In the spirit of Shackleton

As I write this, a group of climbers are lost on Oregon’s Mount Hood. Rescuers have been grounded by weather. It’s entirely possible that the climbers may die. And this may sound cruel, but that’s as it should be.

Technology has allowed mankind to forego common sense and push on into the realm of stupidity. The news report I’ve listened to about the missing climbers pointed out that they didn’t have an emergency locator beacon. But what if they had? Should they be able to push a button to alert someone else that they’re in trouble and need assistance? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of doing dangerous things like climbing mountains? Journals devoted to outdoor sports, as well as those for search and rescue personnel, are filled with stories about — sorry to use this word, but there’s really no substitute — dumbasses who’ve pushed the button and scrambled rescue teams because of minor inconveniences like running out of bottled water. Seems to me that if you’re in your city park, or Central Park, or any park where you’re within a few miles of the parking lot, you should have a reasonable expectation of getting help. Chances are that you’re not fitted out with survival gear, or wearing hi-performance layers, or sporting shoes meant for navigating the Khumbu Icefall. Dayhikers should expect rescue.

But if you’re climbing Mount Hood, if you’re in a wilderness area, if you’re doing something that requires training and planning and specialized equipment, then you also need to accept the risk that something might go wrong. You should be equally prepared to deal with disaster as you are to climb the mountain. Any good climber will tell you that getting up the mountain is only half the trip; successful climbers are the ones who come back down too. The late, sainted Edward Abbey was adamant that if you hike into a wilderness area, no one should ever come looking for you, because that’s what wilderness means. Having the ability to call for rescue is, to me, cheating.

The other side of the coin is the danger to the rescuers. Just because you’re trapped in a blizzard, why should teams of people also put their lives at risk to save yours? And especially if you’re one of the “I ran out of water” people; thankfully, they were charged with reckless endangerment after their third call for help sent rescue helicopters searching for them. Choosing to do something dangerous includes accepting the risk, and not endangering others in the process.

The world needs more stories of heroic survival. More tales of rugby teams resorting to cannibalism in the Andes. More climbers crawling down the mountain on broken legs after their companions had left them for dead. More hikers who cut off their own arms to escape crushing rockfalls (and to be fair, that guy was stupid for not telling anyone where he was going and when to expect him back). We need for Shackletons, keeping their crews alive in the Antarctic. Shackleton new how to sail a small boat through stormy seas, navigating by the stars, hiking down glaciers to get help. Pushing a button is a cop out.