View Full Version : Send that warm weather gear home ? 29 Degrees on Mt Washington Snow and Ice predicted
peakbagger
06-18-2022, 07:40
This weekend's weather in the whites is an illustration on how the conditions can still swing around to winter like conditions. The summit set records a few weeks ago for warmest temp ever for a particular day. Today's forecast down the valleys may not go over 50F. Tomorrows forecast is not much betterTemps on the summit are 29 F with the wind chill around 8 F. Its not going to improve until Monday. Few hikers will have the gear to safely hike all day or spend the night up high. Best option for most folks is spend a zero or two in town or hunker down in the valley in a area where its safe and legal to have a campfire. Along with the cold weather are occasional showers so its ideal hypothermia conditions.
Luckily its early for most thru hikers but early birds already heading through the area.
One would hope people would know that that area is never nearly as warm as most places, even in the summer.
Though, this is unusual overall, it was only around 60 here in NY yesterday (plus windy) and not much more today, which is also low for June.
Maybe send it home somewhere in VA, but have home send it back to Hanover NH. Especially if you’re and early bird NOBO.
peakbagger
06-19-2022, 19:38
BTW there was a unresponsive hiker carried off the Gulfside (AT) on Mt Washington last evening. He had called his wife that he was too cold and didnt think he could make it down. Its supposed to be int he 30s tonight and 70s tommorrow.
That is good advice. Usually I send my winter clothes home in Pearisburg and they get sent back to me at Hanover. You should always carry your winter gear in the Whites. It's really rather risky to try to do without it.
Just another day in Montana :)
Seriously though, I've been in ice/snow in the Presidential's in August. Not sure why anyone wouldn't expect it any month of the year, just like any other mountain range.
peakbagger
06-20-2022, 06:15
Sad to say someone got caught up on the ridge near Mt Clay (Just north of the summit cone of Mt Washington). https://www.yahoo.com/news/hiker-desperate-text-wife-prompts-201908342.html
They do not have a lot of details but the stretch between Mt Clay and Mt Jefferson is the most exposed of the ridge with few good bail out options. Even people with reservations at the huts would not be equipped or capable of surviving the hike from Lake of the Clouds to Madsion in the conditions that occurred this weekend. The forecast is 40 F and sunny on the summit today.
I have not seen any updates if the hiker survived, unresponsive hypothermic people have occasionally be revived, a local hospital used to have the specialty but unsure if they still do.
peakbagger
06-20-2022, 12:04
BTW the news reported that the hiker passed away. Typically, in cold weather rescues, the assumption is that the victim may be revived despite no life signs. The news reported that attempts were made at a local hospital for several hours before calling the code. RIP
rubyvermonter
06-20-2022, 12:08
I am so sorry to read about the hiker who died. I was a volunteer Alpine Steward this past week-end on the Franconia Range. There were many hikers and back-packers, either hiking the AT or the Pemi Loop who were unprepared for the weather. I believe all of the unprepared hikers, as well as those who were prepared but exercising caution, either turned back or spent an extra night at Liberty Springs Campsite. Saturday morning, I couldn't tolerate the cold wind on Little Haystack. There were 4 blowdowns and more than a dozen trees hanging across the Franconia Ridge trail about 3/4 mile north of the Liberty Springs Trail junction caused by the severe wind on Saturday night. Sunday I started out for Little Haystack but decided not to summit because it was under clouds and extremely windy. Many prepared backpackers did continue on.
On the southern half of the trail, sometimes I get a bit lazy and I don't check the weather forecasts as often as I should. It's also because there are more hikers around who will tell you since the weather is such a big topic on the AT.
But once I hit Hanover NH, I start checking a lot more. The thing that is kind of unique about those sections in the Whites is that if the weather gets dicey there's absolutely nowhere to bail out. Another cautionary tale to always pack winter gear, talk to the ridge runners, and be aware of the weather and your location.
peakbagger
06-22-2022, 05:36
https://www.conwaydailysun.com/berli...1f7b77a2a.html
On a nice day, Mt Clay is within sight of the summit building, tourists on the summit who took the Cog or the autoroad to the top frequently wander down there for a quick hike. In wet and high winds it can and did take hours to get a rescue team to the hiker. New hikers assume that the staff on the summit at the observatory can respond to rescues on the ridge but they are mostly college kids with no specific rescue training, if they went out in the conditions during the rescue they might have been more victims to rescue.
Rule of thumb I remember hearing is send the winter gear home after Mt Rogers and get it back at Hanover.