The Devil’s Ladder lives up to its name
Ask yourself ...is it really worth it?
ASK yourself how necessary is it? Weigh up the consequences for you and for those tasked with retrieving you from the mountain if you face difficulty.
Now factor in an enemy - Covid - just as menacing as traversing the mountains in hazardous weather when anything up to four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, maybe even ten rescuers, may be required to stretcher you off the mountain.
Do you think this amount of people - puffing and panting in close quarters - is ideal at a time when minimising the spread of the virus is of the utmost priority?
Only in last week’s edition of The Kerryman did the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) issue an advisory to climbers on the dangers of heading out on the mountains in poor conditions.
The fact nine climbers/walkers - in one day - had to be helped from the most dangerous stretch of mountainous terrain in Ireland, in freezing conditions in early January, is, in my opinion (and that of most) nothing more than an act of folly.
You see, KMRT can only issue advisories because it is not in their remit to tell people stay away from the mountains. Each member of KMRT appreciate the lure of Kerry’s mountains and the thrill of climbing as much as those who decide to take unnecessary risks. But they do so with common sense by their side.
Even allowing for the fact that thrill-seeking and daredevilry is part of the human psyche for centuries, the danger of spreading Covid-19 to KMRT members - volunteers who have family members of their own - is equally unacceptable. No argument in defence of the impulsive need to achieve ‘unbelievable feats’ against all the odds is acceptable if it endangers the lives of others.
Efforts to defy nature is the surest route to unintended circumstances there is. Think of this the next time you feel the need to head for the mountains in poor weather. At the very least, try thinking of others.