Four Hikers Hiking AT Caught Underprepared/Found Safe

[DapperD]

Four hikers are found in Worthington State Forest after concerns for their well being:http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warr...e_in_wort.html

[Ladytrekker]

Sounds like a girlfriend may have over reacted and called in an awful lot of searchers wonder if they will get stuck with the bill. If they had phone service and did not call for help on their own they did not need saving. Just my two cents.

[WingedMonkey]

"were surprised by the temperature which dipped into the teens"

Don't they have weather channel there?

[ShoelessWanderer]

Sounds like a girlfriend may have over reacted and called in an awful lot of searchers wonder if they will get stuck with the bill. If they had phone service and did not call for help on their own they did not need saving. Just my two cents.

Sounds like it. This is why I tell people that your emergency contact (or check in person) should always be a hiker...I think they are much better at accurately gauging a situation. Granted, we don't know how much the boyfriend was whining.

[TheChop]

You get cold and if you don't have a lot of experience that can wreck havoc with your cognitive ability. Worst that happens with four guys who have cell phone signal is you all say "No homo." and snuggle to conserve heat but when you're out there shivering sometimes all you can think of is "I'm going to die." I mean by 7:30 when they found them I'm sure the worst of it was over. If they were going to die of hypothermia they'd have already stripped down and jumped in a river by that point.

[Cabin Fever]

"were surprised by the temperature which dipped into the teens"

Don't they have weather channel there?

Same people that get on this site and ask how far it is from point A to point B. Not that twenty different publications, the White Blaze companion and the ALDHA online companion (even though I think it is offline now) are all readily available.

[blackbird04217]

"were surprised by the temperature which dipped into the teens"

Not to be disrespectful in anyway, but in NJ, how naive do you have to be to not expect low temperatures in Feb/March? I've never lived in NJ or anywhere near to know when warmth hits, but something tells me to be prepared for any sort of weather, especially the cold, that early in the year.

[blackbird04217]

Meant to also add:

This is why I tell people that your emergency contact (or check in person) should always be a hiker...I think they are much better at accurately gauging a situation.

I am glad my mom was able to gauge the situation, there were times when my battery died and I made it to the town a day or so later than expected. I thought for sure my hike was over... But she made the right call to wait a little longer.

[MedicineWoman2012]

I would have to have a bilateral femur fracture to ask for assistance 6miles away from rd access!!

[WingedMonkey]

I think they like to fly the copter in this place. Last year it was two older day hikers.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warr...the_appel.html

[Lone Wolf]

I would have to have a bilateral femur fracture to ask for assistance 6miles away from rd access!!

someone with a sprained ankle got assistance from 10 rescue workers to get off blood mtn. yesterday

[skinewmexico]

Worst that happens with four guys who have cell phone signal is you all say "No homo." and snuggle to conserve heat

I think if I was that cold, we would have had one of those "what happens on the trail, stays on the trail" moments and shared bodily warmth!

And I predict in <15 posts, speculation will begin that they were UL hikers.

[Skidsteer]

I wonder if they were UL hikers?

[keepinitsimple]

We can laugh, and arm chair quarterback.....as long as we remain teachable ourselves.

[Toolshed]

Other than MD, IMMO, This area has the greatest percentage by far of inexperienced people on the trail.