My oh my, this thread is a little more heavy and philosophical than I can keep up with. I am not a thrill-seeker who engages in practices that have an above average mortality rate, but I do get bored if my hikes do not have enough challenge to get my heart pumping, whether aerobically or with a small amount of risk due to interesting terrain. My last four hikes have had challenges that have put me on the brink of my comfort level, and I have joked with my hiking partners that my next hike is going to be of a gentle nature. My last four hikes have involved:
1) The day before New Years Eve, Ellen and I hiked up Falling Rock Canyon in the Cucamonga Wilderness. The challenging cross-country was accomplished successfully without incident, but while walking down the maintained trail Ellen fell and did a thorough job of breaking her arm, putting her out of commission for the season.
2) I tram-shoed solo to San Jacinto Peak. I have an agreement not to snowshoe solo, but I couldn't dredge up any partners, the conditions were primo so... off I went. I had a set turn-around time and I also had an agreement with myself to turn around if I felt in any way uncomfortable.
3) Marilyn and I did the Baldy Bowl with crampons, ice axe and helmet successfully. Coming down the Ski Hut Trail I did a face plant and got a gash on my nose and a shiner.
4) On Wednesday I entered the San Gorgonio Wilderness with Marilyn and took Dobbs Ridge to Dobbs Peak. Stapled to my permit was a warning "Extreme winter alpine conditions, the following equipment is strongly advised": Crampons, Ice axe, helmet, etc. Well, my crampons etc. were at home. We did it with snowshoes and microspikes. The trip would have been much safer and pleasant with the recommended equipment.
I prefer not to take such risks as I don't want to put rescuers at risk and I would not like the humiliation of having to be rescued. I guess there has to be a balance between challenging hikes and common sense. I am not a great navigator, so I don't do cross-country hiking solo. I know San Jacinto well enough to not get going in the opposite direction, but less familiar terrain could easily get me lost!