Another series of bad judgment calls in the Whites

[jeffmeh]

While I find the article neither particularly insightful, nor critical enough of the decision-making, here's another lesson learned the hard way. Fortunately, all survived.

The primary failure (among many) IMO was attempting to traverse the Pemi from Zealand Falls Hut without the gear and food to be able to spend the night if they were unable to make it out in a day.

Never underestimate the Whites, particularly in winter.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2014/05/23/brutal-cold-bad-luck-and-bad-decisions-turn-white-mountains-trek-into-survival-test/e11bhDs1uY5HRw5GOZ7vyM/story.html?s_campaign=8315

[Monkeywrench]

To go out in the winter and not be prepared to spend the night if necessary seems crazy to me. They had sleeping bags, but no food or water, and apparently no means of melting snow. Crazy!

And if I read the article right, at nightfall they were closer to the hut than to their cars, yet chose to go on because turning back would take 12 hours.

[rocketsocks]

And there were many fallen trees, with all six having to take off their skis whenever they had to climb over. Each tree meant a 10-minute delay and “there were dozens and dozens and dozens of trees,” Mazur says.

at what point does one say "hey this trail blows...outta here"


36 crossings x 10 min= 6 hours of climbing over trees on a ski trip.


but yes punching out in the winter without the very minimum of essentials is just foolish, kinda strange really, smart and as experienced as this groups leader sounds...I don't get this one.:confused: at all.

“The White Mountains don’t look like Everest or K2. I’ve always considered them a little bigger than hills.”

maybe this was the problem...

[Coffee]

I think that the first sentence of the article explains what went wrong. The guy had a lot of confidence due to previous hikes that seemed to be much more extreme so he didn't take what was ahead of him seriously enough.

[gsingjane]

Gosh, as a frequent group leader, I have to say that this story makes my blood run cold (literally). On the one hand, I'm sure glad my bone-headed decisions or flubs didn't make a major newspaper. On the other, though, I was really struck by the fact that the leader apparently left his group. I guess his thinking was that he'd try and get out the best way he could and send rescue back (although the article didn't say that) but I didn't see where in article it stated they had to leave a hiker behind or that someone was injured, etc. I learned the hard way that you always keep the group together. Judging from this factual and temporal distance is always dicey, but I must say I was surprised that he did seem to abdicate his responsibility to the folks he brought out there.

Jane

[jeffmeh]

Hubris. The problem with even attempting that stretch without gear to spend the night, is that it is a non-negligible possibility that you could find the trail clear until late enough in the day that you don't have time to either make it out or return to the hut.

[peakbagger]

There was a thread of VFTT.org with folks who did the same trail soon after and do it on occasion. Conditions change day to day in the winter in the whites and one of the first symptoms of hypothermia in loss of common sense. Breaking trail after a fresh snow fall can be really difficult and what appears to be a wide trail in the summer can rapidly turn into a snowy tunnel in the winter.

[bamboo bob]

If you were from Boston you would just say "Typical Harvard"

[atraildreamer]

Good judgement comes from experience. :-?

Experience come from bad judgement. :mad:

Live and learn. :)

[MuddyWaters]

I think the leader comes across as:

1. Thinking he is more experienced/knowledgeable than he was
2. not very concerned about the welfare of the young people he was leading
3. A pompous ass

[Damn Yankee]

It's "Typical Hahvid"

[magneto]

Great story - I'll file it under "Don't Do That".


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[mad4scrapping]

I think the leader comes across as:

1. Thinking he is more experienced/knowledgeable than he was
2. not very concerned about the welfare of the young people he was leading
3. A pompous ass

Agreed .........

[Dakota Joe]

#justhikeit


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