I don't get the logic behind "if you THINK you're ready, then you're not" or "if you're wondering if you're ready, then you're not." It doesn't make sense. Don't tell me that you didn't do self assessments before your first run of the Upper B. It's kinda the same logic as the cliche, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." That. Does. Not. Make. Logical. Sense.

Similarly, someone wrote something to the effect of "Don't run it if you're not intimate with it." Well...that would eliminate any first-timer, forever, right? Because how does one become intimate with a river?

But the weirdest thing is all this tut-tutting about the fact that the AW page didn't reflect the seriousness of Flatliner. In all cases, this was written by people who could've done something about it! If you're astonished that Flatliner was given a brief description, without a stern warning about its danger...why didn't YOU take the time to write a comment to that effect?

And what evidence do you have that a clear warning would've prevented this tragedy? There have been numerous deaths at signature rapids where the danger was well known: Fist on the Russell Fork, Initiation on the Upper Gauley, and It's A Matter of Time on the Upper B are three examples that come to mind right away.

Okay, I don't know exactly what happened. Likely, nobody who wasn't there knows. Maybe it's appropriate to harsh on Bobby for something that might have been irresponsible. But in this whole discussion, NObody has given any specifics about irresponsible behavior. So it just comes off as a bunch of accusations without foundation. All this Monday-morning quarterbacking is doubtless written in good faith, but it'd be better to back off. If you want to engage in finger-pointing, find some football player to blame for an interception or missed tackle over the weekend. Don't beat on people in the aftermath of a river death.