White out!
GT: Greenwich woman averts disaster on 86-day trek. That’s the claim; the story, written by someone not on the paper’s staff, is less compelling and of course, more accurate. Turns out, a young woman on a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) trip ran into a snowstorm in New Mexico with her group. They expected sun, they got snow and cold feet so they retreated and went on with the rest of their itinerary. Big friggin’ whoop.
I suppose I’m annoyed at this jazzing up of the facts by the editor because I’m a graduate of NOLS as is one of my daughters and I know the organization to run a safe program. The hiker was never in danger, nor does she claim to have been – the Greenwich Time invents that element.
Just another example of the phenomenon that, when you know something about a particular subject you can recognize how much the press, which seems to know nothing about anything, distorts reality. It’s not a huge leap to imagine that that same distortion and misrepresentation of facts is also going on in the coverage of events you don’t know much about.
I had to navigate around an enormous puddle walking to the bagel store this morning! Then, they were out of garlic bagels! Imagine the terror as I was confronted by a snarling shih tzu on the way home. But I made it, thank God.
If you pick up a Pulitzer for publishing this, I want half.
Which is why people read blogs, read the right ones and you get a professional / industry insider / person who was right there / person who actually knows something about the subject, making informed comment and speculation and even, gosh, reporting the facts.
Yes, like our host, it’s often colored by their ideology and slant, but it’s rare to read an blogger who isn’t entirely up-front about that. (Heck even the leftist blogs tend to basically say: “We are leftist tools, and proud of it.” or words to that effect. I can live with that.
And which is several of the reasons newspapers are dieing: old news ( days to months behind the news cycle), no depth, presented badly, with lots of slant ( but refusing to admit it.).
…and one time I almost really did die, when I got lost in Yosemite Park after having snowshoed out to photograph a sunset. I tried to find my way out until I couldn’t walk anymore and woke up unable to walk due to the cold. I didn’t sign in on any log book, so nobody was missing me. As the day went on and slowly got warmer, my legs could work again and I kept trying to find my way out and finally did. There was no story at all because there were no witnesses and the overall story is boring. I got lost, was freezing, then unfroze and finally found my way out. Big Deal, but could have been the end of me. Many times life-threatening stories are pretty boring.
Moral of the story: tell people where you are going if you are off adventuring alone – either your family or a hotel/hostel clerk – or check if there is a log sign in book at the area where you are adventuring. My parents didn’t even know I was at Yosemite. I was supposed to be touring down the CA coast, but a landslide wiped out some major roads and I took off to Yosemite instead.
What a waste it would have been to die in such a boring way, mainly because I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing.
A small day pack with simple emergency gear is also a good idea. And now I’ll admit that I often go out without that pack and without notifying anyone where I’m going. God loves fools- he made so many of us.
What kind of academic credit can she be earning taking this hike in lieu of classes at Cornell?
Yeah I know, but having done the (six week) course when I was 20 (without receiving “academic” credit, btw), I’d bet her three months with NOLS will serve her better in life than a semester at college. But learning self-reliance and outdoor skills doesn’t strike me as an “academic” pursuit. On the other hand, neither do wicca studies or courses on women’s oppression in the colonial era, so ….
I agree completely that NOLS serves its participants well in life. Abbie is no slouch – a member of the Cornell Rowing Team, her profile says she’s majoring in Industrial and Labor Relations. So I suspect she’s not eschewing responsibility by hiking but rather gaining some skills in negotiating the next round of union layoff and pension cuts. Way to go!
Maybe it’s not academic credit, but is used as a gym requirement. I once got some college gym credit for a spelunking course. (We went exploring caves for a credit)
@peeps, it’s academic credit for $14.5k. It qualifies for Federal financial aid. Depending on the program it looks like one semester ranges from ~$12k-$20k.
http://www.nols.edu/courses/locations/pacificnw/semesterontheborders.shtml
16 Semester Credit Hours
2 Hours Biology
2 Hours Environmental Studies
4 Hours Leadership Techniques
6 Hours Skills Practicum
2 Hours Risk Assessment
Wow. Cost me $600 for six weeks of mountaineering in 1973. Best money I ever spent but even accounting for 40 years inflation, ….
Dude –
I understood why you let the anniversary of Elvis dying on the porcelain throne go by with no mention. Although I do think you should have posted something on it.
But letting August 17th go by, with no recognition of the most beautiful goddess who has ever walked planet? YES THAT’S RIGHT!! It was Maureen’s birthday!! She is 92 frigging years old, and she still looks great.
She is the rarest of the rare birds, Dude. A Ginger Irish lass, who was actually beautiful!! With a great rack! You have a better chance of winning the $300 million Powerball than being Irish and looking like her. And the face of an Angel!!
She was a woman, when women were women. None of this woman libs crap. She would knock a few down, curse like a sailor, slap your face, then enjoy getting treated like a dirty little wench. They don’t make them like her anymore.
Sorry Steph!!
Your Pal,
Walt
Walt has fabulous taste in women. Maureen is a classic beauty (and talent). She didn’t fare as well in marriage – first and second marriages a bust, and her third died tragically. I like that she’s chosen to live a very private life. Speaks volumes for her. Thanks for the video.
I’m surprised TCM isn’t running an O’Hara marathon. Today was all about Freddie Bartholomew but I’ve got my bowl of popcorn ready for the Giants and Jets game on now – Tim Tebow’s first game as a Jet. I say Giants win easily. 40-21.
Maureen looked like a tranny. A hot piece pf ass was Joan Blondell or a Shelley Winters. Va Va vavoom!
No Chris……you are thinking of Jonathan Winters
Vic Ferrari’s comment made my day.