you. However, this can be limiting. Nick -- Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 659-8847 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Apr 28 2001 - 15:11:37 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:42 PDT