Hikers Stranded on Longs Peak, CO

[QHShowoman]

If ever there was an argument for cell phones in the backcountry, this would be it.

BREAKING: two hikers are stranded on Longs Peak, awaiting rescue amidst the CO flood chaos.
Connie Yang and Suzanne Turell sent a series of emergency texts from 13,400 feet yesterday, according to Yang's sister via Tumblr (link below). The two experienced hikers indicated that they were off-trail and attempting to wait out an ice storm on the mountain's south ridge.
Search and rescue teams in the area are stretched thin due to ongoing flood damage in Larimer County.


http://helpconnieandsuz.tumblr.com/

[Mags]

I disagree. Hiking a 14er during a 100 yr flood weather is not the wisest course of action. If they had read the news first on their smart phone insteAd and not gone hiking, they would not have been in this situation. I hope they are fine, but with emergency personnel being stretch so thin to begin with, this was NOT a wise thing to
do. If anything, this story is a case for a phone giving a false sense of
hubris. I am a very experienced outdoors person. I would like to think if it has been raining since Monday , I would not be hiking a 14k ft mountain.

[quasarr]

I am with Mags on this one. I'm not against phones but would you think it's a wise decision to climb this mountain during record rain/flood conditions?

sRlong1_119.jpg

[QHShowoman]

I disagree.

I didn't actually ask if (or suggest that) their decision to go backpacking during an impending flood was a wise one. So you're not disagreeing with me on that.

However, I do think if you're going to bring a cell phone into the back country - the texts that were sent are exactly appropriate for the situation. Give potential rescuers as much info as you can, to help them locate you.

[Mags]

However, I do think if you're going to bring a cell phone into the back country - the texts that were sent are exactly appropriate for the situation. Give potential rescuers as much info as you can, to help them locate you.

And I am saying this is not a case/arguement why cell phones should be brought in the backcountry. This is just a case for poor judgement that could have been avoided.

[HooKooDooKu]

I didn't actually ask if (or suggest that) their decision to go backpacking during an impending flood was a wise one. So you're not disagreeing with me on that.

However, I do think if you're going to bring a cell phone into the back country - the texts that were sent are exactly appropriate for the situation. Give potential rescuers as much info as you can, to help them locate you.

I think you're missing Mag's point.

I believe his point is that this story is NOT a good argument for taking cellphones into the backcountry. Instead, it is an example of hikers taking unnecessary risks because they had a cell phone with them.

In other words, if you are taking a trip into the backcountry and feel you need a cellphone along in case you get into trouble, then perhaps you are actually not prepared for that trip.

[Edit]

And I am saying this is not a case/arguement why cell phones should be brought in the backcountry. This is just a case for poor judgement that could have been avoided.

Yea, or that (sorry, I apparently started typing my response just as Mag posted a clarification to his point).

[QHShowoman]

Instead, it is an example of hikers taking unnecessary risks because they had a cell phone with them.

In other words, if you are taking a trip into the backcountry and feel you need a cellphone along in case you get into trouble, then perhaps you are actually not prepared for that trip.

I think you're making some uninformed assumptions about this scenario. And I'll leave it at that.

[SawnieRobertson]

One report I read said that they were carrying a tent in their backpacks when they ascended Longs. Obviously, they should never have gone up there at this time but also they actually thought that they could tent up there and maybe avoid the wet. I am assuming that they took the route that would be a long day hike for a healthy, fit hiker. Maybe they are in their early teens with big plans but little common sense. Crazy making.

Good to hear from Magaroni, who could probably fill us in about how the rivers are churning this morning.

[Tuckahoe]

I do not understand why folks feel they need to justify bringing their cell phone. It is only for you to decide, you either do or you dont and let that be the end of it.

Anyone that gets butt hurt over someone else's choice to carry a phone needs to apply a lil cream and pull their big boy panties up.

Of course this could be solved if some folks minded their own business and others stopped worrying about what others thought.

[Mags]

The reason why I take umbrage is that it is because it is placing other people at risk during the time of an emergency. This is not just a personal decision in this case.

this is a case where a person'a decision went beyond the end of someone's nose. And definitely not a good argue,want for the wisdoms of bringing a cell phone.

[HooKooDooKu]

I think you're making some uninformed assumptions about this scenario. And I'll leave it at that.

You are right. For this specific situation, I have improperly jumped to the conclusions that these hikers shouldn't have been out there because of the current weather conditions I'm hearing about.

So to the stranded hikers involved in the news story, I apologize for jumping to conclusions without hearing anything from your side of the story.


But as a general principle, I still agree with the basic point Mags is trying to make.

[Venchka]

... The two experienced hikers ...

One also has to wonder...
How experienced are they? Where did they get this experience? Are they experienced in that area? Where rain in Estes Park can easily turn to ice on the flanks of Longs Peak, or any high mountain area.

Wayne

[QHShowoman]

One also has to wonder...
How experienced are they? Where did they get this experience? Are they experienced in that area? Where rain in Estes Park can easily turn to ice on the flanks of Longs Peak, or any high mountain area.

Wayne

Good questions, but hard to know exactly, based on the limited information available. The "experienced" bit was from Backpacker's post about this situation.
From the Tumblr, posted by one of the stranded woman's sisters: "Connie and Suzanne have plenty of backcountry experience — they go on such trips for several weeks at a time every year — and would not get in touch unless it were really a dire emergency."

One of the women, Connie Yang, designs tents for NEMO, interestingly enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo37fqBT_CM
Of course, you can be an outdoor gear designer and never set foot in the outdoors, but some photos posted on this blog show Connie in action: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword...k_stranded.php

Clearly, they're comfortable enough in the outdoors to try to "wait out" the storm on that peak. They only resorted to texting for help when it became clear that they wouldn't be able to safely wait it out.

[QHShowoman]

Oh, the other woman, Suzanne Turrell also works for NEMO as their director of product design:

From her company bio:

Suzanne found her way to design and NEMO on a twisting trail. Her love for the outdoors can probably be traced back to her first camping trip at the ripe old age of four months. Between receiving her civil engineering and architecture degrees from Princeton University and earning her Masters of Industrial Design degree at Rhode Island School of Design, she hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, reaffirming her obsession with gear and good design. When not designing and prototyping NEMO’s next big thing, she enjoys climbing, hiking, cycling, snowboarding and surfing around New England.


So, it appears that they both have plenty of outdoors experience, although I am not sure how much high-altitude experience they have.

[QHShowoman]

This article is more enlightening:
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingne...ded-longs-peak

"They are very experienced but they didn't have mountaineering equipment," said Nemo spokeswoman Kate Ketschek. "We are really worried. They wouldn't call for help if they didn't really need it."
Ketschek said the duo was equipped with fall hiking equipment, including 30-degree sleeping bags and a double-wall tent, but were probably not prepared for winter conditions. The women annually trek into remote areas and have experience hiking in areas ranging from the Appalachian Trail to California.
Their Colorado visit began on Monday. They were scheduled to fly home on Friday.

Okay. Hitting up a fourteener in Colorado with no mountaineering equipment = stupid.

[scope]

I don't see where they had the tent with them up the mountain - probably didn't. But if for some foolish reason they did, its probably saving their butt right now.

You don't need mountaineering equipment for Longs, but it being mid-Sept., you would hope they would be more respectful of the weather. You have to any time, but certainly the potential for "weather" increases dramatically after Labor Day. Frankly, its one of the more inviting things about going to the area that time of year... a view of Long's in mid-Sept below.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/show...imageuser=8174

I don't see why anyone would have issue with the OP's original comment, and I agree with them. If not purely circumstance, then whether recklessness or ignorance, I don't see the cell phone causing either. And it is good that they were able to make a distress call.

[Mags]

This article is more enlightening:
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingne...ded-longs-peak





Okay. Hitting up a fourteener in Colorado with no mountaineering equipment = stupid. [/FONT][/COLOR]

Going up at the start of a major storm is hubris...experience or not to pu it more direct, doing something stupid due to lack ofprior propper planning is NOT a good arguement for using one.

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

Okay. Hitting up a fourteener in Colorado with no mountaineering equipment = stupid. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Not necessarily. The National Park Service, well-known for caution in terms of what they recommend or require, does not include ANY mountaineering gear in their list of "must-haves" for the Keyhole Route, which was used by about 9,500 summiteers last year. They do recommend a pre-dawn start from the trailhead, as the hike is 10 to 15 hours round-trip from the trailhead. They also recommend careful review of weather forecasts for the high-elevation parts of Colorado, with an update at the crux point of the hike, if a connection can be had at that point.

NEMO is now based at Concord, NH, at sea level. From other reports, it would appear the hikers planned a vacation trip to RMNP with an ascent of Longs in the middle of the weeklong trip. They arrived Monday and were at high elevation by Thursday morning. Depending upon where the 9:07 time-stamp is referenced, they had either reached high elevation on Wednesday and got stuck overnight, or they left early Thursday morning, pre-dawn, as is recommended. The problem with either is that little time was allowed to acclimate, and if Tuesday + Wed was allowed for that, they departed on Thursday at a point in time when the arrival of the present and continuing monsoon conditions had already set in or were will within the forecasters' predictions.

It's easy to sit here at 300' above sea level and speculate, but the final analysis may show that they were on a short trip, were well-prepared and equipped, were in good physical condition, but erred disastrously by proceeding when the forecast was bad, very bad.

Absolutely a good thing they had a cellphone. Obviously all hope for a speedy rescue without injury to the hikers or the SAR folks. The shame is that setting out on this ascent appears to have been a bad idea from the get-go. The weather was not conducive to the mission, and it was probably easy to figure that.

AO

[QHShowoman]

The article I linked earlier was just updated to report that the two women have made it down from the peak safely, on their own.

I don't know why they ventured out if they knew bad weather was coming. But I highly doubt that either of them believed that taking along their cell phone would magically allow them to take additional risks that they wouldn't have taken, otherwise.

[illabelle]

The comments on this NBC article are awful! http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...-help#comments

Starting with this one:

Sure, now these "intelligent" women expect someone else to rescue their miserable asses at a huge cost, presumably paid for by the taxpayers. I say let em freeze. We'll pick em up after the spring thaw.

I'm sure they will regret their decision to climb that day, but "let em freeze"? Really? The general public (or whoever it is that's commenting) has developed a pretty negative view of hikers.