E-mail A Friend Tell a friend about the information found on this page by sending them an e-mail.   Your Name: Your E-mail:   Type an e-mail address, then click add: Add a Personal Message: (Optional)

May/June 2000 issue	In this issue Table of Contents Editor’s Notebook Inside Story Reverberations Feature: Water Curious by nature

Eyewitness account
I WAS CAUGHT in the avalanche on Grouse Mountain last winter with the late Rory Manning (Risk and rescue, CG Mar/Apr 2000).

I agree with writer Shawn Blore that people are often unprepared when they venture into the wilderness. The annual number of deaths that result support this finding. I feel the incident I was involved in on Grouse Mountain does not fit in this category. There are a few facts that were ignored in the article.

At the trailhead is a sign that reads: "Extreme Avalanche Danger." In past years, this sign has been posted in December and removed in April or May. Since it is never changed, hikers don’t realize the true avalanche danger on any given day. The unchanging sign is like a highway forest-fire guidepost reading "Extreme fire hazard" in the summer, when you know it has been pouring rain for a week. Would such a sign be credible?

Grouse Mountain Resorts patrols and maintains the trail. They have built stairs and added ropes to help with the climb and to prevent erosion. The hike takes one hour; afterwards you enjoy a hot meal and a beer in the pub. This trail sees more than 100,000 users a year. Does this sound like a backcountry trail? Clearly, all hikers were caught by surprise by this avalanche.

In conclusion, I feel this was not the incident to support the article’s thesis. There is a much deeper controversy in this tragedy than in most wilderness deaths. Another incident should have been chosen to show how people go into the wild unprepared. If this incident was to be used, the full story should have been told.

MARK MONAHAN, VANCOUVER

RORY MANNING was a member of our family and had lived in Vancouver for five years after finishing secondary school in Ontario. He had hiked the Grouse Grind many times in the past, along with the other 100,000 hikers the Grind sees annually. He was able to climb it in around 38 minutes and was in peak physical condition. He joined the Seaforth Army Reserves in 1995 where he graduated first candidate in his basic-training group with recognition for leadership and survival skills.

On January 27, 1999, Rory and one of his former classmates, Mark Monahan, prepared to ascend the Grind in a reasonable fashion, given the following facts: The trail is in a large urban area, heavily travelled, maintained, patrolled, and friendly in the sense that there are steps with ropes and hand rails all the way to the top. This trail is not a backcountry trail. Rory had in his backpack extra clothes, food and snowshoes. He always went prepared.

He was not aware of any unusual risks on this excursion. No warning was given of any unusual circumstances, previous avalanche activity on the mountain that winter, or recent snow instability.

The hero for this family is Tim MacFarlane and the members of CAST (Canadian Amphibious Search Team). They searched tirelessly, gave up their free time and put forth a super-human effort. Their help was unmatched by any other agency, including North Shore Search and Rescue. They did this with one goal in mind: to help a family in trouble. We feel forever indebted to this group for getting us through a most difficult time. The CAST members were the only ones to help us.

In summary, we feel your article contained several misconceptions. It was not adequately researched and leaves out the most important parts of the story, especially as it relates to the people of Vancouver and their safety.

MANNING FAMILY, INGLEWOOD, ONT.

I APPLAUD Canadian Geographic for delivering a thorough and realistic view of what can, and does, happen when people step into the wilderness unprepared for even the most basic of wilderness variables. The portrayal of the life-and-death consequences for those who ventured out to the Grouse Grind last January certainly had a sobering effect on me. Unfortunately, the Editor’s Notebook quotes writer Shawn Blore as saying: "The fact is, no amount of education is going to make any difference."

I work with a variety of wilderness guides and educators who believe strongly that education does make a difference. However, it is difficult to measure the effects of education and training on risk-management decision making, and statistics are scarce. I volunteer for WildRISK, a non-profit project that offers free on-line information for recreationists, guides and operators in an effort to reduce the likelihood of accidents. By providing self-assessment tools and education resources, WildRISK hopes to elevate people’s awareness of the skills required to respond to potential risks. Changing people’s perceptions is a slow and arduous process, and it is articles like yours that help in this effort.

KATHERINE WALKER, VICTORIA

Utopian omission
I PARTICULARLY ENJOY your "Off the map" feature and scanned "A utopian’s map of Canada" with great anticipation (CG Mar/Apr 2000). But you missed it! The hamlet of Utopia, west of Barrie, Ont., is not on the map. In the 1800s, Utopia was centred on the Bell Gristmill on Bear Creek, which operated until 1965. The municipality and citizens of Utopia and area are now raising funds to restore the gristmill to full operation. Perhaps the successful completion of this endeavour will put Utopia on the map.

NANCY CLEARY, ANTEN MILLS, ONT.

Slide salvager
IT WAS A GREAT PLEASURE to read your article on photographer Mattie Gunterman ("Mattie sure shot," CG Mar/Apr 2000). At the time that her 300-odd glass negatives were discovered under a rat’s nest in Beaton, B.C., I was operating a historical photo lab and was asked to pry the negatives apart. They were bonded in a solid mass after many years of exposure to rat urine. Prying them loose with a lever could have been fatal, since there was no guarantee the emulsion would remain on the proper glass plate.

I began by soaking the entire mass in a mild solution of boric acid and water. Within days, several of the plates came apart. Then I began inserting toothpicks along the edges, pushing them in a millimetre or so each day. Within three months, I had all but two of the plates separated. It took another six weeks before those two finally surrendered. Once separated, I copied the negatives and made enlargements of the entire collection.

In the photo on page 55 of your story, you will notice where a bit of emulsion was pulled off. There is a white patch where the train’s cowcatcher should be. Such minimal damage was not retouched, for that would have rendered the images useless as historical documents.

H. W. BAKHUYS ROOZEBOOM, SOUTH SURREY, B.C.

Sealer’s say
ON THE NORTHEAST COAST of Newfoundland, commercial sealers like myself call it the "Sealing Circus" ("Seal wars," CG Jan/Feb 2000). It’s unfortunate that your magazine decided to do a story on the two biggest clowns in the circus — the government and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, neither of which gives a tinker’s damn about the fate of the seals. It is also unfortunate that no sealers had any input in your story — did you think that we, the club-wielding, gun-toting barbarians, had nothing of any value to add?

My family has been harvesting seals in Newfoundland for longer than we can remember. It continues to be a vital part of our annual income. Quite simply, I kill seals for money, not for sport, fun or tradition. There are no easy answers to the dilemma posed by these cute, cuddly and intelligent creatures, but I do know that harp seals and fishing nations are on a collision course. I also know that destroying the industry will not secure the future of harp seals. Now, more than ever, we need good, sound scientific information and advice. I wonder why we are not getting it.

GARRY J. TROAKE, DURRELL, NFLD.

Sharing the trail
IN ALL THE TIME I have cycled the more than 3,000 kilometres of trails through eastern Ontario, I have never had an issue with the conduct of ATV operators (GeoWatch, CG Jan/Feb 2000). In fact, when I have met or been passed by ATVs, young and old operators alike have slowed down, pulled over, smiled and waved. I don’t know where others are cycling and hiking, but I have yet to see the Great Red-Necked ATV Lout. Maybe it’s an urban myth?

top

* Letters may be edited for length, accuracy and liability.