| Rodney Ley On Adventure |
| Carelessness on Cameron hard to ignore Between Nov. 29 and Dec. 4 last year, I drove over Cameron Pass four times. On three occasions, I had a perfect view of the east face of Diamond Peaks rising above the parking lot at the summit of Cameron Pass. I couldn't help notice the uphill ski/snowshoe tracks that cut diagonally across the entire swath of the avalanche paths. And, on one occasion, the tracks had be re-cut to zigzag up the notorious middle path. These snowy paths made no sense, not even in a perfect world can a skier, snowboarder, or snowshoer think they can get away with traveling directly into the jaws of an avalanche. I was bummed out. Hadn't people learned anything about avalanche safety? Who put these tracks in, and who would follow them? It was discouraging, and in a self-righteous know-it-all moment, I thought I would dedicate this column to ranting on again about the dangers of exposing yourself unnecessarily to avalanche danger. But I had other topics on my mind that month, and as time went along I forgot about my idea to write that column, my resolve weakened. I thought, people are pretty tired of me on my high horse preaching again about avalanches. So, I wrote other columns. Two weeks later, a wonderful man lost his life following those same tracks up the middle of a known killer avalanche path. And while I take no responsibility for the tracks on Diamond Peaks, or the actions of others, I can't help but wonder if I made the right decision to postpone that column. I'll never know, because cause and effect are separated by too much time for humans to understand. Nor will I ever advocate closing Diamond Peaks to any type of recreation simply because some people make poor decisions about where to go when. The deepest value in outdoor recreation remains the freedom to make those choices and accept their consequences. But on the other hand, I will not cease in my message to all outdoor recreationalists, in all times of the year, to learn about their passion, open their eyes to the dangers and weigh all their decisions with a measure of the hearts of the people who know and love them. I think in this way, I can best honor the memory of those who have lost their lives, by whatever tragedy, in the pursuit of living in the outdoor adventure world. |
-- © Copyright 2000, the Fort Collins Coloradoan |