How would you react??

[under10kg]

I was walking down a very steep track to Black Cannon in Laminton, Queensland yesterday.
My walking companion above me dislodged a rock which I just managed to avoid being hit by moving fast to the right after he yelled rock.
He laughted and I said why did you laugh? (he did not say sorry)
He said it was funny as it was heading right for my head before I moved rather fast and he thought it was funny.
How would you react in this situation??

[phan_TOM]

I'd probably make it clear that I didn't think it was funny to start with and to be more careful & then suggest that they go first from now and start stomping and kicking along behind them

(Just Joking)

If it was an otherwise enjoyable walk and the company was good I wouldn't worry about it too much...

[under10kg]

Well it was a great walk although we did not get to do the 1 hour scramble up to the falls due to wet and very slippery rocks and the time restraint to finish in light. I think this trip is for summer after some dry weather

[Ent]

Unless it was deliberate then just a case of humor expressing relief that nothing serious happened. Of course all depends on the actual event and the personalities involved. If a person is badly shaken then humor is rather inappropriate until the person catches their breath. But often laughing at near misses is releasing the stress.

Trouble is walking companions are often quicker releasing stress than the person involved. Then the traditional response of questioning your walking companions' parentage is justified, err just not on this forum.

[under10kg]

Thanks ent and I see your point about humor being about relief but it is hard to see the humor my end when I was close to most likely being killed.
I do remember some time ago laughing when someone had their tent collapse on them due to heavy rain.
For me to laugh it was totally inapropriate since they felt trapped and it was hard to get out as it was a large tent.
I did not see that they were in a bit of shock!

[Pteropus]

I accidently dislodged a football sized boulder on the track into Black Canyon last year and we were horrified to hear it smashing through the forest and down into the canyon far below. We were very careful from then on, especially when climbing down and up above one another. So I understand your annoyance at your walking companion. As to how I would react in your situation, I think I would just be thankful the rock hadn't hit me at that point.

[photohiker]

You said he 'yelled rock'?

Under the circumstances that would be the most he could do to look after your interests.

I wouldn't fuss over whether he laughed or not in that situation. People don't necessarily laugh for the same reasons you do.

[phan_TOM]

Yeah, if he had of laughed if there was a hit then that would be a different story. Your lucky to have avoided it by quickly jumping the right way too, the last thing you should do when someone yells 'rock' is to look up...

[under10kg]

Yep I need to let it go!

[melinda]

I have been hit on the head by a rock that someone dislodged when scrambling up a steep incline in front of me.
Ended up getting 6 stitches in the back of my head.
Just bad luck! Nobody meant to hurt me.
Sometimes people (myself included) laugh in response to shock or stress.
Guess the important thing is nobody got hurt.
(I do try to be up the front these days when scrambling up and at the back when scrambling down! )

[hikingoz]

I had a similar experience in NSW last year in a larger group.

A rock was dislodged by one party member and rolled down a couple of metres and stopped on a someone's leg. He wasn't hurt but rather than moving the rock to a safe position with his hands he moved his leg and let it roll down towards the next person. I was stumped that this bloke could be so complacent. The rock rolled close past the next two people down the hill, fortunately not hitting anyone. There was the potential for some serious injury which could have easily been avoided.

Sometimes it takes a little extra effort to 'actively' keep the other members of you party safe.

Saying 'rock' is one thing, but walking diagonally or just avoiding or moving loose rocks is better, as well as informing party members of hazards such as loose rocks, wombat holes, old fence wires etc. Makes for happier bushwalkers I reckon.

[phan_TOM]

He wasn't hurt but rather than moving the rock to a safe position with his hands he moved his leg and let it roll down towards the next person. I was stumped that this bloke could be so complacent

Its ironic that common sense seems to be so rare these days. I like to think of myself as a fairly courteous person and with at least some common sense so I find it hard not to get annoyed by people who are otherwise.

I've been involved with rescue organisations for many years now, currently the VRA, and I've had to carry quite a few people on stretchers etc where its the norm, if you are leading, to call out any obstacles eg 'loose rocks 'slippery tree roots' low branch' etc & I like to carry this over to whatever I do but like you said, some people just don't care, either that or it just doesn't enter their minds?

Sometimes it takes a little extra effort to 'actively' keep the other members of you party safe.... Saying 'rock' is one thing, but walking diagonally or just avoiding or moving loose rocks is better, as well as informing party members of hazards such as loose rocks, wombat holes, old fence wires etc. Makes for happier bushwalkers I reckon

I agree, being proactive takes little effort but can make a group dynamic so much safer and happier.

[doogs]

If it hit you and he laughed I would understand your anger, surely you have laughed at someone for falling over when they didn't get hurt?

[under10kg]

(I do try to be up the front these days when scrambling up and at the back when scrambling down! )

Great advice!!!

[norts]

I agree laughter can be a stress reliever, happens quite often when at Road Crash Rescues( when only the rescuers are around, usually after the rescue has been achieved).
Although, once when lifting a dead body out of a vehicle, I complained that he was to heavy and he was just dead weight. Only after seeing the faces off the other rescuers did I realise what I had said, luckily it was only us rescuers there.

Roger

[corvus]

Good one norts,
Doubt anyone can top that
corvus

[phan_TOM]

I agree laughter can be a stress reliever, happens quite often when at Road Crash Rescues( when only the rescuers are around, usually after the rescue has been achieved).
Although, once when lifting a dead body out of a vehicle, I complained that he was to heavy and he was just dead weight.....

I think thats one of the numerous standard jokes amongst emergency services Roger, certainly common amongst our crew anyway. I think one of the prerequisites on the VRA application form is to have a dark sense of humor. That and I think the last check box on the form is 'are you slightly mental?', ticking that is almost a guarantee of acceptance for the job

Only after seeing the faces off the other rescuers did I realise what I had said, luckily it was only us rescuers there

Yeah, not everyone is gonna understand a bit of humor in what can be a horrific situation, keeping it light and having a joke is an effective way of alleviating the pressure of a difficult situation but being mindful of your surroundings is pretty important. numerous times while having a joke or a bit of a laugh I've looked across and seen upset family, friends or bystanders nearby, either that or the ubiquitous news camera... not a good look.

[wayno]

are you assuming he would ahve been laughing regardless if the rock totalled you?
maybe it was a nervous laugh. caused by adrenaline... some people just seem to laugh in high pressure situations all the time.
i've hiked with people like that, its just the wy they are, nothing malicious intended, if you've known the person for a while you must know if they are malicious or not. i certainly dont like anyone who genuinely gets off on other peoples misfortune but there can be more than one reason why someone laughs.
i was at a mountain film festival and most of the audience was laughing at places at peoples difficult situations and the people on teh movies were to... some people laugh because it's better than crying it's just a way of letting emotional energy out. havent we all laughed at movies where people are in unfortunate situations, soehow its part of human nature, look at the silent movies, loaded with dangerous situations to make people laugh. humans evolved to face danger in order to survive. laughing in teh face of danger may be one of those evolutionary behaviours to cope with the danger rather than stressing about it

[under10kg]

maybe it was a nervous laugh

I am sure this was correct as I think he was challanged by the steapness of this track.

[TerraMer]

In Papua New Guinea they use laughter to relieve anxiety, nervousness, fear, embarrassment, etc. Often I watched as crowds responded to something unfortunate but non-life threatening happen to someone else, eg, a large 1.5m high mahogany crucifix falling off the wall onto someone's head knocking me out momentarily. They would gasp, cry out, like a short wail building to a fast high pitched crescendo then wildly laugh and even roll in hysterics sometimes. It was their way of relieving the stress of the situation and feeling very grateful it wasn't worse and it didn't happen to them.
Even after I was shot at by anti-white rioters the women who gathered around helped me laugh it off just seconds later as we ran for shelter.
They completely comprehend the seriousness of the matter, it's cultural and automatic, even a bit infectious.
This not applicable to all PNG cultures, some can be very aggressive, depressive or dismissive.

[wayno]

shot by anti white rioters? now that sounds like a story in itself....

[TerraMer]

Shot "at" by...
Happened a few times across the highlands but it was a bit more peaceful than normal at the time. Spent a year working in schools across most provinces while there was a lull in the anti-white action while they focused on the Chinese for a few years.
But the habit of relieving anxiety through laughter is so simple but very effective.
If I lived in PNG as a local or expat with all the trouble they deal with everyday I would go nuts without a good laugh from time to time.

[wayno]

so were they shooting to hit you or shooting to miss ?

[TerraMer]

Just to scare most likely. The ones who threw rocks didn't miss though :/

[askew116]

I agree laughter can be a stress reliever, happens quite often when at Road Crash Rescues( when only the rescuers are around, usually after the rescue has been achieved).
Although, once when lifting a dead body out of a vehicle, I complained that he was to heavy and he was just dead weight.....

I think thats one of the numerous standard jokes amongst emergency services Roger, certainly common amongst our crew anyway. I think one of the prerequisites on the VRA application form is to have a dark sense of humor. That and I think the last check box on the form is 'are you slightly mental?', ticking that is almost a guarantee of acceptance for the job

Only after seeing the faces off the other rescuers did I realise what I had said, luckily it was only us rescuers there

Yeah, not everyone is gonna understand a bit of humor in what can be a horrific situation, keeping it light and having a joke is an effective way of alleviating the pressure of a difficult situation but being mindful of your surroundings is pretty important. numerous times while having a joke or a bit of a laugh I've looked across and seen upset family, friends or bystanders nearby, either that or the ubiquitous news camera... not a good look.

Off-topic, but this reminds me of an incident a good 10 years ago that happened to me at work...

I was a flight dispatcher, and was working on the turnaround of a 757 - at the gate - when I saw a few people fixated on the window facing the aircraft.

I looked to see what it was, and the baggage handlers were sat, legs apart, on a coffin being lowered down the conveyer belt, they were treating the coffin as a canoe, miming the paddling

It turned out the people watching were the relatives of the man inside the coffin. I was completely stumped and lost for words, all I could do was apologise while trying to hold on to my laughter.

One of the relatives said to me 'Don't worry about it, the man inside the coffin would have found that hilarious'.



Regardless I gave those baggage handlers a thorough #?!'!#@

[Gadgetgeek]

It all depends. I've had people laugh after I've been freaked out by a near miss, and I don't climb with them. I've also laughed at some near misses, but well after the fact and it was all good. Nervous laugh or hysterics, two different things. If he was genuinely apologetic about the rock, and is generally a safe person, then thats one thing. But I've watched more than one person think near misses were just jokes, until someone gets really hurt.