Baggin' and Taggin'

[peakbetty]

Another stupid question--What's the big deal about "bagging and tagging?"

[klenke]

Bag and tag what? Bear? Ptarmigan? Pup seals?

 

I would rather bag and tag in the mountains than tag and bag in the mall.

[peakbetty]

When one or more of your party isn't going to make it to the summit for whatever reason, and you anchor them to the side of the mountain in a sleeping bag and go for the summit with the remainder of the party.

[sobo]

Simple, it ups your summit count. Ask Divot.

[thelawgoddess]

i saw one of those on my way back down to muir. i felt sorry for the person, just hanging there on a slope on the side of the mountain in a sleeping bag. it was quiet so i figured maybe it had passed out.

[klenke]

When one or more of your party isn't going to make it to the summit for whatever reason, and you anchor them to the side of the mountain in a sleeping bag and go for the summit with the remainder of the party.

Care to elaborate?

[spicoli11]

pup seals

[sobo]

Seriously, though, I have never "bagged and tagged" a partner. I have, however, sent them back down the hill if it was clear that they weren't going to be able to stick it out. I just catch up to them later on the descent.

 

My motto is to keep them moving. Newton's Laws of Motion and all that, ya know.

[thelawgoddess]

When one or more of your party isn't going to make it to the summit for whatever reason, and you anchor them to the side of the mountain in a sleeping bag and go for the summit with the remainder of the party.

Care to elaborate?

rmi does this. i guess that way the rest of the party still gets a chance at the summit. i don't know how they decide when it's okay to do that as opposed to turning everybody back.

[archenemy]

When one or more of your party isn't going to make it to the summit for whatever reason, and you anchor them to the side of the mountain in a sleeping bag and go for the summit with the remainder of the party.

Care to elaborate?

rmi does this. i guess that way the rest of the party still gets a chance at the summit. i don't know how they decide when it's okay to do that as opposed to turning everybody back.

I don't know either, but it seems like they must not like that individual much, otherwise they wouldn't leave him. Some kind of popularity vote--sickening.

[thelawgoddess]

well, i don't think it's that simple. the first time i attempted rainier i got to the scree slope before ingraham and knew it wasn't going to happen for me. our rope leader wanted to get to ingraham and decide then. still no good. i told him i would go back by myself so the rest of them could continue but he wouldn't hear of it. i felt so shitty for ruining the other climbers' chances at reaching the summit. the guilt sucked. if he'd had a bag for me i would have happily snuggled up in it and gone to sleep while they pushed on ...

[knotzen]

rmi does this. i guess that way the rest of the party still gets a chance at the summit. i don't know how they decide when it's okay to do that as opposed to turning everybody back.

I was on a climb on Rainier several years back with a "well-known climbing club," and the dorky leaders decided to do this with a slender (I mention this b/c she was cold, and didn't have much body fat for insulation) young climber, on her very first glacier climb, who was complaining of being cold, not having enough clothing, and not feeling well. Jesus fucking Christ. I had stayed at camp with blood blisters on my heels from my climbing boots, and the person they "bagged" was my tent mate. I was outraged. They continued climbing for a bit, then turned back to get her and bring her down to camp. The leader didn't say that's why they turned around--only said, "It's not worth climbing when the route is this busy." Lousy piece of...grrr.

[archenemy]

well, i don't think it's that simple. the first time i attempted rainier i got to the scree slope before ingraham and knew it wasn't going to happen for me. our rope leader wanted to get to ingraham and decide then. still no good. i told him i would go back by myself so the rest of them could continue but he wouldn't hear of it. i felt so shitty for ruining the other climbers' chances at reaching the summit. the guilt sucked. if he'd had a bag for me i would have happily snuggled up in it and gone to sleep while they pushed on ...

That's the other perspective, and I agree with that. It is that simple.

But I would never leave anyone.

Ever.

[thelawgoddess]

i think it would really depend on the situation, but i probably wouldn't either.

[sobo]

Of course it would. Too many people make restrictive blanket statements without considering the specific situation.

 

Would I send someone back down alone from LR's Thumb Rock? Of course not.

 

Would I send someone back down alone from Hood's Hogsback? Of course, and have.

 

It is all situation-dependent, as are most things.

[mattp]

I think most people who make much of a habit of climbing Mount Rainier with large groups have done this at some point. In any given group of ten, you are going to have one person who cannot go on while the others are perfectly fit to continue.

[knotzen]

I think most people who make much of a habit of climbing Mount Rainier with large groups have done this at some point. In any given group of ten, you are going to have one person who cannot go on while the others are perfectly fit to continue.

 

I agree. You have to consider the shape of the to-be-bagged, though. In the situation I was in, it seemed really ill-advised to leave her--if she was already cold, stopping all activity and lying in the snow in a bivy bag isn't going to warm her up.

 

If someone was just tired and not able to make it, and in a safe place and *willing* to stay put and wait, OK. Although you still run the risk that they might be developing/will develop altitude-related problems. Not likely, but maybe. OTOH, there are so many people on the dog routes, they could get help if needed.

[archenemy]

Exactly.

 

Letting someone who can walk ok back down the hill is understandable. Putting an ill person into a ziploc is not. That is my blanket and I am lying under it.

[catbirdseat]

I once saw a guy on the Emmons who was bagged and tagged. He was sitting in a nice hole shaped like a recliner on a foam pad with a nice puffy down jacket on. The sun was shining and he had a big smile on his face. He was warm and happy to be where he was. He had just gotten tired and didn't want to go on.

[archenemy]

Then, he had an embolism and died.

The end.

[sobo]

 

I'm sorry, all, but I just found that to be funny.

[thelawgoddess]

fortunately that doesn't generally happen. i can totally envision that dude sitting there all decked out getting a tan!

[archenemy]

Sure, I can see that too.

 

But I can also see this: I've also been in the company of someone who died. All she asked is that I not let go of her hand. My guess is, there are many other folks on this site who have been through the same thing. Changes your opinion. Even causes you to make blanket statements.

Call me bull-headed and unreasonable, but there you have it.

[Dru]

I left a fat East German climber on the side of Mt Cook where the Linda meets Zurbriggens for 5 or 6 hours. I wish he'd died though, cause on the way back down his fat ass would always stop moving right under teetering seracs bringing our roped caterpillar to a jerking short roped stop.

[Couloir]

...always stop moving right under teetering seracs bringing our roped caterpillar to a jerking short roped stop.

Same happened to me twice on Rainier. On his third try to cross the crevasse we all agreed quietly that we would just pull the guy across whether he committed to it or not.