Peter Van Geit questions CTC after the Sakleshpur: Trekking Tragedy at Kabbinale – Engg Student from B’lore Drowns, 13 Survive

As mentioned in my earlier email to the group “Water is a silent killer” – the pictures on Facebook are so tempting, the streams look so scenic, the falls are so beautiful, my friends jumping in those awesome pools is irresistible, …

Deceiving nature… dangerous beauty when you dont know them well. Always respect nature and its guidelines.

14 students went in search of ‘heaven’, experienced hell

My questions to you –

* Forget about losing your life. Do you have any idea of the magnitude of pain caused to a parent due to loss of a child?
Lara: I know the magnitude of pain caused to a parent due to the loss of a child… especially in accidents. I have seen mothers where the whole life tumbles down in a jiffy. Its not one life lost… its one loss and several lives taken away making their living a hell. My best friend Kathir committed suicide for a nonsensical reason. He was too young to make a sensible decision. He died at the age of 18 just a week after his birthday. It took eons to come out of it and it still hurts.

* Do you have any idea of the magnitude of pain caused to a parent when the child dies due to its own incautious behavior?
Yes, there is no comfort that can equal a loss.

* Is it safe to go out with a group of inexperienced students or friends to the wilderness?
I never advice this nor would try it. It is wilderness for heaven sake, even the most experienced face challenges each time they go. What will a bunch of inexperienced do?

* Is it safe to go out with a with CTC or any other trekking group to the wilderness?
The first and the only trek that I have taken so far assures its safe. Its not lead by one Member of the group. But everyone are ready to help. So it makes it easy to go on.

* Do more people die due to hostile wildlife (snakes, elephants…) or peaceful water on treks?
I read that in the past experiences there has been only one tragedy… I am not sure of the exact statistics.

* From where do those huge boulders (weighing several tons) in those peaceful mountain streams come from?
I absolutely have no clue. Is it rock avalanche… Very poor in Geography.

* Do you think CTC treks are safe for non-swimmers?
Any trek is safe as far as the person is self-conscious about what they are doing and know their limits.

* Do you think non-swimmers should jump into deep water pools and bet their life on the presence of a good swimmer?
I don’t jump into deep pools, but I saw other with the use of their life jackets and swim tubes jumping into deep pools. It definitely looked good in photos. But I don’t have the heart to try it. May be when I am confident about my swimming, I will try too.

* 1 (and only 1) person died on a CTC trek 2 years ago. Any guess why the non-swimmer who drowned could not be rescued by one of our best swimmers?
I absolutely have no clue. But I have heard some times water is so deceiving even the best swimmers struggle. Never understood how the water current works. My brother’s main hobby is fishing, so he does a lot of diving and have said about his underwater experiences.

* Is your life worth more then a 65Rs swimming tube?
Of-course no. To be frank I did not get my swimming tube for my first and only trek. Because I registered in the last minute and never trusted that I would get selected.

* Do you think CTC organizers and regular members behave responsibly in front of freshers in terms of safety?
I am a little in-experienced to answer this question. I haven’t been to enough treks to judge this.

* What do you think is the purpose of the non-disclaimer you sign at the start of a CTC trek?
I am responsible for my actions.

Please do not reply (we can’t flood our group with emails) – let’s have an open discussion on this in our Facebook group –

http://www.facebook.com/groups/chennaitrekkingclub/

Let’s hear out the opinions of those interested to share them and see if any/what action needs to be taken by self and our group….