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FlyPaper
04-21-2014, 13:01
Looks like a tragic story is developing. If anyone has updates, please post.

http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/officials-responding-to-appalachian-trail-incident-in-bedford-county/article_449d2ca8-c972-11e3-a927-0017a43b2370.html

HikerMom58
04-21-2014, 13:03
Just saw that .... hoping for the best!

Deer Hunter? Know what's up?

FlyPaper
04-21-2014, 13:57
Looks like they've "removed the body". Still don't know who or anything else about the circumstances.

https://twitter.com/search?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsadvance.com%2Fnews%2 Flocal%2Fofficials-respond-to-appalachian-trail-incident-in-bedford-county%2Farticle_449d2ca8-c972-11e3-a927-0017a43b2370.html

Deer Hunter
04-21-2014, 14:27
Just saw that .... hoping for the best!

Deer Hunter? Know what's up?

No. Just now hearing about this. Sad.

QHShowoman
04-21-2014, 14:47
From this article, it sounds like the hiker was found dead, in the shelter, of what appeared to be natural causes:

http://www.wset.com/story/25298807/body-found-at-appalachian-trail-hiking-shelter

HikerMom58
04-21-2014, 15:04
No. Just now hearing about this. Sad.

I know DH... sad! Someone passed away from natural causes, in 2010, at the Cornelius Creek Shelter.

If someone passed at Matt's Creek Shelter, I'm hoping that it's the same situation. Nothing more.

TOW
04-21-2014, 15:07
sad indeed

Grinder
04-21-2014, 15:44
I've told my kids that if this should happen to me, not to feel bad about it. It's a pretty good way to die. On the trail, doing what you love!!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

QHShowoman
04-21-2014, 16:06
@Grinder - That's exactly how I feel. I do not want to languish in some nursing home and be a burden to folks. I want to do something crazy like try to climb Everest and go out with a bang.

fsacb3
04-21-2014, 16:06
I think I saw this guy a day and half ago at that shelter. He said he was under the weather. He said his brother in law had been eating and drinking from the same gear so he didn't think it was food or water related. Said he was dizzy. I asked if he needed anything but he said no.

illabelle
04-21-2014, 16:23
We ran across a section hiker this weekend who aborted his thru attempt last year because he "almost died." He abandoned all his gear and hiked out 8 miles, got a motel room (he didn't realize how seriously ill he was), eventually called 911, and spent 6 days in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy. I'm glad he survived.
Sad about this hiker, though. Whatever the circumstances, it won't be easy for his family.

FlyPaper
04-21-2014, 16:41
A quick excerpt from the most recent article:

The Bedford County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that hikers told deputies they had talked to the man late yesterday. The hikers told deputies the man said "he wasn't having a good day."


Maj. Ricky Gardner of the sheriff's office said in an email that it appears the hiker died of natural causes. He was traveling alone, Gardner wrote.

I wonder if it is the same guy that fsacb3 mentions. The news said this guy was traveling alone, but the guy fsacb3 mentions seemingly had a brother-in-law traveling with him at least up until a couple of days ago.

mad4scrapping
04-21-2014, 17:56
As sad as this is, this is the way I want to die-- on the trail, doing what I love. I may have the words "do not resuscitate tattooed across my chest (saw it on Doc Martin).

HikerMom58
04-21-2014, 17:56
I think I saw this guy a day and half ago at that shelter. He said he was under the weather. He said his brother in law had been eating and drinking from the same gear so he didn't think it was food or water related. Said he was dizzy. I asked if he needed anything but he said no.

Oh? I wonder if it's the same person. Did he have a trail name?

Hot Flash
04-21-2014, 18:17
As sad as this is, this is the way I want to die-- on the trail, doing what I love. I may have the words "do not resuscitate tattooed across my chest (saw it on Doc Martin).

Unfortunately this doesn't legally fill the requirements of a DNR.

mad4scrapping
04-21-2014, 18:20
Unfortunately this doesn't legally fill the requirements of a DNR.

It was a joke, hon.

likeahike
04-21-2014, 23:55
I get that people would rather die doing something they love, but I don't get the alone thing. I want my loved ones to earn their share of my estate.

Jeff
04-22-2014, 06:42
I think I saw this guy a day and half ago at that shelter. He said he was under the weather. He said his brother in law had been eating and drinking from the same gear so he didn't think it was food or water related. Said he was dizzy. I asked if he needed anything but he said no.

You should contact local law enforcement. The family certainly wishes for any details like this.

TOW
04-22-2014, 07:24
Do we have a trail name yet?

mad4scrapping
04-22-2014, 08:22
I get that people would rather die doing something they love, but I don't get the alone thing. I want my loved ones to earn their share of my estate.

LOL! I plan to spend as much as I can before I die; the rest goes to charity.

Offshore
04-22-2014, 08:38
I've told my kids that if this should happen to me, not to feel bad about it. It's a pretty good way to die. On the trail, doing what you love!!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I tell my family I'd rather die on the trail than sitting on the sofa in front of the TV.

fsacb3
04-22-2014, 08:45
Any more info?

I didn't get a trail name from the guy I met. Still not sure if it's him. He was alone at the time, although he mentioned his brother in law, who I assume he had been hiking with before he got sick.

Hot Flash
04-22-2014, 09:57
It was a joke, hon.

Perhaps for you, but I've run into too many people who actually think getting a tat like that means that it counts as a legal document.

FlyPaper
04-22-2014, 13:38
Any more info?

I didn't get a trail name from the guy I met. Still not sure if it's him. He was alone at the time, although he mentioned his brother in law, who I assume he had been hiking with before he got sick.

Based on this link: http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/authorities-identify-dead-man-found-on-appalachian-trail/article_022e2666-ca34-11e3-aafd-001a4bcf6878.html

... it seems likely this is the person you met. Although the news says it was a "brother" rather than "brother-in-law". Chances are the news got this detail wrong. And it says his brother had hiked ahead and was not with him at the time. That would explain why they said he was "hiking alone" where as he'd implied in your conversation that a brother-in-law had been eating the same food.

The article also says he was 59 and from Washington State.

QHShowoman
04-22-2014, 14:25
I bet the guy's brother feels terrible. Or maybe he went ahead to find help?

FlyPaper
04-22-2014, 14:41
I bet the guy's brother feels terrible. Or maybe he went ahead to find help?

It said they met him in Troutville. That same distance took me about 4 days. If it was an emergency, I'm sure he would have gone north to the James River.

Most likely at the time they split he wasn't feeling well, but had no reason to think it was anything serious.

I'm sure his brother will second guess himself for the rest of his life, although personally I don't think he did anything wrong based on what he knew at the time he did it.

HikerMom58
04-22-2014, 15:32
Aww.... :(

Demeter
04-23-2014, 08:46
While this is the way I would want to go myself, I feel terrible for his family, who will probably have questions about his comfort and peace at the end. Hopefully he didn't suffer and the autopsy will confirm that for their sake...

HikerMom58
04-23-2014, 11:51
While this is the way I would want to go myself, I feel terrible for his family, who will probably have questions about his comfort and peace at the end. Hopefully he didn't suffer and the autopsy will confirm that for their sake...

Amen! Praying for the family, friends and loved ones.

bamboo bob
04-23-2014, 12:02
I have told my family that if they ever put me in "the home" iIm going to keep my gear handy and "wander off" the first chance I get. I heard of a guy who went up to the Whites, found a secluded ledge and just lied there until he died. Tough call though. You have to be fit enough to hike and close to croaking.

Mags
04-23-2014, 12:10
I have told my family that if they ever put me in "the home" iIm going to keep my gear handy and "wander off" the first chance I get. I heard of a guy who went up to the Whites, found a secluded ledge and just lied there until he died. Tough call though. You have to be fit enough to hike and close to croaking.


Guy Waterman (http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/20/us/guy-waterman-dies-at-67-wrote-books-about-hiking.html). Well known New England-based wilderness author.

Interesting story. (http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/20/us/guy-waterman-dies-at-67-wrote-books-about-hiking.html)

As an aside, he wrote a book in the early 1990s (http://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Ethics-Preserving-Wildness-Appreciation/dp/0881502561) that seemed very prescient.

bamboo bob
04-23-2014, 12:22
I just read Waterman's obit. I likely had read it before. I might have liked him doubt I could hike with him though. Kind of obsessed with ALL the 4000 footers from ALL for sides. Not my cup of tea.

thomas5052
04-23-2014, 12:34
My heart goes out to his family!

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

justusryans
04-23-2014, 13:15
My wife and I attempted a thru-hike in 06. I ended up in the hospital for emergency gall-bladder surgery

Mags
04-23-2014, 14:19
I just read Waterman's obit. I likely had read it before. I might have liked him doubt I could hike with him though. Kind of obsessed with ALL the 4000 footers from ALL for sides. Not my cup of tea.


Just realized I put the same link 2x. My bad

Here's the outside online story that is a a good read:
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/A-Natural-Death.html

bamboo bob
04-23-2014, 17:28
Just realized I put the same link 2x. My bad

Here's the outside online story that is a a good read:
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/A-Natural-Death.html

That was a good read. Saving the wilderness for whom? I always thought that the AMC people had secret trails they won't let anyone know about. And yes. Clinical Depression.

mad4scrapping
04-23-2014, 17:29
Fascinating article in Outsideonline. Thanks for posting the link. I admire people who live and die on their own terms.

Cherokee Bill
04-23-2014, 19:49
Amen! Praying for the family, friends and loved ones.
------------------
I live in Bedford County, in which Matts Creek Shelter lies. Heard the original call go out to LE and rescue for the body recovery (and required investigation)!

All was taken care of so politely and professionally (at least over the radio)!

1st thing that came to mind was that he died doing what he LOVED

Hope I die doing what I love, in the Mtns, rather than in front of the TV!!!

Keep the family in your/our prayers!~

Theosus
04-24-2014, 09:19
I've told my kids that if this should happen to me, not to feel bad about it. It's a pretty good way to die. On the trail, doing what you love!!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I like hiking, but I don't think I would want to die on the trail. Dying on the trail sounds like a pretty BAD way to die... if you die out there you probably feel pretty crappy about it, i.e.; You're dehydrated from lack of water sources or norovirus. You could die of heat stroke, which sounds pretty nasty to go through, as you probably feel awful while it's going on and realize that you're not getting out alive. Mauled by (insert nasty animal here) until you're dead. You're sick from (insert illness here) and can't make it out. You have (insert incapacitaing injury here) and would really LIKE to make it to safety, but you can't, and wind up dying from shock or exposure or blood loss. You freeze to death... also bad. Something heavy falls on your or your tent (big ass rocks, trees, unfit hiking partners...) and crushes you, or traps you so you die slowly.

About the only good way to die on the trail, in my opinion, would be to make a long climb up to the top of some beautiful view, sit down to rest, and suddenly, unexpectedly drop dead from a massive heart attack or brain embolism. Of course, if I'm going to die that way, being on the trail is a pretty good place to have that happen. An even better place to suffer a sudden unexpected death right after vigorous exercise would be the bunny ranch, but that's just my opinion.

Odd Man Out
04-24-2014, 10:20
All this talk of dieing of natural causes while hiking made me think of a related topic. Events like this are viewed by some people as tragic because a person who has a medical emergency out on the trail, far from help, could have been saved if they were closer to medical assistance. The older you get, the more likely you are to have this problem, so the more likely this activity is viewed as irresponsible. But what is not considered (as it is difficult to quantify) is the probability that a hiker (especially an older hiker) has a longer and better quality of life due to the health benefits of leading an active lifestyle. I think it is more tragic if a person dies prematurely because they have been convinced by well-intentioned friends and family that it is too dangerous to venture out and keep active. I guess for me, I don't think of the trail as being a good or bad place to die. For me, I think of it as a great place to stay healthy and happy while I'm alive. As George Burns said when asked what it was like to grow old. He said "it beats the alternative".

Ktaadn
04-24-2014, 10:35
I like hiking, but I don't think I would want to die on the trail. Dying on the trail sounds like a pretty BAD way to die... if you die out there you probably feel pretty crappy about it, i.e.; You're dehydrated from lack of water sources or norovirus. You could die of heat stroke, which sounds pretty nasty to go through, as you probably feel awful while it's going on and realize that you're not getting out alive. Mauled by (insert nasty animal here) until you're dead. You're sick from (insert illness here) and can't make it out. You have (insert incapacitaing injury here) and would really LIKE to make it to safety, but you can't, and wind up dying from shock or exposure or blood loss. You freeze to death... also bad. Something heavy falls on your or your tent (big ass rocks, trees, unfit hiking partners...) and crushes you, or traps you so you die slowly.

About the only good way to die on the trail, in my opinion, would be to make a long climb up to the top of some beautiful view, sit down to rest, and suddenly, unexpectedly drop dead from a massive heart attack or brain embolism. Of course, if I'm going to die that way, being on the trail is a pretty good place to have that happen. An even better place to suffer a sudden unexpected death right after vigorous exercise would be the bunny ranch, but that's just my opinion.

There seems to be myth floating around most of society that have a heart attack is a quick and painless way to die. In reality it is an excruciatingly painful way to die. Not that I have firsthand experience of course.

How about a good lightning strike? Would that be fast and painless?

Theosus
04-24-2014, 12:02
There seems to be myth floating around most of society that have a heart attack is a quick and painless way to die. In reality it is an excruciatingly painful way to die. Not that I have firsthand experience of course.

How about a good lightning strike? Would that be fast and painless?

Now there you go! Now you're thinking. Yep, lightning would probably do it, although I have a feeling lightning hurts like hell, even if it is for just a few milliseconds. I've been zapped by many various painful voltages over my lifetime (from a TASER, a 1000volt/1 amp transformer, and even two different indirect lightning strikes) and one thing common to them all - they HURT. Although that 1000volt transformer was the worst...

mtntopper
04-24-2014, 18:05
I doubt that it would be painless. Just think of the electric chair.

SawnieRobertson
04-24-2014, 19:04
Have we ever learned the name of the hiker? His trail name?

gunner76
04-24-2014, 19:29
Sad that someone died on the trail. We can only hope he died doing something he loved doing.

My youngest son goes hiking with me so he can tell mom where the body is in case something happens to me. Most times I out hike him.

Lone Wolf
04-24-2014, 21:03
There seems to be myth floating around most of society that have a heart attack is a quick and painless way to die. In reality it is an excruciatingly painful way to die. Not that I have firsthand experience of course.

How about a good lightning strike? Would that be fast and painless?
i had a major heart attack and emergency quadruple by-pass surgery one afternoon 5 years back. kinda painful. gettin' my chest cracked open like a walnut was real painful. bein' alive is cool :)

jimmyjam
04-24-2014, 21:21
A lighting strike will not be be painless either. Think electrocution. I took an indirect hit 30 years ago while swimming in the New River. Ever put your finger on a mower spark plug while the engine is running ? I almost walked on water to get out of the river.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

SawnieRobertson
04-25-2014, 08:53
i had a major heart attack and emergency quadruple by-pass surgery one afternoon 5 years back. kinda painful. gettin' my chest cracked open like a walnut was real painful. bein' alive is cool :)

Yeah, and having you not only alive but also healthy is kinda cool too.