Chaos in the Woods

The “Woods” is different.
We tend to live in cities in boxes with square edges, flat “safe” streets and sidewalks with go and stop to regulate our daily movements. Our cell phone number is digital even – not analog. Analog refers to having a complete sweep from zero to maximum, not from zero to one. This is not a “natural” condition because the zero or one merely have to be approximate and not exact. All of this is done in an attempt to control Chaos.

The nature of the Universe is not just chaotic – it is chaotic because of the very real effect of Chaos – a law of nature – not just an observed quality. Like gravity, the speed of light, the speed of sound and the 4 forces, Chaos has to be understood when entering the “Woods” because the woods is analog AND chaotic. For example, the “sidewalk” in the woods is never really level, its always off a bit because the surface of the Earth “flows” down hill. Rocks are tilted and all are in the process of falling even lower. Many processes are strained and just waiting for someone or something to trigger them.

The “woods” is an extremely safe place. The woods is never in danger of itself and every chaotic event from a grain of sand rolling, or a boulder rolling, or a volcano erupting is completely normal and Chaotic. The “Objective” danger in the woods is extremely low. The odds of a volcano or mountain or boulder falling on you are extremely small. You can also be struck by lightening, suffer a heart attack, or choke to death, but again all of these are chaotic.

What’s “dangerous” about the woods is that it is different than our city born expectations. How many times have you carefully prepared a camping list at home and ended up missing important gear and having some totally unused gear because after you were sitting in the woods for a while it dawned on you that “Its different out here”. I have nearly killed myself on numerous occasions in the Sierras, within half a mile of my truck. Like I was cross country skiing in deep snow and stopped too close to a steep edge and fell through the cornice. I’ve skied across lakes and broken the ice and danced on my skis to survive. The guy who cut his hand off, he simply put his hand where it dislodged a process ready to happen – he should have foreseen the possibility. I walked across a couloir once that had a deep landslide in it. It moved a bit when I stepped on it and I jumped higher up and grabbed a pine root. Five minutes later that same HUGE rockslide rained refrigerator sized boulder down the side of Cathedral Peak. Hundreds of tons of rock suddenly gave way when a 175 pound guy provided the last straw.

So what are some of the things that can get you? Stepping on a log with the center of a hiking boot, between the treads – broke my leg that way. Rocks waiting for a chance to move. Weather. Anything at all can be dangerous if you look at it as “solid” and find out that it is Chaotic. So its your appreciation for the fact that anything CAN happen, and treading lightly so that you are not the cause of your own demise by triggering natural chaotic events.
Jim – Because of the above some of feel that psychological preparedness is far more important than having gear.