EISPIRATEN

We regularly hear about hikers who die from exposure to extreme conditions. Some freeze to death on Everest. Some die from dehydration in Death Valley. But do we really consider the psychological pathologies which cause such dangerous behavior? Often the recklessness and thrill-seeking is downplayed, and we dismiss the unpleasantness with a tired mantra: "At least he died doing what he loves."

Well, that saying doesn't provide valuable instruction to other hikers contemplating such daredevil action. Perhaps there should be a serious effort to expose what sort of thinking processes lead to such deaths by exposure. Instead of saying, "He died doing what he loves," maybe more attention should be paid to the possibility that he died because he was mentally ill. Or, if not pathological, probably extremely careless.

By not addressing mental illness in hiking, we allow it to color the public perception of hikers, and thus influence government policy in the wilderness. If people cannot be trusted to act rationally and safely in the mountains and deserts, then Big Brother must clamp down on our freedom of action. When an exhausted "hiker" is rescued from the scorching summer sun on the Skyline Trail, he is promptly let free, perhaps with a mild scolding and warning. But maybe he should be sent to the hospital for a psychological evaluation. And consider the stuck "hiker" who attempted a winter ascent of the Devil's Backbone sans proper equipment and training. Instead of a scenic ride to the nearest county park, maybe that helicopter should make a beeline for the closest county mental facility. Treating these subjects as normal people gives the impression that normal people can't handle such environments, and therefore the trails should be closed or more regulated.

In general, we treat this problem like it doesn't exist. Like all hikers are psychological equals, and major problems result from simple ignorance or "mistakes in judgement," when in reality some sort of mental illness seems like the more relevant factor.

Maybe an IQ test is more in order.

When I hear about rescues like this one, I wonder if there's more going on than just an intelligence or knowledge issue.

The missing individuals, 17 year old male and female residing in Arcadia, had called 911 to state they had been hiking since 6:00PM and had become lost in the mountains above Altadena...

The hikers were not familiar with the area, and without flashlights or any hiking equipment, became lost after taking a wrong trail. The uninjured hikers were transported to their residence in Arcadia and released to a parent.

It seems like they ignored all common sense except for the brilliant idea of calling 911. Maybe we can label this 911 Dependency Disorder.

Everest is its own game. Anyone who has the time and money to go there knows perfectly well that they could die. Either they think "it won't happen to me" or they knowingly roll the dice.

Death Valley is a different situation. People who live in average climates have no idea how fast dehydration kills in hot temperatures with relative humidity under 10%. Ignorance, not mental illness, kills them.

People who want to try something like surfing for the first time know without being told that you need some instruction. Otherwise, you could drown.

They don't have the same kind of respect for hiking. After all, it's just walking, isn't it? They don't know that you need to learn something about it.

We were in the ski lift parking lot once when a car pulled up. The driver leaned out and asked "Aren't there some hiking trails around here somewhere?"

We sent them to San Antonio Falls Road and told them to walk up to the waterfall. I figured that they couldn't get into too much trouble there.

I hope you're not advocating restricting the rights of the mentally ill in the wilds! That'd be horrible. I think the rescue team would notice if there was an obvious mental issue. But it is not their field of training and detaining people against their will for days or weeks, just cuz they had a sprained ankle and a bad reply to a loaded question...addressing this issue is kind of important to me, cuz I have a brother who lives in a psyche facility. I'd hate to think he and I could not lawfully take a relaxing hike away from the rat race for just awhile.

Rudy Rodriguez wrote: I hope you're not advocating restricting the rights of the mentally ill in the wilds!

We restrict their rights in the cities. Why not in the wilds? I'm not talking about an injured hiker who broke his ankle. I'm talking about reckless and/or irresponsible hikers who don't even bring the bare necessities to stay warm or cool during extreme weather, for example. Maybe they need to be checked out by a mental health professional. Or perhaps fined and required to attend hiking 101 classes.