The Magazine of The Sierra Club
When Is It OK to Deceive Your Hiking Companions?
My friends were more worried about reaching the summit than hypothermia
Not being able to see one's surroundings is usually considered hazardous. But sometimes it can be useful, like when you're on a weeklong backpacking trip with friends in Colorado, ending with an ascent of Mt. Richthofen . . .
We had chosen our route by rolling dice for longitude and latitude. The result was a hike along Colorado's Never Summer range.
On the last day, as we started to ascend, it began to rain. it wasn't long before my down parka was soaked. I thought we should abandon summiting.
But I was in the minority. Fearing hypothermia, I decided to shelter while they went on. A few minutes later, I heard whooping and hollering above me on the ridge.
I joined my friends, who didn't know what I did—Richthofen has a false summit. The real one is 200 feet higher. But I played along, and we got down safely.
This article appeared in the May/June 2018 edition with the headline "Sin of Omission."
ASK THE EXPERT
Francy Rubin is a veteran leader for Sierra Club Outings.
"You should check the weather before any outdoor activity. Heading into the Colorado Rockies—where afternoon thundershowers are common—with only a down jacket and no rain gear was not a smart move. When the rain started, the party should have found a safe place to camp and gotten out of their wet clothes quickly."
