Injured hiker in The Whites carried out 8 miles

[woodsy]

This story should emphasize again the need to be prepared for whatever may come your way including provisions for surviving overnight when on just a day trip.
This guy got lucky that someone else happened to come along.
Here's the account from the man who found the injured hiker:

After bushwhacking up to peak 3314" from the Franconia Brook Trail, I decided to continue on along the ridge to Bondcliff. The bushwhack up to Bondcliff was one of the most difficult bushwhacks I've done. Upon reaching the Bondcliff trail I finished my lunch then continued up to Bondcliff for great views, pics, and a beer.

At 3:15 I started down the trail. Ian had been hiking up the Bondcliff Trail in shorts, tee shirt, and trail runners when he slipped on a wet rock and broke his ankle. He layered up and headed back down the trail at that point. It was about 4:00 when I caught up to him just below the small slide. He had descended about a mile and was exhausted. It was clear he wouldn't make it out under his own power at his current pace in less than 16 hours or so. After speaking with him about it a bit more I left him the rest of my food and I told him to sit tight and I'd go get the calvary.

I reached the Lincoln Police Station at about 6:00 and told them the situation. While they were contacting Fish & Game I borrowed a large coffee dispenser and got it filled with a pot and-a-half of Dunkins Finest. I also bought some food and a liter of Mountain Dew. My first Dew of the day.

After arriving back at the police station I spoke with someone from Fish & Game via phone and was informed they'd be up but it would be a while. I then went back to Lincoln Woods emptied my pack and reloaded it with the stuff Ian and I would need to get through the long cold night including all that hot coffee. I was back on the trail at 7:15.

I reached Ian at about 9:30. he had come down the trail about a half mile. in the process he had fallen a few times, hit his head, and was a bit wet from traipsing through the brooks. He also said he'd been going in and out of shock.

It was at this time I learned that Ian was allergic to coffee...Oh well, it was good coffee. After getting some food in him we worked on getting his feet and legs a bit warmer then I looked around for a place for a campfire should the need arise. Then I took a seat beside him, kept him talking, and waited for the calvary. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long, the first Fish & Game officers arrived at about 10:15 followed soon after by members of the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team.

Ian had some hot tea and was loaded into the litter and by 10:40 was on his way down the trail. We carried him to a waiting pickup just south of the Franconia Brook bridge and at about 3:00 he arrived at the ambulance waiting at Lincoln Woods.

Though it was a long night, in some ways it was fun, and it was a great learning experience for me and hopefully for Ian as well.

[DavidNH]

One can only say that this hiker was darn lucky to have made it out.

Why oh why do people hike into the white mountain backcountry with just shorts, t shirt and trail runners in mid to late October? Even when it seems warm...it usually isn't up on the heights!

David

[ed bell]

Thanks, woodsy for yet another good post. Mr. Palmer "stumbling" by sounds like the best case scenario Mr. MacFarlane could have possibly hoped for. 23.1 miles + his initial bushwack earlier in the day? Mr. Palmer gets the Good Samaritan award.

[woodsy]

Thanks, woodsy for yet another good post. Mr. Palmer "stumbling" by sounds like the best case scenario Mr. MacFarlane could have possibly hoped for. 23.1 miles + his initial bushwack earlier in the day? Mr. Palmer gets the Good Samaritan award.

He sure does, i don't think i could have pulled off what he did without a good shot of adrenaline. Bet he feels pretty darn good though knowing he probably saved the man's life! Didn't sound as though anyone else would have come by to help the injured one. No cell phone signal either.

[ed bell]

No cell phone signal either.

As usual. My friends backpacked for four days around Mt. Rodgers in Va. and never had a signal when the checked on it. (Had a phone because it made more sense to hold it than to leave it in the car in Damascus.)

[Mags]

Damn...

I saw the mileage you had to put down to do this S&R. What a good mensch!

Good job! And, some valuable lessons from this incident, too.

[Alligator]

One can only say that this hiker was darn lucky to have made it out.

Why oh why do people hike into the white mountain backcountry with just shorts, t shirt and trail runners in mid to late October? Even when it seems warm...it usually isn't up on the heights!

David

The article states he "layered up". It doesn't say what he was carrying.

[Moon Monster]

Mr. Palmer rocks, especially if the mileage in the news article is correct--23 miles of hiking after discovering the injured hiker plus the driving all in less than 12 hours!

Ian did have layers, Palmer said. And, he was not described as hypothermic even in the 20s in his condition. Ian obviously had some good fortitude himself to make the progress he did. And nothing here suggests he was not prepared to enough to survive the night. We simply don't know enough to make that claim.

But, we can infer that he probably was in better shape through this than the majority of folks reading the story and judging him would have been.

[Jim Adams]

One can only say that this hiker was darn lucky to have made it out.

Why oh why do people hike into the white mountain backcountry with just shorts, t shirt and trail runners in mid to late October? Even when it seems warm...it usually isn't up on the heights!

David

He must have had a death wish! His family tree doesn't mention the name McCandless does it?

gee

[woodsy]

This story should emphasize again the need to be prepared for whatever may come your way including provisions for surviving overnight when on just a day trip.

I don't think i said he wasn't prepared, just how prepared he was remains to be seen, but this is an example why one should be prepared. S**t happens.

Mags: Damn...

I saw the mileage you had to put down to do this S&R. What a good mensch!

Good job! And, some valuable lessons from this incident, too.

No doubt some lessons learned.
In 5.5 hrs or so the badly injured solo hiker managed to gain 1.5 miles and was probably about done making further progress given his condition when Palmer arrived back.

Hiking solo has it's drawbacks and much more caution is needed when doing so. Even then......
Gotta hand it to Robert Palmer and those S&R folks for what they did here,
a marathon rescue with a happy ending.

[Peaks]

And, if you read the entries on Views from the Top, no cell phone reception.

[Flush2wice]

Ian did have layers, Palmer said. And, he was not described as hypothermic even in the 20s in his condition. Ian obviously had some good fortitude himself to make the progress he did. And nothing here suggests he was not prepared to enough to survive the night. We simply don't know enough to make that claim.

But, we can infer that he probably was in better shape through this than the majority of folks reading the story and judging him would have been.

Agreed, for the most part. But if I was a Monday morning quarterback, I'd suggest that once Palmer found Ian, Ian should have hunkered down. Instead he continued another .5 miles and "in the process he had fallen a few times, hit his head, and was a bit wet from traipsing through the brooks. He also said he'd been going in and out of shock."

[laserlips]

Hey Woodsy,
Thanks for validating my sometimes questionable faith that people are basically good.(yes, I know that sounds like Ann Frank)
Don't suppose you could start hiking back and forth along the OT in case I fall and break my ankle?:-)

[JAK]

When I first read it I also came to the incorrect assumption that he didn't stay put because he wasn't warm, and thus didn't have enough layers. Having read it again, there is no reason to assume he wasn't well prepared. He probably should have stayed put once he was left, but he might have been bored or something, or going to a warmer location. Who knows. He was there. I wasn't.

Good point though, that clothing should be chosen with an injury in mind. Always best to be prepared to hunker down, stay put, and make tea. And almost always best to do so in order to rest and clear your head before getting into more trouble.

[Moon Monster]

But if I was a Monday morning quarterback, I'd suggest that once Palmer found Ian, Ian should have hunkered down. Instead he continued another .5 miles

Yeah, my thoughts from afar, too. But, I also figure that if in the same situation, I would probably go against that better judgment and try to keep going down on my own. I'm stubborn about not taking help from others, and I'd be very shy about a rescue party having to be called for me. The last bit of control would be to try to make another mile down. I would not be surprised if this guy had similar thoughts.

This is a good story to learn from because it reminds us that in reality, no matter how much you want to stay in control, even an ankle injury can become life-threatening when it gets cold.