Some of this should produce lively conversation/dialog....with that and this said I was cautioned by a good friend that one can't cure ignorance...my spelling will attest to this fact...and really trully I am not even going to attempt to cure anything... it is just a story that will in time segway to the, I hope, exchange of knowledge and not the passing of judgement on anyone or anything...and foreshadow a trip report by my son and myself....it is just a story....so please no one get hot under the collar ;)

Tuesday afternoon-7/28/09 approx. 3:15pm.....
The boy(8 yrs old) and I where on the 105 rod portage from Alpine into Sea Gull, on the Sea Gull side-eating a bit and waiting for the rain to slow a bit before we finished up our trip-low 60's-high 50's-windy/good surf-and raining. We had a group of three come upon us and were oozing a major vibe of panic.... Well the long and the short of is that( as I am a bit pressed for time) one of their party had broken their leg! When I expressed my background in some detail...a decision was make, on my part, to go back and assist them with situation....When I got there I found a group in in cotton, wet, with many hypothermic, and UTTERLY unprepared for the most part....The injured party was on medication that was not hers, wet, and had blue lips and was shivering....not to metion a busted leg-tiba fracture! Wow-well that was them anywayz! My eight yr old had the where with all to convey this to a party of 3 awesome forest service workers...he was on the portage with one of the adult party(injured party) members-they were actually all adults in my mine set...well sort of! The long and the short of it was that we got her out-after I splitted her leg, worked on the hypotherma issue of some of there party members, got their group together with a plan, got assitance from the forest service workers with the extrication from the island on alpine...and did the hobble and life jacket buggy carry across the 105, arrange for a motorized portage from the south side of three mile island...etc, etc, etc....

Not one of there party of thirteen had decent visible rain gear, all were in cotton and wet, there was one goose down sleeping bag...one synthetic bag...otherwise the all had cotton cabin bags...life jackets were optional....am I painting the picture?

I will leave with these closing thoughts...Thank you Sea Gull Canoe Outfitters for the donation of the wet portage boat...Thank you Forest Service trail maintenance group-you are great people! Ian that "tack" brace was the bomb, U will be forever known to me as Captain Braceman!I am trully glad Mick and I were there to help you Church Group folks with the situation. D I hope that you work through the rehabit issues and the surgery with courage and perserverance; and You get back on the horse that bucked ya off...and get a good pair of boots-2 all-b4 the next trip a long with a bunch of other gear!

In addition....I am confronted once again with the concept of Wilderness and what it means?

Well that's a start...got a date...got to go

M