KNEE DEEP: Outdoor Fear Power Rankings

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BY MIKE STEVENS

Being eaten by a terrific white shark

                  Subsequent-to-zero fear because of the truth I’m merely not inside whitey’s attain except they begin blasting into the thin water like orca’s snatching seals of seashores in Argentina. I suppose being on a ship that sinks and recreates the usS. Indianapolis scene as described by Quint in Jaws is inside the realm of chance, however I’m taking part in the numbers right here and the chances are overwhelmingly in my favor.

Having to desert ship

                  Once more, the chances. Even when it does go down (actually), we’re very conscious of the extent {of professional} response our crews are skilled to ship in addition to the drop-everything-and-go-help response the sportboat fleet and personal boaters knee jerks to in occasions of want. So, it’s not one thing I actually concern myself with. I sleep like a child on boats and that wouldn’t be doable if I didn’t really feel utterly secure.

Bear drama

                  As a Sierra man I run throughout black bears fairly typically, and in my expertise, even when they’re lower than 10 toes away, they act as in the event you aren’t even there. A current scenario that went down in Mammoth reveals what can occur (to each bear and fool) in case you are an entire moron round them, however the closest factor to drama I ever skilled with a bear was actually no massive deal. I used to be casting from shore at Lake Mary round nightfall when an enormous bear confirmed up from behind a tree about 15 toes away. It stopped, sniffed my backpack, picked it up, walked up a hill, ripped a gap into it and went to work on my Clif Bars. I emailed Clif Bar and jokingly blamed them for the incident, and so they despatched me 4 instances of their merchandise to bury the hatchet.

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Unhealthy kitty

                  I’ve but to identify a mountain lion within the wild, however I’m comparatively positive they’ve seen me. I used to learn so much about “via hikers” that trekked the Pacific Crest Path (PCT) from Mexico to Canada, and there have been a number of accounts of hikers recognizing the identical cat for dozens of miles. As in, a mountain lion was following them for days. One dude lastly obtained so sketched out by it, he shot down the hill to Lone Pine and hitched a journey to the subsequent entry level simply to ditch the factor. So, not frightened about being pounced on by a puma, however not like a bear, they often don’t announce their presence, so the thought has crossed my thoughts.

Waterborne Sickness

I’ve drank gallons of water proper out of Sierra creeks for my complete life and by no means felt ailing results, however I do know it’s doable to get sick from ingesting untreated H20. I consider giardia is the most probably bug, however I perceive it often takes a couple of week earlier than it wreaks havoc in your guts, so my angle has all the time been “at the very least it gained’t destroy my journey!” It ranks larger on the listing than a number of the extra enjoyable stuff as a result of I nonetheless drink creek water, however I do have a filter in my daypack nowadays within the occasion I’ve to drink loads of it.

Getting misplaced

                  It’s solely a priority as a result of it occurs to people yearly. Closest I got here was coming down from the backcountry close to the border of Inyo and Mono county. I used to be following a path, and in a type of drained rhythms of watching one boot step in entrance of the opposite after an extended day, I didn’t actually discover the path disappeared from below me. Once I did, I discovered myself in an enormous clearing and didn’t know the way far again I left the path. For a minute there, it was not a superb feeling, then I simply took a deep breath, appeared round and noticed the height that was proper behind the lake I used to be fishing. At that time I used to be capable of reverse-engineer my path and get again on monitor. Oh, I noticed the ghost of John Muir up there that very same day on the best way up. All good, he was cool. For extra on that, go to WONews.com and simply search “Muir.”

Fried by lightning

                  Whereas in Montana for a household reunion in my early 20s, I used to be waded (didn’t need to trespass!) manner upstream on some creek aspiring to fish my manner again. In traditional summer-in-Montana vogue, clear skies gave technique to darkish, ominous rumbling clouds in minutes. Every thunder clap was louder than the final, and I headed again the best way I got here as soon as it began pouring. I didn’t get very far earlier than lightning was cracking over my head (I had by no means heard lightning earlier than), and I might really feel hairs on the again of my neck sticking up with every zap. Forgetting concerning the truth I used to be strolling in water and holding a graphite rod over my head, I made my manner again the place my journey put two and two collectively and was already there ready for me.

A e-book referred to as Shattered Air by Bob Madgic (a couple of group getting cooked on Half Dome) actually freaked me out about lightning primarily as a result of confirmed in nice element simply how dangerous it sucks to get struck by it, but additionally as a result of I realized a bolt of lightning can fry you from one thing like (it’s been some time) 7 miles away. Since I nonetheless typically discover myself  “Standing in a River Waving a Stick” (RIP John Gierach) throughout excessive nation thunderstorms, getting smoked by lightning earns the 4 spot.

Consumed by the Owens Valley

I’m a type of guys who will know days forward of time that the decrease Owens River is unfishable as a result of ripping flows solely to persuade myself on the drive up that it won’t be that dangerous. Upon arrival, I often discover out it’s worse than I believed, but I’ll nonetheless put miles in in search of some legendary huge part that is likely to be calm sufficient to have the ability to maintain a Countdown Rapala lengthy sufficient for a fish to eat it. On Sierra Opener Eve following that winter of all winters, the water was a torrent of raging white or chocolate milk, and full timber would float previous me.  But there I used to be, standing on bluffs and undercut banks simply begging for a collapse that will shoot me a mile or so downstream earlier than turning me right into a semi-permanent installment to the decrease portion of the subsequent logjam. It might not kill as many individuals because the Kern River, however the Decrease O’s physique depend is nothing to shake a stick at, and I ought to actually cease messing with it.

Unintentional encounter with a “nope rope”

                  I’m actually not frightened {that a} rattlesnake goes to kill me, however I’m form of shocked that I’ve but to be smoked by one, and it looks like an expertise that will suck bigly. I do all of the stuff you’re not imagined to: trudge via brushy and rocky areas in rattler nation, attain over rocks and logs with out having a look first and so forth. This one is solely primarily based on the truth that I’m most likely within the zone for this to occur extra typically than your common Joe. I as soon as requested a physician what I ought to carry on me in case I get bit by a rattler, and he mentioned, “the perfect factor you may have is automotive keys.”

Late-night freeway run

My highschool authorities trainer was a Sierra man, and he advised me a narrative about driving north on Freeway 395 at night time that has caught with me for nearly 30 years. He mentioned he might see headlights forward that had been clearly on his facet of the highway. They by no means moved into the right lane, and he needed to swerve into the fallacious lane himself and so they handed one another on the left.

His idea was the opposite driver had dozed off, and I believe that’s a superb guess. Most 395 regulars know that freeway is a killer (in the event you’re not, simply Google up “freeway 395 deadly accident”) and in overlaying the area for a number of a long time, I do know loads of it’s the results of somebody swerving into the fallacious lane if not off the highway.

I do know I keep awake –as a result of I additionally take into consideration what would occur ought to my headlights all-the-sudden make contact with some big-game critter—however dangerous stuff occurs typically sufficient that I don’t belief anybody else.

THAT one truly scares me.

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