Page 14 - MARCH/APRIL GRANITE LIFE

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GRANITELIFE.ONLINE
Off the Hook “Food for Thought”
March 2023
I have noticed on my news feed as of late, that there has been several stories about hikers going out alone in both good and sketchy conditions. I applaud the adventurous spirit but question the decision for some of these hiking enthusiasts. One story in particular caught my attention as I read through it, and I kept ask- ing myself, “what was this person thinking.. or not? This particular hiker was a woman nearing her seventies, she had always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. She had hiking experience lo- cally, but had never been on an extended hike such as this one. She and a friend, whom was in the same age bracket decided that they would undertake this challenge, which, again I ap- plaud. They started out together and had gone all the way along the tail to about 200 miles short of the finish. It was at this point
that the friend had been alerted to a family crisis and had to de- part the excursion and would not be rejoining her companion. The now lone hiker decided that she would continue along and finish the hike. This is the point at which I was thinking the rest of the story writes itself, and it did, sadly. The gist of this tale is that the lone hiker, a woman approaching elderly status, was not all that adept at keeping to the trail and according to her partner, she had led them astray a few times and become some- what combative when she was approached by her friend as to her mistakes. The long and short of it was that she almost imme- diately got lost and died several weeks later of exposure, starva- tion and the like. A tragedy that could have easily been prevented.
Having said all of this, again, I admire and respect the spirit
of adventure, but question the planning and preparation. A few things to think about before attempting any long or short distance romps through the wil-
derness. Always have a map and compass with you, and more importantly, know how to use them. Carry plenty of food and water, a Global Positioning Sys- tem (GPS) with you and spare
batteries. The most important piece of equipment you can carry with you for these sojourns, in my humble opinion, is an emergency position indicating radio beacon, (EPIRB). If you get lost or hurt or any combina- tion thereof, you can active this beacon and help is on the way to your exact position within plus or minus 3 meters, 24/7, 365. There are several different mod- els and industry names for this piece of equipment and they are tailored to your need by industry. They range in price from about $150.00 and up. Every hiker, boater or adventurist of any kind that may be out in the wilder- ness or at sea should investigate these tools in case of the worst case scenario and it’s your day for Murphy to show up. You are stacking the odds heavily in your favor. Just a thought. Hope is not a strategy.
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Save the date! There may be bone-chilling cold in the fore- cast, but spring is just around the corner, and with it comes the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s popular outdoor festival, Discover WILD New Hampshire Day. This free community event is set for Sat- urday, April 15, 2023. It takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the grounds of the New Hampshire Fish and Game De- partment at 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, NH, rain or shine. Ad- mission is free.
Celebrating 33 years of con- necting resident and visitors with the outdoors, Discover WILD New Hampshire Day is a fun way for the whole family to ex- plore New Hampshire’s wildlife resources and outdoor traditions. Browse educational exhibits pre- sented by environmental and
conservation organizations from throughout the state. See live animals, big fish, and trained fal- cons. Try your hand at archery, casting, fly-tying, and on an air-rifle range. Watch retriever dogs in action. Get creative with hands-on craft activities. Plus, check out food truck alley— you’ll find something for every taste!
Discover WILD New Hamp- shire Day is hosted by the New Hampshire Fish and Game De- partment and presented by the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire, Fish and Game’s nonprofit partner (www. nhwildlifeheritage.org), with sup- port from media sponsor Man- chester Radio Group.
Watch for more details about Discover WILD New Hamp- shire Day at www.wildnh.com.
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Discover WILD New Hampshire Day Set for Saturday, April 15th