Mt Baker-Day 72-71 (Self-Arrest)

Folks in Noreal Place, Georgia may define self-arrest differently than where we are headed here. Apparently, if one commits a crime in that town, an opportunity exists to admit to the wrong doing online (no 911 call needed). A form has been considerately provided by the local police. The "application", it appears, provides places for all relevant information including the nature of the self-confessed crime as well as one's email address for return correspondence. Lines are provided for personal descriptives: sex, height, weight, eye color, as well as precise locations of scars and/or tatoos. I did notice, however, that the space for age was kindly omitted; a relief to those who may be chronologically challenged. The latter confession, for some like me, beyond the pale and enough reason to reconsider admission of guilt. Of obvious importance, a line was provided for home address complete with instructions to stay in the house until police arrive. In addition to the nature of the crime, the perpetrator can enter his/her plea (what other than guilty?) , as well as select one of a choice of motives (insanity was perhaps the most fitting option). All this is very convenient for those who may feel sudden remorse for cheating on past income tax reports. On the other hand, there may be other definitions of self-arrest we may come to accept; examples which are no less distressing than committing a felony. Pushing yourself away from the table when served an extra portion of spaghetti and meatballs is one example. Or perhaps, a middle-aged married man, vainly pursuing a young twenty-something year old beauty, comes to his senses when forced to recognize his transgression. He deceases and retreats to more sedate affairs such as writing a blog.

The definition of self-arrest to be discussed here may be of more importance to the mountaineer. In the glossary at the back of Mountaineering:Freedom of the Hills ,the act is simply described as the use of an ice axe to stop unexpected falls. Every mountaineering course I have been apart of has started with hands on instruction for this process. It is not to be taken lightly. The descriptions of self-arrest technique can be somewhat cumbersome to write and even more so to read. Let's consider, however, how the proper technique of self-arrest may have applied to the legendary English climber, George Mallory, during his ill-fated attempt to summit Mount Everest in the late spring of 1924.

George Mallory, for those who might not know, was a famed mountaineer who made a lifetime's ambition of reconnaisance explorations of the Himalayan moutains; Mt Everest being his most notable. His legend derives to a greater extent from whether or not he actually was the first to reach summit of the world's greatest peak, 30 years before Sir Edmund Hillary. (to be completed later, time for my Sunday AM run followed by climbing with 60 lb pack and ankle weights)