Please don't take offense. I certainly didn't mean to be inflammatory. Maybe it would help you to realize that there are a lot of decent people who really care here. There have been posts that looked/sounded a lot like yours in the past that raised red flags and on further examination, really merited the caution that people were expressing.

Sometimes it's just hard to tell from the way people are expressing themselves. In this case, at least you have learned that -- for the folk on this board, at least -- that there is a common perception of something that didn't seem to add up about the way you have expressed yourself.

Keep in mind that at the bottom of it is a lot of people who don't want to send someone into the wrong situation based on classroom training or the encouragement of an overenthusiastic "trip leader".

If you have the preparation and can do the trip, then more power to you. We'll be glad to help. We are just reluctant to "help" people get into trouble.