View Full Version : Hiker killed on Appalachian Trail identified - Herald-Mail Media
WhiteBlaze
03-16-2015, 11:30
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE8eHoABW9llfG7LQwcj8OX9Z2BRg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52778772106817&ei=CvcGVfiHGoizwAGJ2oG4Bw&url=http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/hiker-killed-on-appalachian-trail-identified/article_1986f260-cbec-11e4-8d82-5fa05b421921.html"><b>Hiker killed on <b>Appalachian Trail</b> identified</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">Herald-Mail Media</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">WEVERTON — The hiker who died Sunday morning on the <b>Appalachian Trail</b> in southwest Frederick County, Md., was a Philadelphia man who had two hiking companions, a National Park Service spokeswoman said Monday. The hiker was identified as ...</font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=d-6MycWrc_ildpM&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b>and more »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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GoldenBear
03-16-2015, 12:37
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150315_ap_a6f0e88f2b204cbf98ee94bf8aeb6165.html
http://wtop.com/maryland/2015/03/philly-musician-killed-on-appalachian-trail-loved-hiking/
https://www.facebook.com/jason.parish.31
And, like most all of us here, I've hiked that section.
I could have been any of us, so: Let's be careful out there!!
turtle fast
03-16-2015, 14:41
What a freak accident. I guess it reminds us to heed the warning of looking out for widow-makers before setting up camp. I know after a long day you don't think of it many times.
rocketsocks
03-16-2015, 15:17
What a freak accident. I guess it reminds us to heed the warning of looking out for widow-makers before setting up camp. I know after a long day you don't think of it many times.
I used to think freak accident too, but this happens all the time...the woods are a dangerous place during high wind events. Be vigilant folks.
I used to think freak accident too, but this happens all the time...the woods are a dangerous place during high wind events. Be vigilant folks.
Happens all the time??? Do you mean trees fall down or trees kill people?
bamboo bob
03-16-2015, 17:03
Happens all the time??? Do you mean trees fall down or trees kill people? Dead trees and dead limbs fall all the time. Look around. I do trail maintenance and if it's not done regularly trails become impassable in a season easily. Watch where you camp. Look above you. People are rarely killed but you don't much hear about the forty pound dead limb that destroys a tent and injures a camper.
rocketsocks
03-16-2015, 18:05
Happens all the time??? Do you mean trees fall down or trees kill people?
Sorry, falls all the time, and on occasion, kill people. Thanks for asking for clarification.
Tuckahoe
03-16-2015, 18:07
Ok, since the question came up I got curious, and tried to look information up. Much of what I found was on lawyer website making the claim that 100 people are killed...
However, potentially the most reliable figure is probably this --
Chances of being killed by a falling tree are very small, said Tom Schmidlin, a professor in the Department of Geography at Kent State University.
Annually about 25 to 35 people are killed by a falling tree or branch nationwide, said Schmidlin, who has researched the subject extensively.
According to 2008 study Schmidlin conducted, 407 people died from “wind-related tree failures” between 1995 and 2007 in the United States. Schmidlin said people are more likely to die from tornado-related causes -- another rare event. On average, about 60 fatalities are associated with tornadoes every year, he said.
Which I pulled from this article -- http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81287686/
Sarcasm the elf
03-16-2015, 20:14
I used to think freak accident too, but this happens all the time...the woods are a dangerous place during high wind events. Be vigilant folks.
Possibly the most dangerous trip I've ever been on was camping in a state park with a youth group when I was a fifteen years old. We were at a site that we had stayed at a half dozen times in the past and was considered very safe, however an unexpected severe thunderstorm rolled in during the night and tore up the forest, trees were crashing all aroud us and nobody got much sleep. When I woke up in the morning I counted 17 trees in view of my tent that had been uprooted during the night. Looking back, I'm amazed that nobody was injured and I'm also surprised that the adult leaders hadn't chosen to make a retreat. Ever since that night I've had a very healthy respect for the dangers that a falling tree can pose.
MuddyWaters
03-16-2015, 20:21
Totally agree with healthy respect. Problem is, its live trees too, and not much you can do about it if you must camp in woods.
Sarcasm the elf
03-16-2015, 20:50
Totally agree with healthy respect. Problem is, its live trees too, and not much you can do about it if you must camp in woods.
That's what was so unnerving about the incident I described. Nearly all the trees that fell that night were live trees that were uprooted. We looked around for widow-makers before we tented, but there is no way we could have identified the dangerous trees. Amazingly the dead tree near my tent managed to stay up through the whole storm.
That's what was so unnerving about the incident I described. Nearly all the trees that fell that night were live trees that were uprooted. We looked around for widow-makers before we tented, but there is no way we could have identified the dangerous trees. Amazingly the dead tree near my tent managed to stay up through the whole storm.
Never hurts to have luck on your side. Weather forecasting has gotten better since your expedition, Elf, but there so often is that risk of a freak storm. Sobering.
A tragic accident for sure, and prayers for the family. This time of year it can be hard to identify dead or dying trees, even harder if you arrive at camp late in the evening. Hoping everyone out there stays safe.
Kevin108
03-16-2015, 22:58
Google microburst. That was the scariest weather event I've ever seen. Pretty much a whole neighborhood where every tree was snapped off about 30' up.
Sarcasm the elf
03-16-2015, 23:44
Never hurts to have luck on your side. Weather forecasting has gotten better since your expedition, Elf, but there so often is that risk of a freak storm. Sobering.
Hey Driver, Since you know the area, you might be interested to know that my story actually took place inside Sleeping Giant Park. There is one legal group campsite that is by reservation only (and has since been relocated actross the creek). I camped there for a weekend every November from the time I was in fifth grade until a graduated highschool.
MuddyWaters
03-16-2015, 23:57
In nov 2011 a unprecedented windstom occurred in the sierra nevada near Devils Postpile national monument. Winds greater than 160 mph( guage broke). More than 400,000 trees down in one night. Big trees. The area looked like it had been logged.
These things happen. Frequency is just low enough they seem like isolated events to us, but on a geologic timescale, they are happening continuously. All you can do is hope, it doesnt happen to you. Odds are, it wont.
Dr. Professor
03-17-2015, 00:05
In nov 2011 a unprecedented windstom occurred in the sierra nevada near Devils Postpile national monument. Winds greater than 160 mph( guage broke). More than 400,000 trees down in one night. Big trees. The area looked like it had been logged.
These things happen. Frequency is just low enough they seem like isolated events to us, but on a geologic timescale, they are happening continuously. All you can do is hope, it doesnt happen to you. Odds are, it wont.
If someone is hiking up there in November, they've got more than trees to worry about.
Was that wind something that could have happened any time of year, rather than just in the winter (because November is certainly winter up there)?
Had a hiker that was hanging around town back when I first opened the hostel and on occasion he would stay with me. A couple of nights in particular it was raining and windy so he stayed with me. After the weather had passed he went back to his camp and found a tree had fallen right on top of his tent, it would have killed him......
I lived in FL for 3 years during the some of the worst hurricane seasons on record. Occasionally someone would go for a walk or even a drive during the storm and a tree would fall on them.
Ever seen pictures or an article about an AT shelter getting crushed by a tree? I think most of them could take a pretty direct hit and protect you. Sure, there would be roof damage, but I think the structure would be fairly sound.
I feel like ice storms bring down more trees than wind, but I have no real science behind that.
Traveler
03-17-2015, 12:25
That's what was so unnerving about the incident I described. Nearly all the trees that fell that night were live trees that were uprooted. We looked around for widow-makers before we tented, but there is no way we could have identified the dangerous trees. Amazingly the dead tree near my tent managed to stay up through the whole storm.
I saw the results of a storm that ripped off the tops of trees just north of Becket Mountain in MA a few years ago, there literally wasn't 10 square feet of ground that didn't have a large branch or tree top laying on it. I have often wondered what that would've been like to have happen around 2:00 am and what could be done to survive it.
pablo081002
03-17-2015, 16:43
Last year, about 5 hours after leaving Springer on my first AT hike I heard crashing, looked up to see a huge tree branch ahurtling towards me. Luckily, I had time to jump out of the way. I don't think it would have killed me, but who knows. No wind, just sound as a warning...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
MuddyWaters
03-17-2015, 23:29
If someone is hiking up there in November, they've got more than trees to worry about.
Was that wind something that could have happened any time of year, rather than just in the winter (because November is certainly winter up there)?
It was a particularly strong downslope windstorm. They can occur any time of year. They are confident gusts reached 200 mph, probable sustained winds of 180. They forecast these things to some extent,but they were way off on intensity and duration. Wind also came from abnormal direction that trees had not built resistance too.
30271
is it easy to tell which trees and branches are widow makers?
is it easy to tell which trees and branches are widow makers?
I think technically a widowmaker is a dead branch that is hanging there, detached, waiting to fall. Walking around, I don't pay much attention to that kind of thing unless it's unusually windy and I'm walking through an area with lots of dead trees or something.
In choosing camping spots I try to pay attention to dead trees or branches overhead. Sometimes there will be numerous dead branches already below a tree. That's a good sign more might fall. Dead trees leaning over a campsite are a risk of course. I try to avoid camping below large dead branches.