more musings
it would be instructional to know what the relative risks are, for example, dying on a Whitney trail hike, getting hit by lightning on a golf course, driving drunk, or tripping on the sidewalk outside Starbucks.
The latter may sound frivolous, but listen to this. I once reviewed the medical aspects of a lawsuit. Little old lady tripped on sidewalk outside mall, broke hip, months of hospital and rehab. I asked the lawyer what was the size of the hole she tripped on? Aha! he says. That is the crux of the case. Tiny insignificant hole would not trip her - she is a goldigger. Large hole any fool would see and avoid. But, sounding like the three bears story, just the the right size hole could be overlooked yet large enough to trip and fall.
Same for a minor but wrong turn off the trail, or just a stone in the trail. It does not take darkness, AMS, fatigue, or skedaddled partners to explain any of this.
