Mount Washington Dayhiker May Not Survive

[briarpatch]

Here's a link to an article on some dayhikers who found out the hard way what Mount Washington is capable of:

http://www.wmur.com/news/9904905/detail.html#

[Tinker]

Eh?

People who don't learn from other's mistakes are bound to follow in their footsteps.

Mt. Washington may not be a huge mountain, but it is much higher than the surrounding area, and the footpaths are generally pretty rugged.

And then there's that FAMOUS weather.

No excuse for any of it.

Still, I hope the guy survives.

[Shutterbug]

Here's a link to an article on some dayhikers who found out the hard way what Mount Washington is capable of:

http://www.wmur.com/news/9904905/detail.html#

I don't understand the route they were taking. The report said that they left from Pinkham's Notch. Most people who climb from Pinkham's Notch take Tuckerman's Rivine; however, the report also said that someone drove a car back to where the hikers were. TheTuckerman's Rivine trail doesn't reach the road until the edge of the parking lot at the summit. They must have taken another trail from Pinkham's Notch.

[Lone Wolf]

Probably the AT to the auto road.

[The Old Fhart]

I don't understand the route they were taking. The report said that they left from Pinkham's Notch. Most people who climb from Pinkham's Notch take Tuckerman's Rivine; however, the report also said that someone drove a car back to where the hikers were. TheTuckerman's Rivine trail doesn't reach the road until the edge of the parking lot at the summit. They must have taken another trail from Pinkham's Notch.

Like Lone Wolf said they could have left Pinkham taking the A.T. (the Old Jackson Road) and hit the Auto Road 2 miles from the base but more likely they took the Tuckerman Ravine trail. There are other trails off either of these routes that would hit the Auto Road at 5+ , 6 , 6.5, and 7 miles from the base. It is 7.6 miles to the summit by road.

This unfortunate incident does show the need to be prepared, carry map and compass, and know escape routes. One of the first rules of climbing is if the weather is bad, or if you are unprepared for the conditions you meet, go down, don't continue higher where the conditions will only be worse. Also the Stage Office that they broke into for shelter is unmanned but the heated summit building is a flat couple of hundred yards away and is staffed 24/7 by the State Park and Observatory who have emergency gear and training. In whiteout conditions you can't see that far but if they had knowledge of the summit this might have helped what may be a tragic outcome.

[The Old Fhart]

Icemanat95-"OK, judging by the Manchester Union Leader article I was right. Perhaps this early in the season they don't man the Observatory overnight?"

Other than when the fire burnd the generator building a few years ago, the Observatory has a continual presence on the summit since 1934, I believe.

The Union Leader did say: "State park personnel on the summit were alerted..." If Mike was there he is the #1 S&R person in the entire area.

[lwarfi]

The Manchester Union leader article has a couple more details.

Do you think they thought those signs about being prepared for weather didn't apply to them?

[Lone Wolf]

They're from Queebeck. Probably can't read English.

[MattC]

They're from Queebeck. Probably can't read English.

they all speak english.

[Lone Wolf]

they all speak english.

Wrong. I lived 3 miles from the Kweebeck border for 10 winters working at Jay Peak Ski Resort. Plenty of them frogs spoke no Engley.

[Doctari]

Do you think they thought those signs about being prepared for weather didn't apply to them?

Yes, just like the people who routenly: park in handicaped spaces then jog into the store, go in the wrong way where signs say in huge letters "DO NOT ENTER", remove safety guards from dangerous machenery, climb over safety fences & into the props of plains, race trains to crossings, etc.


Hate to see anyone hurt or dead, but as mentioned before, these people are trying to win a Darwin Award.

I imagine the conversation at trail head, in front of the big warning sign went something like this:

DAW #1: Sign says "bad weather can happen at any time, be prepared" wonder what that means.

DAW #2: Don't mean nothin, that's for (hikers, campers, Mt climbers, etc.) not us. Besides look how nice it is, sunny, not a cloud in the sky.

DAW #3, & 4: Yea, nice day, shut up.

DAW #1: Yea, you are right, lets walk.

Then they all were "surprised" when the weather changed. I bet $0.05 that when it's all said & done the 4 say " someone should have warned us better." Not a chance in H*** they say "We messed up, its all our fault". Likely they try to sue someone for their F. up.


DAW = Darwin Award Winner

Just my humble opinion.

Doctari.

[icemanat95]

There are a number of routes that cross over the Auto Road, some down low, others fairly high up. I'm thinking that they may either have managed to struggle up the Huntington Ravine trail (a serious undertaking in bad weather) and found the road just past the junction with the Alpine Garden. Or they may have been intending to hike Nelson Crag Trail which comes near the road at the 2 mile post and at the intersection with Huntington Ravine trail.

My thinking is that they got most of the way up before getting into trouble, which is why they opted to seek shelter up instead of down. I'm wondering though why they didn't seek refuge in the observatory. It is manned year round after all, and heated.

[Darwin again]

Darwin Award candidates.

[icemanat95]

OK, judging by the Manchester Union Leader article I was right. Perhaps this early in the season they don't man the Observatory overnight?

[TJ aka Teej]

The inability to think clearly is the sympton of hypothermia that leads most often to death. This time of year up here in New England all hikers should watch each other for the "umbles". The Quebecer's poor planning got them into trouble, but the 'stupid' behavior afterwards sounds like impaired judgement to me.

[hikerjohnd]

The Quebecer's poor planning got them into trouble, but the 'stupid' behavior afterwards sounds like impaired judgement to me.

Once I read they went back up the mtn, I thought impaired judgement too. I think I have experieced a mild case of hypothermia once - Looking back on the decisions we made (lost, hiking at 2AM, deciding to take a shortcut and we had no idea where we were to begin with) if we had not made it back to the truck I am sure we would be dead.

[hiker33]

There's no need to speculate on the route taken by these clowns as the video states that they used the Nelson Crag Trail. This trail briefly joins the auto road and leaves it again a mile or two below the summit. The car thief probably drove to this point to pick up the others.

It's a wonder that more people don't die on the mountain. One Labor Day weekend years ago I set out to climb via the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Camel Trail, and the Davis/Crawford Paths. After I had crested the headwall a storm came out of nowhere. Within 30 minutes the weather changed from sunny and upper fifties to snow and freezing rain with lightning and 35 degrees. I was on the Camel Trail so I rode it out at Lakes of the Clouds Hut. I was less than a quarter mile away when it hit but it was an ordeal getting there on the icy rocks. During the next hour people kept dragging in, many wearing nothing but wet shorts and t-shirts. I was fully prepared with warm clothing and raingear but I was one of the few. The unprepared folks were just plain lucky.

[minnesotasmith]

I met a French Canadian couple (M & F, about age 30) headed southbound between Full Goose and Carlo Col shelters a few nights ago that thought they could be certain of hiking the 4.4 miles in 2.5 hours near dusk, which (having just done it) I thought imprudent and uncertain. I pulled out my Nat'l Geographic map (which shows info the ATC/local club maps don't), and showed them a water source down the 1st Wright trail, and told them about camping possibilities I'd seen, to their effusive gratitude.

[STEVEM]

There's no need to speculate on the route taken by these clowns as the video states that they used the Nelson Crag Trail. This trail briefly joins the auto road and leaves it again a mile or two below the summit. The car thief probably drove to this point to pick up the others.

It's a wonder that more people don't die on the mountain. One Labor Day weekend years ago I set out to climb via the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Camel Trail, and the Davis/Crawford Paths. After I had crested the headwall a storm came out of nowhere. Within 30 minutes the weather changed from sunny and upper fifties to snow and freezing rain with lightning and 35 degrees. I was on the Camel Trail so I rode it out at Lakes of the Clouds Hut. I was less than a quarter mile away when it hit but it was an ordeal getting there on the icy rocks. During the next hour people kept dragging in, many wearing nothing but wet shorts and t-shirts. I was fully prepared with warm clothing and raingear but I was one of the few. The unprepared folks were just plain lucky.

Several years ago, I climbed Slide Mtn. in the Catskills in mid November. At +-4200 feet,Slide is small by New England standards. Yet, conditions went from 60 F with no wind at the trailhead to 30 F with 8" of new snow and 40mph winds with freezing fog near the summit. I met many hikers near the summit and on my way down wearing summer clothing and footware. I saw none who turned back prior to the summit clearing though that would have been prudent given the conditions.

In addition to lack of judgement due to hypothermia, the need to accomplish the goal (I.E. reach the summit) also seems to impair the decision making process.

[TJ aka Teej]

And he's not much better.This was a topic over on www.ViewsFromTheTop.com, and I asked if there was an update concerning the hiker. From VFTT member Breeze:"the 23 year old hiker is in Elliot Hospital in Manchester NH. He was ambulanced to Berlin (Androscoggin Valley Hospital) from the base of the Auto Road.Core temperature ~ 90 degrees F at Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, he was helo'd outbound. Dartmouth-Hitchcock couldn't accept him because their ICU was full, thence diverted to Manchester. Pupils fixed, dilated, and nonresponsive on exam by the EMT-A-WFR at first contact, 11:30 PM. Estimated duration of hypoxia x 2 hours. EMT-A-WFR on scene opined that there could easily have been four fatalities out of that situation, survival of the most severely affected will be a huge financial and emotional burden to his family and friends."