Everybody has made some stupid mistakes in their life, although some may not be willing to admit it.
I will gladly do it here...on the internet and hiding behind a pseudonym. But not at work or any social gathering. In those situations I pretend that I am things that I am not.Originally Posted by gpburdelljr
Thank you both for commenting on Aquaman's hike. I didn't know about it and am now having a lot of fun watching those videos! I absolutely love the AT in Maine. Checking out the above treeline summit of Baldpate Mtn. *in winter* was just a real joy.
I am not seduced into thinking I can handle the kind of hike he's doing--minimizing the difficulty & danger. What he's doing is remarkable.
I have limited winter hiking experience, but plenty to have deep respect for the trail in winter. I'm pleased that I can watch something way way out of my range and know and be just fine with that.
For those interested, here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgW...5x1QO3y0yyDPMw
Here's another article on the story:
https://www.thedailycatch.org/articl...aine-mountain/
There's a lot on the background and experience level of one of the hikers.
The reporter reached out to both hikers for comment, but didn't get a response. Bummer--as their story and what decisions they made/didn't make and how and why this happened could be really helpful to other hikers.
These articles always start off with "highly experienced" but rarely, if ever, get to the meat and bones of the story. I suppose the Rangers are also limited in what they can say.
However, even somebody with moderate winter experience knows that there's no way in Hades you're going to do 15 miles on a short winter day in that terrain and in those conditions. Although it's hard to tell who is who in the photo, it appears the seated fellow who looks like an older gent might be wearing snowshoes so it appears they got that right, maybe.
The biggest mistake IMO is not turning around at a reasonable hour but pressing on knowing that the objective couldn't possibly be achieved at the current rate of progress. Anybody who has done this sort of trip knows there's no shame in turning around.
Just a few days ago a friend and I cut short a trip to Pharaoh Lake Wilderness when the conditions turned out to be colder than forecast. For a few days the forecast low temps had been bouncing around so we decided to hope for the slightly warmer predictions. In reality, first night was -15°F and the next 2 nights progressively colder... actual temp, not wind chill. We had proper gear and could easily have survived, but it just wasn't fun any more so we bagged it, staying out only that one night. The snow depth we encountered was only 6-10" but with occasional stops to eat and drink our average speed at the end of the day was 1.1mph. Our original plan was for no more than 7.5mi per day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=una4UopTovc&t=424s
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
A highly experience hiker knows when it's time to turn around and that should have been obvious early on.
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I'm always interested and trying to analyse what really went wrong when something bad had happened.
In this specific case, after having read this second article, it gives me the idea that maybe both had set to this very ambitious goal, but maybe one ot the two hikers finally could not meet the high expectations but failed to admit it to the other for too long.
When he finally could not go on any more it was already to late.
After the successful SAR action, they kept to themself about the real reason, the stronger guy protecting the weaker one.
I personally had something similar happen once on a guided day hike in the desert, when a local guide failed miserably and we were very late (in the middle of the night) to come back to the hotel where everybody was sitting on embers.
We agreed amongst us to NOT blame the guide but made up a reasonable excuse story.
Just a wild guess...
Unfortunately you almost never get the whole story from a newspaper article.
So, is this the same guy back in 2018 getting rescued in NH?
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...97746700317133
Plaid is fast! Ticks suck, literally... It’s ok, bologna hoses off…
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presumably both of these guys were "experienced." What a couple of idiots. It's one thing if this is your first winter attempt and you are entirely clueless. But these 2 are supposedly seasoned?! Give me a break!
Haisley is originally from Brunswick, Maine, and is a respected, seasoned hiker. His outdoor excursions are well-documented in Facebook posts, which detail adventures on snowy peaks and rolling valleys on a variety of mountains in the Northeast and on Mount Hood, a stratovolcano in Oregon that soars at 11,249 feet.
Haisley has summited over 35 peaks in the Catskills, all of which are over 3,500 feet, and four of which he summited in the winter without the aid of a GPS. These are among the accomplishments that won him membership to the Catskill 3500 club, which was founded in 1962 and helps fund local trail conservation through membership dues. Club members plan weekly hiking trips throughout the year.
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
In that case, they should send him the bill.
Good find. Let's see he's 70 now, so....
Looks as if his mentoring program is coming along nicely.
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
A classic example of there being little education in the second kick of the mule.....
Good find. Let's see he's 70 now, so....
Looks as if his mentoring program is coming along nicely.Yep. Same idi---er, individual. Different mountain. Same result. If nothing else, he's consistent.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
Y'all are just looking at it wrong he's showing examples of what NOT to do.
Could be. Or maybe he's just unlucky. Hmm.
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
Sorry, if the story from 2018 belongs to the same guy, I'll pull back my guess.
I have only seen a few clips, but from what I have seen there are a lot of difficulties he is not sharing. I did my winter Maine hike in 2005. It is not an easy trip. Unless someone has a lot of winter experience, I would not recommend it. I believe I even posted a few photos here on whiteblaze.
Wolf
I did my first week long snowshoe trip with a friend on the AT in VT in December 1976. My friend and I were both 15 year old. Temps were -15F every night with daytime high's no more than low single digits. We did fine. Then, after a 650 mile walk with the same friend on the AT in the summer of 1977, we went to the Presidential's for a week of climbing in December of 1977, bagging a number of peaks in temps that were sub zero. We were equipped and knew what to do... AS 16 YEAR OLD KIDS.
This just isn't that hard...
He summited the 4 Cats3500 required winter peaks "without the aid of a GPS"?? I wonder how folks managed to hike peaks before GPSs???
.....Someday, like many others who joined WB in the early years, I may dry up and dissapear....
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