Thread 4 - Michael Mosley

[Aquarius1234]

Body found and identified.

I haven't seen any photos of dead Palestinian children. I have stopped watching news on TV because I find it quite upsetting, but I do follow news online. I haven't seen any photos of dead children and I wouldn't want to.

The news is becoming more and more graphic. I’ve stopped watching it too.

I'm not saying it is right, but I do think there is a difference. Photos of war, genocide, things we would otherwise not know the extent of should we not be shown, serve a purpose. Had the footage from Palestine not have been published (much of it by people in Palestine who are experiencing it, desperate for the world to see), we wouldn't necessarily be campaigning so hard for ceasefires and peace in the area. The images paint a picture, and serve a purpose.

The question I ask is, what purpose does it serve to post a photo of a man who died of natural causes in sad circumstances, in a state of decomposition?

This is a very good point actually

The problem is this.

We effectively have picked and chosen when this happens.

And that has political implications. As I said before people then think there are conspiracies to cover stuff up and that there's different rules for different countries.

This isnt terribly helpful.

Just posting this link for anyone interested in learning more about the route MM took so if it's not of interest just ignore. I know a few of us discussed the route and were wanting to learn more about it. The link is a review written by someone 7 years ago with good advice for anyone making the trek, for that is what it becomes. It's enlightening that it explains the first 15 mins or so walk from Pedi is paved, so perhaps this made it seem relatively innocuous at the start. Those photos show how tough the terrain becomes.

https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/@36.6248224,27.8723082,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!14m5!1m4!2m3!1sChZDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSURBcDVhMVVBEAE!2m1!1s0x0:0xfbd07999152e0eaf?hl=en-US&entry=ttu

Thank you @ducktapez that's interesting

Note that it advises trekkers not to attempt this route alone

Just wondering, if you do find yourself in his situation, what is the correct course of action? Once you start feeling the effects of the heat, that is. He obviously decided to push on to reach safety. Would it be better to stay put and wait for it to cool down? Or is that just as dangerous?

Your guess is as good as anyone's in this situation. You need to cool down and rest rather than further exertion but on that mountainside I don't think staying put was an option - there was nowhere to shelter whatsoever, nowhere to slowly cool down. If you sat still, you'd continue to bake in the sun and the fact the ground will have been giving off some serious heat via all those boulders. Surely the right thing was to try and get refuge and that beach bar was the only option.

Schools here have been forced to close tomorrow and Thursday due to extreme heat. My dc told me they weren't allowed outside today.

It is extremely hot for early June.

I keep thinking about this tragedy. I can only think that a mild breeze and frequent sight of the sea offered a false sense of security when he chose to embark on this walk.

are you in Greece?

My DS2 was on Symi today from holiday in Rhodes and passed by the spot where is was found
I'm still thinking about poor Dr M
It's still in the late 30 degrees

A Greek hiking snack, feta cheese, olives, sesame bread sticks, are also all salty which really helps when one is sweating copiously, helps with electrolytes balance.

Hubris?

You need to cool down - being doused in cooler water would be ideal. Once he was in trouble he was doing exactly the right thing. Unfortunately it sounds like he was already suffering too much and didn't quite get there. If he'd been on the lower path to the resort gate he might've been ok.

On a first aid course we were told salty snacks in addition to water for heat stroke as you sweat out salts and plain water isn’t the best to replace.

Yes. We live in Athens. So used to the heat but I don't remember last time schools closed due to the heat. Though they do break up next week anyway.

good link, but this isn't quite the route he ended up following, he at some point left that path and ended up coming over the top of the ridge near the north path.

In the picture you can see the black dotted lines, which is the marked path, one from the south side from Pedi (described in your link) and one from the north side which is from Symi.

The red arrow is where he started (and was picked up on CCTV), the red dot is where he was picked up on CCTV by the agia marina and the red circle is where he was found, he seemed to have traversed across between the two paths at some point.

Directly in front of the red arrow once you get to that bend in the path is a small area of low stone walls in front of a slope leading up (that you can't see over the top of), there have been lots of pictures posted of searchers in that area and it seems like it would be a viable way to get up to the top, so maybe he went straight on and missed the path markers that go round to the right which would have kept him on that bottom path.

Completely agree @LefkaOri even in my favourite local hiking spot on the coast in south of Athens, I always pair up and don't take for granted that it's unpredictable terrain in all weathers but particularly summer ( I love it at sunrise only this time of the year) it is picturesque but I am cautious.

I am deeply saddened by this tragedy and the Brit that remains in me can see how he tempted it. The Greek I have become wonders what was he thinking.

I only hope his untimely death acts as a warning to just how perilous the sun can be.

Why? I’ve seen no evidence of hubris from the man at all, and all the friends who’ve commented both before and after his death have said he was a modest man. Your comment is nasty and unevidenced. MM could simply have made a mistake on his route (thought he was heading for Symi); misjudged the distance (thought it was another 30 mins similar to the walk he’d done to Pedi) or any number of things that aren’t due to hubris.

@ManifestoTweak
”I am deeply saddened by this tragedy and the Brit that remains in me can see how he tempted it. The Greek I have become wonders what was he thinking.”
Beautifully put.

@sandyhappypeople yes, you're totally right, MM's path was even more arduous than the one in that link and that looked bad enough. Who knows, it may have all been different had the shorter path been taken leading directly to the beach bar.