Hikers should never expect to come back dry

HIKING — It was almost amusing this morning to compare notes of my Sunday hiking trip with the experience of my friend, Dan Hansen, and his experience floating the formidable whitewater on Hangman Creek.

Hansen noted that despite some strong eddies and good rapids that forced his group to bail water out of their boats fairly regularly, “no one swam.”

On the other hand, one of the hikers in my group along Bead Lake took a dive and full-body emersion when he lost his footing on a snow-covered footbridge over a small stream flowing big with snowmelt.

Lesson learned: Even hikers need a change of clothes. It’s even better to make sure you’re not the LARGEST person in a hiking group OR THE ONLY GUY — you’ll find you have more clothing options in case of emergency.