View Full Version : Appalachian Trail hiker rescued in Lebanon - Carlisle Sentinel
WhiteBlaze
07-10-2013, 00:10
<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&usg=AFQjCNG8milMRxZFdTjKhw6MKK_x_ddg6g&url=http://cumberlink.com/news/local/capital_region/appalachian-trail-hiker-rescued-in-lebanon/article_b3d7546c-e63e-11e2-a62c-0019bb2963f4.html?comment_form%3Dtrue"><b><b>Appalachian Trail</b> hiker rescued in Lebanon</b></a><br /><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">Carlisle Sentinel</font></b></font><br /><font size="-1">LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — Emergency responders rescued a dehydrated and exhausted hiker on the <b>Appalachian Trail</b> in central Pennsylvania. Responders say it took several hours to evacuate the hiker Friday morning from Second Mountain near Lebanon.</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=dtSzbRaWHPyz0QM&ned=us"><nobr><b>and more »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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illabelle
07-10-2013, 04:17
Something doesn't sound right to me. Young guy completed over half the trail, and became "exhausted" in Pennsylvania? Not much info in the article:
LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — Emergency responders rescued a dehydrated and exhausted hiker on the Appalachian Trail in central Pennsylvania.
Responders say it took several hours to evacuate the hiker Friday morning from Second Mountain near Lebanon. He was described as a man in his 20s from Chicago.
Lickdale Community Fire Company chief Paul Snyder tells the Lebanon Daily News that one of the man's companions used a cellphone to call for help.
Snyder says rescuers used an all-terrain vehicle to get close to the man's location, then hiked the rest of way through high temperatures and rough terrain.
WHP-TV reports the man was on a six-month trip with friends. They started their journey in Georgia, where the 2,200-mile trail begins.
The path ends in Maine.
Something doesn't sound right to me. Young guy completed over half the trail, and became "exhausted" in Pennsylvania? Not much info in the article:Something wasn't right. Most likely a combination of dehydration, heat stroke, and bonking (low glucose levels). There could have been some contributing factors, like a medical condition or a few beers the night before, but it can happen to anyone regardless of age or fitness. Just a matter of pushing yourself too hard on a hot day, and maybe missing a critical water stop before a hilly or sunny section. It would be good to have more details to learn from his experience, but at the end of the day people need to learn their own limits from their own experiences.
Jack Tarlin
07-10-2013, 09:24
Something doesn't sound right? On the contrary, it sounds perfectly right. It has been extremely hot and humid in Maryland and Pennsylvania recently, and while hikers should be drinking 6-8 liters of water a day in such conditions, the reality is that very few actually do. The aches and pain that people complain about all the time is frequently nothing more than chronic dehydration. In some cases, this can knock you off the Trail or worse. So there's nothing mysterious about story this at all.
Slo-go'en
07-10-2013, 10:50
Despite all the rain, water is scarce along the ridges of PA and often a pain to get to. Considering the lack of frequent water sources and the relentless heat and humidity of this summer, I can see how it would be taking a toll. I bet there are a lot of hikers coming close to needing a rescue like this poor guy.
max patch
07-10-2013, 10:56
After a couple months and 1,000 miles the hiker should have figured out how to carry enough water.
max patch
07-10-2013, 11:06
The advice some people give on this site to carry no more than a quart and "camel up" at water sources is total BS.
A good, conservative rule of thumb is carry one liter per 5 miles between water srouces. Works well for many.
fiddlehead
07-10-2013, 11:58
The advice some people give on this site to carry no more than a quart and "camel up" at water sources is total BS.
I've never carried more than a quart of water on the AT. (OK, once I did, going up Lehigh gap NOBO on a hot day)
And I camel up at water sources.
Guy might have been hungover, or lost.
Sounds like he was coming out of Rausch gap. I've never seen that creek go dry.
Sounds normal to me. I have felt the most beat up while hiking relatively flat terrain in ungodly heat. 85 degrees at 85% humidity just sucks.
max patch
07-10-2013, 14:19
A good, conservative rule of thumb is carry one liter per 5 miles between water srouces. Works well for many.
This time of year you have no guarantees that the next water source will actually have water.
There is plenty of water in this area assuming it is south of 81. Absolutely no reason to be dehydrated especially with the heavy rains we have getting here. (I live about 10 miles from this area.)
Nasty Dog Virus
07-11-2013, 21:34
Seems strange to me. Says he was rescued on 2nd Mtn. The only place the AT crosses 2nd Mtn. in that area is the short distance between Rausch Gap and Green Point School Rd. There is water on both sides of 2nd Mtn along the AT. Perhaps this individual was lost somewhere in Stony Valley off the AT?
Dehydration .... Perhaps he had intestinal issues, leaving him weak and dehydrated .... Like he was drinking bad water.