Unprepared & foolish: stories of idiots you've met
Give us some stories of unprepared fools/morons/ignorant trampers you've met.
Here's my example:
Recently I did the Hollyford and on the way out near the carpark I met two guys heading in, wearing PVC raincoats and trousers, and smallish packs. I thought this was interesting, and chatted with them.
They said they were doing the Pyke-Big Bay loop and back up the Hollyford, and expected to be out in 4 days. They had 4 days food and weren't planning on boating or flying. I told them it was a 9 day trip. They didn't believe me!
There was nothing I could do except advise them to talk to other trampers at the next hut, and reconsider.
No idea what became of them.
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47 comments
Many years ago myself and some friends came across a guy struggling along Robert Ridge heading to Lake Angelus Hut. He had no pack and was carrying a bulging duffel bag under one arm. His running shoes were double wrapped in duct tape to hold the soles on. At the hut the contents of his bag were revealed - an old woollen jersey, a bag of potatoes and a moth eaten army blanket. He was clearly a sandwich short of a picnic. Several people encouraged him to exit with them the next day as a snowy forecast was on the way in a few days. He was vague on his plans. He happily accepted food donations and snuggled up between warm platform sleepers at night. The next day, he got up early and tootled off in the direction of Mt Cedric, likely blissfully unaware of his russian roulette decision.
A few years ago now at Siberia hut, we had stopped for a break. There were only a few people present at the hut. A backpacker was cooking up some rice. It may have been more than just rice.
We had our own food and are believers in using the food we carry. So when this guy started to do the rounds and offer his excess rice to others, we simply passed on it. Some time later i was outside, some distance from the hut. I was watching the hut when this guy walks outside and tosses his excess rice on to roof of the hut.
I had a word later to the warden. The ignorance of one individual could have been an inconvenience for many over the water supply.
Throwing rice on the roof seems interesting.
I think some issues can be a bit of cultural misunderstanding as well. Like (I hate to stereotype, but) a couple of asian guys I saw in the Nelson Lakes area who turned on the hut water tap over the sink (inside the hut) and started washing themselves vigorously - until people in the hut advised them that this wasnt really acceptable.....
Just in October we went up to Kime. At Field Hut we came across a guy practically hugging the wood burner, wearing a black plastic bag stuffed with scrunched up newspaper - clearly suffering from hypothermia. This was pretty early still. He had spent the previous night in Kime and had made his way down at first light. Again - a trail runner with hardly any gear. He really cautioned us against going up - but we proceeded on the basis that we had the gear, and could anyway assess and turn back. It was indeed bloody cold at Kime, with over a foot of snow and the water frozen, but so worth it for the views.
Recently at Atiwhakatu we can across a guy who was also clearly a sandwich short of a picnic. I had three young kids with me. It was a bright, beautiful day. He had come over from Mitre Flats and was physically exhausted. He complained about how 'technical' the trail was. His plan had been to go up to Jumbo, but couldn't face the climb up. Fortunately he bailed. He left all his rubbish at Atiwhakatu - 6 tin cans - which I carried out. Later we saw him walking towards the SH1 from Holdsworth Camp Ground. I couldn't bring myself to offer him a lift because I was still cross.
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lycra has zero insulation value when its wet... that all a lot of runners rely on for leggings... runners think thats all they need when they go running, the legging will keep them warm in cold weather.. but only while they are moving.
I think I may have told this story before on this forum, but a mate and I were walking the Northern Circuit in Tongariro during winter. A southerly was picking up and we had full winter kits with crampons and ice axe to climb out of South Crater towards Red Crater. We stopped briefly at the signed turnoff to Tongariro and saw a young man and woman with what looked like day packs, very light clothing and trainers for shoes. They said there were overnighting at Oturere (our destination that day, too) then retracing their steps back over Red Crater to Mangatepopo the next day. Gabe and I were a bit gobsmacked and didn't quite grasp their intentions at first. So off they went up Red Crater and I told Gabe if we saw them again we'd have a more in depth chat with them. Sure enough we caught up with them atop Red Crater where they were happily having a boil up where the snow had melted (because they were atop an active volcano...). Gabe and I were able to assess that they had little to no experience, no ice axe, no crampons, and their packs couldn't have held much, perhaps not even a sleeping bag. With the southerly picking up ferocity, we thankfully persuaded them to head back down to Mangatepopo before things got worse. These kids were Kiwis, too, so it's just not internationals that can be unprepared.
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'Throwing rice on the roof seems interesting.
I think some issues can be a bit of cultural misunderstanding as well.'
Maybe i should have been clearer. Anything on the roof would have been washed into the water supply.
When is it a cultural thing to dispose of your waste such that it taints your water supply. Third world countries excepted perhaps. Travellers in NZ don't usually come from third world poverty.
I took a good friend out for his first proper tramp in November, he was unprepared but I should have known better than to take him out as is, anyway...
We were heading into the Kaimais for 3 days and I advised him months ahead that he should think about getting hold of some boots, he ignored my advice and showed up in a pair of Nike Air Force Ones.
Luckily he was able to borrow some gear including a 40L pack and rain gear.
However, he likes a drink and couldn't be persuaded to bring wine or whisky but instead brought 12 Flame cans (!) and a bottle of scrumpy. This meant that he wasn't able to fit his sleeping bag or portion of the food in his pack. He carried one in each hand, no spare hands for stability.
It ended up pissing down, and we had a jolly time walking along in the thunder and lightning, but somewhere clambering over or under a fallen tree he slipped and jarred his knee.
I ended up carrying his food, then his sleeping bag as a 6.5hr journey turned into a 11 hour journey. Thankfully the hut we were headed to had some cheery DOC contractors with deep heat, and a 1.5hr track to the road on the other side.
They thought he was super cool for bringing in all the beers, I didn't.
Could have been much worse, next piece of kit I bought was a space bivy, if he'd slipped and broken a leg it would have been a long wait in the pouring rain.
Now I know, if I'm not comfortable about my companions preparations, I won't go with them.
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Classic story M400 - reminds me of one trip I did with my burly hunter mate into the Takitimus in Southland - I asked if he had bought any beers - I had bought 3 cans - he said "yea mate, I got a dozen cans!"
He had a big pack and despite us being in the bush for 3 days we still couldnt drink all the beers - lightweights.
Then there is one of my own idiot stories - bought a pair of Meidnl boots off trademe second hand, tried them on a couple of small walks - yea they seemed OK but a bit snug. I got the guy in the middle of Wellington to stretch them a bit - it provided reliefand I thought all was OK.
Then I took them on a trip to Dundas hut in the Tararuas in June - snow everywhere. The boots stayed dry and cold the whole time - usually I find getting them wet softens the leather a bit. Turns out they were still too small. I had 2 big black toenails by the end of it. Luckily I bumped into other members of my club (complete coincidence) at Dundas hut, as I ended up needing a lot of painkillers. I could still walk OK though so I wasnt holding anyone up (I walked out with those same people along Dundas Ridge). Having frozen feet from all the snow helped bigtime. It turned out to be one of my favourite trips in there.
I sold the boots when I got home, and then found another pair of the same boots on trademe - half a size bigger - they were perfect and I still have them.
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On Stewart Island & we heard about an Austrian guy whose food for his 10 days consisted of rice & tomato sauce.We ran into this racing whitebait close to Freshwater hut & he was at a fast clip to get to Oban to resupply!Starvation is a great,if not temporary,motivator.
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Forum | The campfire |
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Started by | James the Giant |
On | 2 February 2019 |
Replies | 46 |
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