[BirdDog]

Josh; We have been hard on you here. We are an on-line community, you are part of that. We care about you. Don't get discouraged by what we have said, learn from what we have said. We are trying to keep you from getting hurt or killed. Please take some time to think back on what dangers you put yourself in, and what the consequences could have been. You did a good job of finding your way back. But would you be alive this morning if you got lost and didn't get back to Paradise? It is extremely easy to get lost up there in the conditions you were in. Would you been able to descend if temps dropped and turned the Muir snowfield into ice? Could you have survived the night if you brother had slipped and hit his head? Temps were in the 20's overnight at Paradise. You obviously have a great love of climbing. Slow down and be safe so you can enjoy the wonderful feeling climbing gives you for years to come. Don't spend your last moments of life lying in the bottom of a crevasse wondering how your friends and family will deal with your death or if you are lucky how you would deal with months of rehab from a broken back. Take Care

[Scrooge]

Josh, the thing you need most is more experienced companions. I'm not talking about older people like Eastking, who are happy to have you along and more than willing to share what they know. I'm talking about kids closer to your own age, kids who have the same interests and drives that you do, but who happen to have acquired the knowledge and experience that lets them make informed decisions when they're charging up and down the mountains; kids for whom having the right equipment has become just something they do. I know they're out there. I can't tell you how to find them. When I was your age, in cave country back East, they were in my high school. I was lucky. You may have to look further. The people who's athletic interests lie outside of school don't show up the way the kids in the school athletic programs do. It's quite likely that they just do their own thing and don't advertise. There'll still be ways to find them. Particularly with the internet, there are going to be pathways that old fogies like me don't know about. Start using them. Maybe some of the people here on nwhikers will have ideas about where to find them. Your "teachers" don't have to be certified by the Mountaineers. You know that a lot of the things you're doing are dangerous; you even know when you need more information and what a lot of the right questions are. You just need to be with somebody that already knows a lot of the answers. Josh, you're not by yourself. I guarantee there are other kids out there who will appreciate your heart and drive, and who will welcome you to their group. ........ Make finding them your next mountain.

[Spotly]

Seriously, stick to some easy trails (no intersections, well marked, low elevation...preferably paved and covered). Leave the mountains (and moderate trails for that matter) to people who have a little more respect for them...and for their partners.

[Slugman]

I believe this kid is feeding off of all the attention. Go ahead, get yourself killed, I won't read the TR by the survivors. You are on "ignore".

[jenjen]

Josh, I'm just going to point out that one of the hardest, and most necessary, things to learn is when to back away. I *know* it's hard to wake up in the morning after a long drive to the trailhead, look at the weather, and give up on the trip. But that's exactly what you need to do sometimes. The mountain isnt' going anywhere, it'll still be there when the weather and the timing is better. You, however, might not live to see another day if you push the conditions. You admit in your trip report that you almost walked off a cliff without even seeing it.

[tigermn]

[Slugman]

I'm not trying to be mean. Sometimes you must be cruel to be kind. I just don't want to read about the upcoming tragedy.

[Tazz]

Josh has had many challenges in his short 16 yrs. None of which is his fault! He is NOT stupid or naive tigerman! I do think he needs a mentor though. Unfortunately I cannot do that for him.

[tigermn]

[fwb]

I've lost friends in the wilderness. It still hangs on me having watched them die. They were experts took a risk and now all of use related are haunted, just simple accidents... Think of more then yourself out there. You are risking the life of the rescuers that would be sent out to recover your body or at least look for it. Are you really willing to risk their lives for your foley? Even if found how do you think those that love you will feel? Find some good experienced leaders and do your trips with them. Join a group where you will learn a wealth from their knowledge and experience. As it is from your putting yourself at high risk and poor decisions it will become harder to find a group willing to take you. Be humble and start mellow. There are trips on these forums I love reading about, but would not do. Sometimes it is better to live vicariously and for another day. There is a reason why the legends of climbing are still alive. They know what to take, use it and will turn around and save for another day if even the simplist thing points toward things going wrong. I've had days I wanted to keep on and a very old friend in his wisdom said we'd save it for another day. One less summit, though a lifetime for more. The adventures are fun, though the congnitive reasoning while doing them needs more time to grow and mature. It is part of life growth. I hope you will have the patience. Be safe.

[Dayhike Mike]

Josh, in case you didn't get my earlier tongue in cheek joke re: the STOLI policy, here's more of the same unsolicited advice: slow down, engage your brain, and knock off the wild west antics. There's *NO* (zip, zilch, zero) pride in simply becoming another statistic.

[Go Jo]

[cartman]

[Doppelganger]

[wamtngal]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but technically Josh, you weren't even supposed to be out on the Cowlitz. From Mt. Rainier's climbing webpage: