Avery Tsang December 7th 2010

Underestimating Mother Nature

The majestic world around us, encompasses all the beautiful sights of the
wilderness: the snow-capped mountains, deserts and vast oceans; however, do not be
deceived by their charisma, for Mother Nature is not worth underestimating. The
evidence can be seen in both the short stories, “Battle by the Breadfruit Tree, and “Search
and Rescue”. The slightest sense of carelessness can be fatal when facing the great
unfamiliar powers of nature, for it is un-forgiving, relentlessly throwing unknown
variables your way.

When in the wild, always be prepared; although it might seem safe, in moments
a storm could brew, or a predator could attack. In the story “Battle by the Breadfruit
Tree” a mother baboon is forced to fight a leopard for the sake of her, and her baby’s
lives. Although it is quite obvious that the leopards physical capabilities is superior
to that compared to the she-baboons; despite this fact, she perseveres. In this case, the
leopard should not have been portrayed as the villain of the story, for the she-baboon
instinctively knew to stay with the pack; but instead defied went out alone. In order to
avoid this fight to the death, the she-baboon should have travelled in at least a pack of 3
or 4, since the leopard is smart enough not to pick a fight that he can’t win. However, the
leopard had been slightly underprepared as well. Even as the she-baboon was breathing
her last breath, she never gave up until the leopard dealt the fatal blow, and even then she
made the final move and screamed a “almost human – like scream” to call her tribe, and
as they came thundering past, the leopard was torn to shreds. This pointless battle, and
the death of a mother show the relentlessness of the wild, and could have easily been
avoided if only the baboon had stayed with the safer decisions.

Many people use the wilderness as a source of excitement, and challenge, and the
characters from the story “Search and Rescue”, are no different. The protagonist telling
the story, tells many tales of his search and rescue career accentuating the fact that most
deaths and accidents in the wilderness are caused by lack of preparation. “it ain’t
Disneyland out here, and the wilderness is not tolerant of mistakes”, he said. One of his
many tales tell of a miscalculation in your own ability, and the terrain’s ability to hinder
you. Two novice backpackers assumed they could hike 10 miles in 5 hours with time to
spare, but they failed to calculate the three thousand feet of elevation. Luckily, the two
women were able to safely return, but this is not always the case. Two men who foolishly
head out into cold weather in denim and cotton, were found dead after their final hunt for
elk. Being new arrivals from Oregon, they were unfamiliar with Rocky Mountain weather
conditions. Although they did have experience in the wild, the frostbite had taken over
their common sense, and they were found sitting in the snow smoking their last cigarette,
and saying their last words. “To this day, I am haunted by these tracks”; due to the lack of
preparation and attention these men lost their lives to the cold harsh outdoors of the
Rocky Mountains.

He quotes from his mentor, “ even if you’re only walking a mile, its worth your
life to be prepared”. This shows how deadly, and how unyielding mother nature can be.
Avery Tsang December 7th 2010

Despite its breathtaking grandeur, the great outdoors, is not something worth
underestimating.