At what point does it become enabling?

[skiguy]

Guess the Autoroad and the Cog made a few extra dollars on one way tickets this weekend. Does anyone actually look at the weather report before they decide to climb the Rockpile? Seems as if having a downhill ticket option with the Autoroad and The Cog might be an enabler that promotes the lack of self reliance. Of course stuff happens but this weekend seems a bit over the top. Here are some quotes from The WMNF Volunteer's page on FB.

"Thank you to ALL the Trail Head Stewards that spoke with hikers on Saturday. Unfortunately, we had a LOT of hikers come into the Sherman Adams Visitor Building soaking wet and desparate to get off the mountain. We counted up to 70 hikers that bought one way tickets down the Cog. This included those that had stayed at LOTC Hut overnight, failed Presi traverses and up the Ammo or Jewel Trail. We did not get a number yesterday for those that took the shuttle down, but will try today. I would estimate it as just as many as the Cog number. It was a mixed of drenched rain gear and cotton hoodies. Oh yeah, 3 groups of 3 of 4 college age males came up Huntington Ravine. ALL wanted rides down. I am sure without the TH Stewards the numbers would have been much higher, so thank you"!

"Final tally..around 150 hikers went down by way of hiker shuttle or train yesterday".

 

[DayTrip]

It is just sad how uninformed, clueless and easily defeated we have become as a society. All we want is the highs, the rewards and the experience with none of the effort, work and responsibility.

 

[NHChris]

On the other hand...

How many SAR call outs were avoided by these wet and poorly prepared folks getting a ride down the hill?

As Martha Stewart always says, "That's a good thing!" GO COG!

 

[sierra]

It's not something you could stop, nor should it be stopped. The services are there and if it saves somebody or prevents SAR from going out, it is what it is.

 

[skiguy]

Just be sure you keep it inside the fog line.

 

[dave.m]

How many SAR call outs were avoided by these wet and poorly prepared folks getting a ride down the hill?

How many SAR call outs were made from the rest of the Whites during the same time period?

 

[dug]

Long ago, we summitted and my younger brother (6 yrs old) wasn't doing well. It was getting a bit late so my mother essentially begged them to take a couple down on the Cog. For $20/ea about 5-6 hopped on and had a miserable ride down. The rest met us at the bottom.

This was I think sometime in the mid-70's.

 

[egilbe]

how many of those hikers needing a ride down are going to count that as a successful summit?

 

[dug]

how many of those hikers needing a ride down are going to count that as a successful summit?

Quite a few, I bet. I also wonder how many who summit Washington are chasing lists. Some, of course, but I would bet a vast majority are just "doing Washington"; like Franconia Ridge or Monadnock, etc.

In my story above, we didn't count it and returned a year later....and several more times after.

 

[peakbagger]

Both the Cog and the Autoroad mentions options for rides down on their websites, both are presented in way that they make no guarantees. The Cannon Mountain Tram does not mention any hiker specific ride down. The autoroad used to have a sliding scale for cost for ride down, the cost went up as the time of the day got later. Probably a nice option for overtime for the staff but once the road shuts down for the evening then someone needs to answer the phone and get someone to drive plus probably have some one in supervisory capacity at the base.

On the other hand, the Cog on occasion is mentioned in the press of operating voluntarily off hours in less than ideal conditions at the request of Fish and Game. Probably great PR overall but it may plant the seed in someone's mind that if they get in trouble the Cog will bail them out.

IMHO its just comes down to if the option is there some minority of the folks will use it as backup plan. No doubt many are assuming F&G is their backup plan elsewhere.

 

[DayTrip]

Quite a few, I bet. I also wonder how many who summit Washington are chasing lists. Some, of course, but I would bet a vast majority are just "doing Washington"; like Franconia Ridge or Monadnock, etc.

There are probably more peakbaggers now in the age of social media but I'd bet many of the people who are climbing it are just doing it "because". I had climbed it first at age 17 because we camped in the area and it was the biggest mountain around. Probably did it 10-20 times in my 20's - 40's before I was even a hiker of any kind or even knew there were lists and patches and what not (didn't track it - was basically an annual camping activity and I loved the lawns on the mountain) . I know many others who did the same.

It is about as close a blurring of a tourist attraction and a hike as you can get.

 

[jrcinnh]

We were "on" Washington Saturday redlining Raymond path, no intention of going to the summit, met some well experienced friends as we reached Huntington Ravine trail junction, they bailed at the slabs, just too wet for their comfort.
Once on Tuckermans heading down, we met a mix of summited and did not summit. Most summited were too young to know any better and told tales of the 90 mph wind they fought. Cotton was abundant, as was shivering. Always interesting.
A person with group badge, maybe AMC did his best to dissuade people heading up, he seemed successful.