Lessons from Mountain Hikes 2 - Making the Best Decisions We Can Make

 

There are often many decisions to make when mountain hiking and when in the wild we often have fewer resources available to help us, meaning that there are often no easy ways out, and usually less information to work with.  And even when we have information, at some point we still have to make a decision with less information than we would prefer to have.

On a recent mountain hiking trip to the Adirondack High Peaks, a group of four of us had three major decisions to make, with limited information.  The first of these was whether to abandon our first day's hike.  The second of these was which mountain on the second day to climb first.  The third was a decision of whether, on Day 3, to go ahead with our attempt to retry the first day's hike. 

Day 1 began at the Upper Works parking lot, about the time a fast moving hurricane was lashing Upstate New York and the Adirondacks with steady rain and winds.  Our first goal was to get to base camp, a 5.8 mile trek, then climb Mt. Marshall a 4.0 mile round trip from base camp.  Although the hike to base camp was grueling, we were blessed to find a lean-to at the trail junction that leads to Mt. Marshall.  So we unloaded our heavy gear and grabbed our day packs.  The problem was that the trail to Marshall's summit crossed a steep mountain stream at least a half dozen times.  When we were about a mile in, we noticed that fhe stream velocity was becoming faster and more treacherous every time we crossed it.  At one point I recall placing my hiking pole it the swiftly flowing water, and learning first hand the hydraulic principle of flow induced vibration, as the water flow noticeably vibrated the hiking pole.  As the rain continued, it finally dawned on us that we'd have to descend, and cross the stream the same number of times on the way down too. At that point we stopped, discussed the situation and decided that the best decision was to get everyone back to base camp in one piece, cook a hot meal and get rest for the Day 2 hike.

The objective on Day 2 was to climb Cliff and Redfield.  Soon after crossing over the Colden Dam we came to the trail junction where the trail to Cliff went one way and the trail to Redfield the other.  So which do we decide to take first?  Although we were not certain, we figured the trail to Redfield would be more traveled with fewer stream crossings than we were presented with climbing Marshall.  So the four of us scaled Redfield successfully and returned to the trail junction where we made our first decision.  So far so good.  The next decision we had to make was do we try and hike Cliff too?  We had a late start on Day 2 it was getting late, and Jim and I (the two 60 year olds) were pretty gassed from the hike to Redfield. So we agreed that Tim and Bunny (the two 30 year olds) would hike Cliff and that Jim and I would return to base camp.  That also turned out to be a good decision because we found out later that Tim and Bunny found Cliff to be brutally muddy and dangerous hike.  They struggled to climb it and get back before dark to our base camp.  Meanwhile, Jim and I, who definitly should not have attempted that climb, were able to get our base camp better organized and ready for dinner and for Day 3.  

We decided that we must hit the trail to Marshall (take two) by 8 AM the next day.  We did so, and got up and down the mountain by 1:30 PM.  The climb to Marshall was much easier on Day 3.  The sun was shining brightly and streamflow was greatly diminished.  Views from the top were beautiful.  So by waiting for a better day we had a much more enjoyable and successful hike.  The hike out, with 30 lb. backpacks was tiring for sure, but we had enough success hiking and enjoying God's creation on our trip to feel filled even though we were exhausted. 

I've come to believe that hiking expeditions have helped me to become a better decision maker in business and in other life matters.  When I'm not out hiking and I have all sorts of backup systems in place I can tend to be a sloppier thinker.  When I am out on the trail, however, I can much less afford to make a poor decision.  The principles I've possibly learned are:

• Assess the conditions with the information you have.
• Decide with others on a plan, then test it mentally before implementing it.
• Keep assessing conditions and checking in with the team as you carry it out.
• Follow through once you've made the decision.
• Accept the reality that sometimes the best and safest decision is to abandon the effort and accept that there may be a better day and time to follow through on your original plan.
• Learn from all your decisions, good and poor, by reviewing the steps you took and why they did or didn't work out.

The Many Crimes of Acquiescence

Although I have gained much from my father throughout his life, during the last year I've been helping him write his recollections of a brief two year period of military service that began in June 1944. He explained to me that shortly after the war ended, his unit came to the small Village of Ludwigslust, where the German SS had nearby established the Wobbelin concentration camp earlier that year. One day the soldiers in his unit were asked if they wanted to visit the recently emancipated camp, and of course, he volunteered. The camp had been liberated by the 8th Infantry and 82nd Airborne Divisions on May 2, 1945.  He was told that prisoners there were ill-fed and were literally worked to death.  When my dad visited the camp, he saw several human corpses and several emaciated former prisoners.  The Army was feeding the survivors, and transferring them to army barracks, where conditions were much better.  The Army officer in charge was directing the captured German soldiers and village residents to exhume the bodies, load them onto horse drawn wagons, and to bury them in the village square. 

Wikipedia provided an entry on Wobbelin that included the photo above and the eulogy spoken by the US Army chaplain.

The crimes here committed in the name of the German people and by their acquiescence were minor compared to those to be found in concentration camps elswhere in Germany.  Here there were no gas chambers, no crematoria; these men of Holland, Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia and France were simply allowed to starve to death.  Within four miles of your comfortable homes 4,000 men were forced to live liek animals, deprived even of the food you would give to your dogs.  In three weeks 1,000 of these men were starved to death; 800 of them wre buried in pits in the nearby woods.  These 200 who lie before us in these graves were found piled four and five feet high in one building and lying with the sick and dying in other buildings.

The citizens of Ludquislit got their wake up call from the chaplain far too late to undo the many crimes that their acquiescence had contributed to.  

What crimes are being committed in our community? Do we choose to be aware of them, and do what's in our power to turn back the many evils that result in crimes?  I feel that too many of us slumber in acquiescence, choosing to be amused by a host of things that don't weigh much on the scales of eternity.  What would it take for us to awake from our slumber?  What if, each week citizens of our county were marched through the county morgue to view the bodies of those who had perished on our streets from violence of one sort or another?  What if each week the fetal human remains from abortions were prominently displayed in glass jars for all to view?  Or what if at the end of each school year a parade were to be held who's participants included the students who had failed to reach minimum proficiency standards, along with the parents, teachers and administrators who had failed them?  I am not suggesting that we conduct any of these activities but it does not change the fact that these and other crimes are occurring in part from our own acquiescence.  Will we face the crimes of acquiescence, or like the villagers of Ludquislit, will we participate in the crimes. 

Jesus who called us to himself and put us back into a right relationship with God, also calls us to live out the gospel.  I have hope that as Christians and churches live out the gospel in our community that the crimes of acquiescence will diminish as the truth and love of the gospel is lived out.  But it has to begin with me.