Charging for Rescues

* I was quite surprised to find myself in “What if We Ignored the SOS?” (Column One, Nov. 30). I am one of the men who asked for the rescue in Yosemite last May. The initial surprise was quickly followed by disappointment and anger. Unfortunately, your article amplifies the inaccuracies of a highly misleading rescue report compiled by the National Park Service. In spite of my efforts to dialogue with Park Service officials to correct the report, they have not responded.

The public has enough difficulty getting beyond common misconceptions of climbing that result from sensational depictions of the sport such as Sylvester Stallone’s exciting, yet inaccurate, portrayal of climbing in “Cliffhanger”; and article on my rescue only compounds those misconceptions.

Rock climbing is a very safe sport if done correctly. I have been climbing for almost 10 years and have never been in a situation where I needed any help or have been injured. Also our rescue cost $6,000; a search for a lost adult hiker that same weekend in Yosemite cost $125,000. This leads me to wonder what really drives the effort to single out climbers to charge for rescues. Is it really the high cost of such rescues? Or, is it because people have been lead to believe that this is such a “high-risk” activity, compared to a relatively mundane activity like hiking, and this makes it adherents worthy of special punishment?

Lastly, my sincere thanks go to the guys at Yosemite Search and Rescue; I and my partner are very grateful for your help.

PETER E. BERGERON

La Mirada