Hiking is often viewed as a strenuous activity that only the most seasoned athletes can partake in, but the truth of the matter is that it’s actually for everyone.
Even families can enjoy hiking as long as they come prepared and stay together.
The latter part of that equation was apparently too much to ask for a father and his two sons last Thursday while hiking the famous Mt. Fuji in Japan.
Mount Fuji is viewed, Jan. 29, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP)
According to an ABC news affiliate in North Carolina, at around 7:40 am local time, a mountain hut worker reportedly saw a 7-year-old boy sitting on a bench and looking exhausted.
The worker then contacted the police, who subsequently contacted the boy’s father to try and reunite the two parties.
As it turns out, the younger boy was hiking the mountain with his father and older brother when he complained of feeling tired.
Instead of turning around and heading home or taking a break with his son, the father told him to “wait here” and then continued on ahead with his older son in tow.
The shadow of Mount Fuji is cast on clouds hanging below the summit Aug. 27, 2019, in Japan. Three bodies were found inside a crater at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s most famous mountain, with one of them already brought down from the slopes, police said Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
The father left his son at a station around 8,000 feet above sea level as fog and rain reportedly started to roll in, making it dangerous for anyone to be alone, much less a 7-year-old boy.
When local police reunited the boy with his other family members, they admonished the father for endangering the child.
The inclement weather conditions and fatigue combined with the altitude sickness that could set in at that height are a bad combination for even the most experienced hikers.
The father reportedly told the police officers, “I made a rash decision, and I deeply regret it.”
Luckily, the boy was returned to his father unharmed.
Get outside this winter with the right gear. (iStock)
As a father, I get a little nervous leaving my son in front of the TV for 20 seconds to go grab the laundry out of the dryer, so I couldn’t imagine telling my young child to chill on the side of a mountain while I finish my hike.
I’m not trying to pile on the dad, as he sounds contrite, but maybe table the hike so your son doesn’t get frostbite while you cosplay as Alex Honnold.
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Let this be a lesson to all of you amateur hikers: always use the buddy system.
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Especially if one of your buddies isn’t even old enough to see a PG-13 movie without you.