You are your own responsibility

[mark a.]

This will be obvious for many of us. But then I thought it was obvious to me before I realised I wasn't paying enough attention!

If I'm out for a walk with my wife, we'll always be suitably prepared - plenty of water, spare food, map/compass, FAK or whatever is required for what we're doing. We do this because we've gotten into a routine - and it's a good habit to have.

Recently though I've found that if I'm not with my wife the break in routine makes me "lazy". A couple of examples:

1) I was out in the woods with Bambodoggy and AndyN a couple of weeks ago. A great time was had, but I was mortified to realise that I was woefully underequipped, and ended up sponging off them for food, drink etc. They were both very nice about it, fortunately! Next time I'll probably overcompensate and bring the kitchen sink with me too, but that will be better than nothing.

2) I was cycling with my brother the other day. Unlike my brother, I'm not really a cyclist, I was using his spare bike, so I left all the bike stuff to him to sort as he's the expert. As we were halfway through the ride, I noticed my rear tyre was a little low, so I asked to borrow the pump. "Errr, it's in the car." Puncture repair kit? "With the pump. Along with the bike tools too, before you ask." D'oh! Fortunately we made it back ok, but I was kicking myself for not taking responsibilty and ensuring we have all the necessary bike stuff with us.

In retrospect these were totally obvious, but it's easy to slip up. You learn from your mistakes, and fortunately my mistakes were fairly innocuous in the end, but god forbid if the tyre had completely run flat, or if I was in the middle of some woods, running out of water and food.

So, the lesson for today is to make sure you have all the stuff you need, and don't necessarily rely on others to do it for you!

 

[jdlenton]

"be prepred" can be loked at in more ways than one but on this occasion it fits very well

 

[gregorach]

That's pretty much the thinking behind my sig line...

 

[Snufkin]

Stuff the tyre with grass. It doesn't work very well but it can get you home without totally destroying your wheel.
I've never tried it personally as I over compensate when biking and carry three spare tubes, a tyre patch a puncture repair kit and pump. Plus spare chain links and tool kit.

 

[sargey]

love many, trust a few, but always paddle your own canoe

cheers, and.

 

[ilan]

Unfortunatly its not taught enough When scuba diving great reliance is placed upon you buddy rescuing you and people die because of it . We live in a society now when people dont expect to be self reliant after all its there "Human right " to be given assistance . ilan

 

[wingstoo]

We live in a society now when people dont expect to be self reliant after all its there "Human right " to be given assistance . ilan

Very true ilan,

Never rely on anyone to get you out of the poo, if you haven't prepared for the worst case scenario and you end up to the neck in it, you can only blame yourself, it is no one elses fault except your own,

LS

 

[andyn]

1) I was out in the woods with Bambodoggy and AndyN a couple of weeks ago. A great time was had, but I was mortified to realise that I was woefully underequipped, and ended up sponging off them for food, drink etc. They were both very nice about it, fortunately! Next time I'll probably overcompensate and bring the kitchen sink with me too, but that will be better than nothing.

And you would have gotten a share of Bam's brekkie too if the dog hadnt come and stolen your sausages.

 

[pibbleb]

Never rely on anyone to get you out of the poo, if you haven't prepared for the worst case scenario and you end up to the neck in it,

Totally agree LS

It's odd but there was a time when I never really gave my planning a lot of thought until about 6 years ago when I found myself airside in a German airport with my 3 month old daughter and discovered I hadn't packed the spare nappies required for a now very smelly baby.

My responsibility but assumed and it did end up making an '***' out of 'u' and 'me'!

just lucky I wasn't in the field I quess.

Pib

 

[janiepopps]

love many, trust a few, but always paddle your own canoe

cheers, and.

ooh, I like that!!

j

 

[g4ghb]

I agree totally that you should take responsibility for yourseld and your own actions


Having said that there are situations when safety dictates that you place your trust (and life) in the hands of another. For example, as mentioned earlier, sub aqua but also thinks like climbing (which I enjoy)

Even in this situation you still have a large responsibility yourself - how well you place gear etc - but with a really good partner you can have (and I do, in some ) complete faith! - but I guess this still further compounds the ethos of taking responsibility to get to know whether that person is reliable!

I think I have got across what I was trying to say, but feel I am rambleing now without helping the situation! - so i'll stop!

 

[wingstoo]

I agree totally that you should take responsibility for yourseld and your own actions


Having said that there are situations when safety dictates that you place your trust (and life) in the hands of another. For example, as mentioned earlier, sub aqua but also thinks like climbing (which I enjoy)

Even in this situation you still have a large responsibility yourself - how well you place gear etc - but with a really good partner you can have (and I do, in some ) complete faith! - but I guess this still further compounds the ethos of taking responsibility to get to know whether that person is reliable!

I think I have got across what I was trying to say, but feel I am rambleing now without helping the situation! - so i'll stop!

g4ghb,

I totally agree with the situations you have listed that you sometimes need to rely on others, your "buddy" or your top roper...A bit like trusting that your driving instructor isn't going to let you go round that corner at 30mph when you should be at ten...thank goodness for dual controls...

But, in other situations if you always rely on others to do your thinking for you then you are just a disaster waiting to happen, don't think that the mobile will work on your trip away, check it, and leave a route card...don't assume that the other car has a tow rope, carry your own...I am sure you all get the drift...

LS

 

[g4ghb]

Don't get me wrong - I agree wholeheartedly with you! (I diddn't think I had explained myself very well)

I never rely on someone having something, I always either take it or it is planned (and I have seen they have it) that it will be a shared item.

I regularly take extra equipment thet is not needed as I would rather know I am prepared than rely on an unknown (been a mountain leader for too long I guess)

I think what I was trying to say is that sometimes you have to rely on the skills of another - but that does not mean you don't have a responsibility to ensure they have those skills first!

g4ghb,

I totally agree with the situations you have listed that you sometimes need to rely on others, your "buddy" or your top roper...A bit like trusting that your driving instructor isn't going to let you go round that corner at 30mph when you should be at ten...thank goodness for dual controls...

But, in other situations if you always rely on others to do your thinking for you then you are just a disaster waiting to happen, don't think that the mobile will work on your trip away, check it, and leave a route card...don't assume that the other car has a tow rope, carry your own...I am sure you all get the drift...

LS

 

[wingstoo]

I probably came across a bit abrupt there, sorry 'bout that...


As you say, sometimes you have to rely on others skills...unfortunately that is getting to be human nature...I think it is best to learn the skills you need to do the task, if you haven't the skills, then don't do the task before you have...

Let's get things back in balance, we are all capable people who need to be more independent of the pack...

LS

 

[Moonraker]

Isn't one of the key aspects of bushcraft that we learn to cope without all the kit; in the 'lost the rucksack down a ravin' kind of situation? Learning those types of skills seem the right way to be responsible for oneself before most else...

 

[ilan]

Yes i agree we need to have the skills or learn them . A lot of it i find is sitting quiet and thinking it thro , To many people follow the pack,feel pressured into gettingthe latest kit or doing somthing beyond thee capabilities . Going back to diving , i will often dive alone (With other divers knowing my plan ) i feel more confident have no pressure so i will often dive shallower even surface if i feel somthings not quite right cause i know i dont have to worry about letting any one down.

 

[mark a.]

I'm glad everyone is as prepared as I should have been!

I'm not talking about worst-case-scenario, though. Otherwise I'd never get out of the door, or else I'd be carrying so much stuff with me I'd never get to see anything. But taking a few essentials and a bit of "just in case" is definitely a good idea.

And next time we got out in the woods I'm bringing some dog biscuits (maybe laced with sleeping powder... )

 

[BOD]

When scuba diving great reliance is placed upon you buddy rescuing you and people die because of it . :

Yes this is often the cause of double fatalities. I forbid buddy checks until each diver has checked his own kit first. Buddy can only watch and point out problems.

There is no parallel with climbing. At no point should you have to rely on your buddy. Being dependant is the first stage in the incident pit.

If people dived solo they would take less risks.

 

[leon-1]

Yes this is often the cause of double fatalities. I forbid buddy checks until each diver has checked his own kit first. Buddy can only watch and point out problems.

There is no parallel with climbing. At no point should you have to rely on your buddy. Being dependant is the first stage in the incident pit.

If people dived solo they would take less risks.

Surely all of this be it as BOD has mentioned diving, climbing, hillwalking or any other activity comes down to KNOWING your own abilities, I know for instance that when I was climbing a lot I could climb E4, but I would never attempt to solo anything over HVS / E1.

Everyone has a comfort zone, they can push it (quite rightly), but there are limits that one should not push unless they have all the back up neccessary.

We learn by pushing these comfort zones, we become hazardous when we do it without due caution or preparation.

 

[bambodoggy]

I tend to agree with Leon, you should know your limits. I'd also say that provided you also know your partner then there is nothing wrong with being reliant on them, particularly until your own skill level has grown.
I am an SPSA qualified climbing instructor and often take people who have never been out climbing before out for a days climbing....they know I'm the instructor and that if they get themselves into difficulties then I will sort them out (I stop short of saying "rescue" them as it sounds a bit dramatic and patronising and that isn't needed). The same applies to most "dangerous" activities....I was canoeing with a group in Sweden last month and although all became profficient paddlers in a very short time it was still nice for them to know that had they flipped their boat with all their gear in during a paddle across a very very cold lake then I would have been there to haul them out and send them on their way again....my point being I see no probem with replying on others who know a little more or have a little more experience.

In the TA I was taught the buddy system and although you take responcibility for yourself it's nice to know that there's somebody else who's watching your back...and you theirs.

Even now if I'm away for a weekend or so and I'm with a mate I go out with a lot then we talk before we go and decide what we need between us...no point in us both carrying a billy if we can share etc.

Mark in your case I think you're being too hard on yourself (not that it's a bad things as it'll push you to be more prepared next time), it was your first night out under a tarp and if you'd have hated it then you'd have wasted the money buying one...I have spares so why not borrow them to try out? You didn't need any of the items Andy or I lent you....they either just made life a little simpler or where just interesting to try out.
If you'd gone on your own you'd have taken some more food and with the weather like it was you could have slept out without the tarp or bivvi bag (or like I did without a sleeping bag either! lol).
If anything I thought you had too much stuff with you....or maybe just the wrong items...that changes with the more times you go out...you leave certain things behind and take others....I still think you were pretty spot on for your first time out mate

Cheers,

Bam.