Anyway, I’d just shake my head and find it hard to find sympathy for the masses heading down the trail in flip flops and without water.

I wholeheartedly agree with the points you have made in this post. Before cell phones, most people who went out into the forest up here did so with the knowledge that they had to prepare themselves, bring the proper equipment, and know just what the heck they were doing out there. They do not call the White Mountains, especially Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range the most dangerous and deadly mountain range for nothing.

Now though, with the advent of cell phones, well to put it bluntly….the idiots who do NOT belong out there are now hiking, thinking that just because they have a cell phone, it will get them out of any danger or situation they find themselves in. At least two to three times a week now you read in the local papers about someone using their cell phones for calling in the rescue chopper and the SAR teams to help them out of a jam they would never have gotten themselves into in the first place if they did not have that cell phone.

I even know of one woman last year who called the Forest Service on her cell because she was tired and her feet hurt and she wanted them to come up and evac her off the mountain. Glad the person answering the call told her to forget it, they would only come up for an emergency and to come down on her own. One other woman sort of did the same thing. Again, she got the same response.

Now the SAR and Forest Service has the right idea. They have to come up to rescue you because of your stupidity, then expect to pay for the service, and let me tell you, it is not cheap.

Yes, there are people who do get hurt on these trails through no fault of their own. There are many ways that you can get hurt. BUT, if you are going out there, unprepared for the worst, then I believe you deserve whatever you get. If it was me, and you were in this position, then I would honestly tell you…tough luck, see you when you make it to the bottom.

Even if I go out for a day hike, I bring cold weather gear, rain gear, flashlight, compass, map, two days of food and camp stove, and even my bivey tent. If I go out for more than one day, then my full pack comes with me. Have I gotten hurt on the trail? Yes. I had one heck of a fall on the Wildcat Ridge Trail in NH that required my being helped off of the mountain. It was through no fault of my own and even the rangers who came up said that it is people like me they would rather help than the lame idiots who go out there and do incredibly stupid things.

Between you and I, and I know this may sound evil, but let them have a near death experience, maybe they will learn truly what the boy scout motto and all the warnings posted that say: Be Prepared, People Die Up Here Not Being Prepared. Plus it helps the gene pool getting rid of the idiots.