On Thu, 9 Dec 2004 11:23:20 EST Harley1941_at_aol.com wrote: > > John, > > Why do you continue to live in society if it binds you down so? You are one > of the top contributors to this forum, yet you tend to disagree with most of > us. If I felt so strong about things as you do, I would pack a few essentials > into my kayak and slip off from everyone, including family and go live on my > own in that great private place you tease us with. Prefering not to have a search made does not mean rejecting and living outside of society. Wilderness paddlers take risks and mitigate risks. As long as the degree of risk is understood, and the mitigation well thought out with respect to one's own interests, one's travelling companion's interests, one's family's interests, and one's society's interests, then it is perfectly reasonable to accept certain levels of society's protections, and to reject others. Who restricts their paddling ventures to only a few minutes from a major hospital? Who ensures that a motorized chase boat accompanies them? Who deliberately does not paddle in bear country? Who does not drive to and from the trailhead? It's all just a matter of degree. Deciding whether or not to carry various types of electronics is just one more consideration, in which one has to weigh the value of communications against the desire for self reliance. Coaching such a decision in terms of leaving society is too broad a brush. Instead, let's have a good look at whether such equipment will affect the level of risk taken in our decisions and actions, at whether such equipment will actually save our lives or simply make evacuation quicker and more comfortable, and whether such equipment will make a significant impact on the enjoyment of moving through the wilderness. Richard Culpeper http://my.tbaytel.net/culpeper/ *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Dec 09 2004 - 10:19:19 PST
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