Newspapers in New Zealand have reported that country has adopted a new common-sense outdoor safety code with tourists in mind. The code was written after many reports of poor trip planning, “such as attempting to hike in rugged terrain wearing jandals.”
My question is this: What are jandals?
After extensive research (OK, I Googled), I’ve learned that jandals are flip-flops. It seems like hapless tourists hiking in flip-flops aren’t just a problem in Colorado.
According to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, in the past year, 245 search and rescue efforts in New Zealand – about 12 percent – involved tourists.
The Herald reports a police spokesman said, “We hear stories of visitors attempting the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in jandals while others don’t carry supplies because they assume there’s a shop on the Heaphy [Track]. Rather than be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, we want to help ensure that all visitors don’t get into trouble in the first place.”
Among the code’s messages, designed for NZ trampers (that’s hikers), are tips for planning trips, leaving word of destination and return times, knowing about impending weather, knowing physical limits and taking sufficient supplies.
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