Well, I’m not much of anything these days (just old age though, and I consider myself fortunate in this), but I do wish that I had thought like this and acted accordingly a few times in the hills way back. I guess everyone feels a bit like that if they’re honest with themselves. Great essay. Thank you, John.
I'm no mountaineer but Ive definitely been in trouble in the Lake District because everyone in a group is assumes someone knows what they are doing... Oops, we're lost/almost fell off Sharp Edge. On the other hand, did navigate the Peloponnesian bus system once by deciding to follow the people who looked most competent ... and it worked!
That could work! I think the difference is using a dubious strategy in full awareness that it may or may not work out, and blithely forging ahead with the tired, dehydrated mind. Quite a lot of people seem to be asking me the way on hills these days - presumably it's the grey hair plus very scruffy gear.
And then there are the things that happen without warning, like my tumble on Sunday. All because an innocent-looking patch of ground concealed a hole (fuller story on my own Substack).
Good luck with your recovery Jon. (As a non cyclist I'm always surprised more cyclists don't fall into canals - in London anyway). Hope you're getting some consolation out of the extra Substack time!
I recently managed to end up on a small but wickedly steep bit of gorge on what was supposed to be a simple rural ballade, and it was amazing how much my judgement was influenced by seeing little trails leading along the side, plus my intended destination appearing so close on the non-topo map, even though the thinking-through part of me was shaking its head. The stakes weren't too high but I did get into the trickiest slide I ever remember having to pull myself out of via trees and then finally go back the way I had come. The worst part is, I had started down the real path that went around the gorge a while before, but I was (shamefully) following a google maps trajectory which insisted on the other way. I didn't allow IT to lead me off a cliff (which it tried to do), but once I was over there and looking at the trails, I thought I could figure it out. Lessons learned.
It was really incredible how disorienting and inhibiting such a small patch of steep topography (totally invisible on non-topo maps and satellite images, just looks like trees in the fields, not even labeled as a stream) can be. I'm not that experienced with topo maps or route planning, but it would be interesting to learn.
There is a chapter on maps and route planning in my Hillwalking Bible (not my choice of title by the way) but it's v much a matter of experience interpreting a particular country and it's maps and my book is basically UK. In UK I can confidently create a route off the map but in the Alps or the US I just stick to designated trails.
I'm too much of a sissy to go up a big hill let alone a mountain, so I think I'm safe from the boggled lack of oxygen brain. That's not to say I don't make mistakes when trying to get from A to B though, and I could recount many a situation when I wish I'd been better prepared for the extra few hours walking, cycling, driving... having made unintended detours.
Well, I’m not much of anything these days (just old age though, and I consider myself fortunate in this), but I do wish that I had thought like this and acted accordingly a few times in the hills way back. I guess everyone feels a bit like that if they’re honest with themselves. Great essay. Thank you, John.
I'm no mountaineer but Ive definitely been in trouble in the Lake District because everyone in a group is assumes someone knows what they are doing... Oops, we're lost/almost fell off Sharp Edge. On the other hand, did navigate the Peloponnesian bus system once by deciding to follow the people who looked most competent ... and it worked!
That could work! I think the difference is using a dubious strategy in full awareness that it may or may not work out, and blithely forging ahead with the tired, dehydrated mind. Quite a lot of people seem to be asking me the way on hills these days - presumably it's the grey hair plus very scruffy gear.
Lots to chew over here.
And then there are the things that happen without warning, like my tumble on Sunday. All because an innocent-looking patch of ground concealed a hole (fuller story on my own Substack).
Good luck with your recovery Jon. (As a non cyclist I'm always surprised more cyclists don't fall into canals - in London anyway). Hope you're getting some consolation out of the extra Substack time!
Thanks. I’m actually trying not to spend too much time gazing at a small screen, but when I do it it’s mostly Substack.
But I’m getting plenty of reading done. Dorothy L Sayers (Strong Poison) (reread) followed by David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks.
Maybe you can catch her Galloway one (Five Red Herrings). It has some bike action!
I recently managed to end up on a small but wickedly steep bit of gorge on what was supposed to be a simple rural ballade, and it was amazing how much my judgement was influenced by seeing little trails leading along the side, plus my intended destination appearing so close on the non-topo map, even though the thinking-through part of me was shaking its head. The stakes weren't too high but I did get into the trickiest slide I ever remember having to pull myself out of via trees and then finally go back the way I had come. The worst part is, I had started down the real path that went around the gorge a while before, but I was (shamefully) following a google maps trajectory which insisted on the other way. I didn't allow IT to lead me off a cliff (which it tried to do), but once I was over there and looking at the trails, I thought I could figure it out. Lessons learned.
It was really incredible how disorienting and inhibiting such a small patch of steep topography (totally invisible on non-topo maps and satellite images, just looks like trees in the fields, not even labeled as a stream) can be. I'm not that experienced with topo maps or route planning, but it would be interesting to learn.
However, I did find an atmospheric abandoned barn in the woods as a result of the detour so it wasn't a total loss...
There is a chapter on maps and route planning in my Hillwalking Bible (not my choice of title by the way) but it's v much a matter of experience interpreting a particular country and it's maps and my book is basically UK. In UK I can confidently create a route off the map but in the Alps or the US I just stick to designated trails.
Thank you! That makes sense.
Lovely post, Ronald.
I'm too much of a sissy to go up a big hill let alone a mountain, so I think I'm safe from the boggled lack of oxygen brain. That's not to say I don't make mistakes when trying to get from A to B though, and I could recount many a situation when I wish I'd been better prepared for the extra few hours walking, cycling, driving... having made unintended detours.