While the outdoor world is normally a friendly and enjoyable place to be, it can and does turn very unfriendly, much to the discomfort or endangerment of the uninformed or unprepared person(s) caught outdoors when it occurs. In the vast majority of cases, victims of such incidents have no one but themselves to blame.
The flooding of a couple months ago was a good example of nature unleashing its fury on us. The National Weather Service commenced warning those of us in the flood target areas at least two days before the monsoonal rains struck and flooding occurred. I think the vast majority of us never anticipated a flood of record proportions would be the result, but assumed it would be more like the high waters that sometimes occur during the worst late winter or early spring thaws resulting from rapid snow melt and unseasonably warm rains.
Basements, homes and businesses were flooded, bridges were damaged or destroyed, roads were washed away, and lives were lost. Ironically there were actually some who treated the record-high waters like a water theme park - swimming and wading in the contaminated waters, while a few went canoeing or kayaking. Did any of these people give any thought as to what dangerous elements were in the water - bacteria, chemicals, debris, human and animal wastes - or how about encountering an area where high voltage wires made contact with the water? Apparently none of this was considered by them. And then there were the sightseers, who, despite law enforcement closing travel to all but emergency vehicles, drove through flooded road areas to view the damages. In doing things like this, it’s a miracle more people weren’t hurt or killed.
As we should have learned after so many historic natural disasters, man is often ill prepared to conquer nature when it takes on its ugliest side. Sadly, many people never learn from that history, and they’re sometimes the victims you read about or see footage of in the news.
One of the most common oversights is not keeping tabs on the forthcoming weather. If you’re planning a canoe trip on a river on Saturday, and the forecast calls for heavy rains on Friday, river levels and flow rates could be dangerously high by Saturday. A good example is what occurred to an outfitter friend of mine in the Old Forge area recently.
A group from downstate had called him and made reservations to rent canoes and take a one-day trip on the Moose River two weeks later. Two days before they were to arrive, heavy rainfall caused the river to become swollen and created log jams when downed trees were piled up on bends. He called the group’s contact person and advised them they should either postpone the trip or find other recreational pursuits such as hiking or sightseeing. However, when the group arrived two days later, they insisted on canoeing, claiming they were all “expert canoeists.” Despite his advice and offer to return their deposits, they launched. Less than 30 minutes afterwards, one called him on a cell phone and said they were stranded in a log jam and needed to be “rescued.” They were “rescued” all right, but never got a refund for their stupidity.
Take, for another example, the hikers who head off into the higher elevations of the Adirondacks or Catskills when a strong wind advisory has been issued. Many of the aging trees in these climax forests have crown branches that are dead and brittle. A stout wind can cause them to snap and plummet to the ground. Should a hiker be underneath, the results could be tragic.
Being caught outdoors during a severe lightning storm sometimes can’t be avoided since during the summer these can pop up most anytime. But not knowing what to do until the lightning ceases can be avoided. The majority of lightning victims are struck while huddling under larger trees, mistakenly trying to stay dry and believing the trees offer protection, when in fact just the opposite is true - they act like lightning rods. Even if you don’t have rain gear, it’s better to hunker down in a low spot, away from taller trees, and get soaked than it is to be fried by a lightning bolt.
Although failure to heed weather forecasts can get people in trouble in a variety of ways, outings are often complicated by failures to even be marginally prepared. While following marked trails, hikers who are suddenly engulfed in ground fog as the elevation increases wander off the trail and become lost. Some may be carrying a compass, but sadly don’t know how to use it effectively enough to reorient themselves.
Each winter, there are incidents of hikers and skiers becoming trapped by “sudden” snowstorms and heavy snowfall. Now I may not be an Einstein, but wouldn’t a quick check of the approaching weather before embarking be a good idea? If a strong front that’s producing heavy snowfall is less than 24 hours away, I’d think twice before heading off into the distant woodlands for an all-day jaunt. And even if, for some stupid reason, I did go, you can bet I’d have the right gear and clothing to survive the very real chances of being snowbound for a few days. The cell phone isn’t always the answer to being bailed out every time a careless person gets caught outdoors unprepared and uninformed.
People who want to safely enjoy the outdoors need not be survival experts. All that’s required is some common sense. If you’re planning an excursion and the forecast is calling for foul weather, don’t be misled into thinking those early morning blue skies can’t turn angry black in a very short time. If you still decide to go, at least pack and prepare for the worst. And if the severe weather doesn’t fully materialize, and you wind up not needing that extra gear, consider yourself lucky.