Wheel Rider said:It has been several days since I read your story and I have been
thinking about it. It seems to me you were very unprepared for what you
did. Is it worth risking your life for a unicycle ride in the snow? Then
you abused yourself along the way with excessive alcohol and marijuana
use. We could just as well have been reading about you being found dead
along the highway.
If by unprepared you mean taking bear spray, a satellite emergency
beacon, enough camping gear that you can camp in bad weather in
Alaska(!), then it sounds like he was unprepared. But really, reading
the report and the stuff he posted earlier, it sounds like he had a
pretty good idea of what he was taking on, and prepared really well.
Something this far out is always going to be a bit of a risk, like
mountaineering in big mountains or in winter conditions, unsupported
endurance racing, white water paddling etc. Pretty much anyone who's
done any kind of adventure sport has had a situation where if they
screwed up things could have gone bad. It's always worth keeping an eye
on what risks you are taking obviously and preparing by having the right
skills and gear, but there always is going to be a risk.
It is a bummer, because it means that people we know might die, but
it's all about striking a balance between being dead of a boring
sedentary lifestyle and heart attacks, and taking yourself out by doing
something stupidly hard whilst climbing a mountain - and it's up to
everyone how they balance it out.
As for his choice of recreational drug use - I think that's pretty
personal really, some people smoke gear, some people drink a lot - it
doesn't sound like it made a massive difference to his trip in terms of
affecting his fitness or ability to ride. It's also worth remembering
that when doing something like this, the goodwill of the people you
meet is really helpful, and increases the safety net of people who
potentially are out there to help in the case of things going [censored] up.
Like it or not, alcohol is a major aspect of social life in most
western communities, particularly more remote ones - so in a way the
drink and the drugs may have actually made him safer than going into
his tent early and being a party pooper.
Joe
--
joemarshall
my pics http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuq44
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