Hiker Rescued from Mt Moosilauke

[1HappyHiker]

Just ran across the link below. (If this has already been reported on this Forum, then Moderators please delete.)

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100105/THISJUSTIN/100109979

 

[BobC]

Wow, good thing she called for help, a mile-and-a-half without snowshoes would have meant a lot of postholes.

 

[TrishandAlex]

Did the woman have health issues that would have made her fatigue quickly without the snowshoes? Maybe she physically can't posthole in deep snow for a mile and a half. There isn't a lot of info in that article, except for a quote from F&G saying that they were GLAD she used the beacon.

I'm sure there's a lot we don't know about this situation.

 

[The Hikers]

I like the snarky comments on the WMUR web site's posting of this story...

50 cents for the use of "snarky" Made my day

 

[Jason Berard]

She is a fellow Thetfordian apparently, but I don't know her, or the details of the story. I'm glad she is home safe.

 

[dentonfabrics]

Confusing article. I was wondering about this because the article states that she was "stuck ON (emphasis is mine) Mt Mooselauke" which meant to me that she was stuck on the summit. But of course there's no TH 1.5 miles from the summit.

An interesting part of the story is that she was able to use her PLB (probably SPOT) to contact authorities. Usually, SPOT wont work under dense tree cover but will work in winter because all of the hardwoods are bare. I've always condemned SPOT for not working in the Northeast, but I never considered that it might be of use in the winter.

 

[tb69wemt]

On the surface it would seem she activated the PLB with out actually being in a true emergency. If that is the case, shame on her. With out knowing all the details of the emergency it is hard to pass judgement.It is entirely possible she broke her snow shoe at 11:00 am and had been post holing her way down the mountain for several hours before activating it, possible very cold, wet and exhausted. If that is the case, yes it was a true emergency and very worth of a PLB activation. The bottom line here is she made it out safe.

For what it is worth I own two PLBs' I own an ACR Terra Fix 406 and a SPOT
the spot I use only when hiking with youth groups, it has the ability for worried parents to log on to the website and track the progress of our hikes/climbs.

 

[erugs]

It would have been nice to have read more details. It should be enough that she is home safe, but what about the lessons readers/watchers could have learned from her experience. And those of us who are out in the mountains in the winter might not get to wonder "How the heck....?" I saw a posting from her nephew when the rescue on another site when the rescue/search was in its early stages which stated she hikes alone alot. I'd like to say good for her, but I'd like to know more about what happened.

 

[DougPaul]

Hard to say much with so little info in the reports.

For what it is worth I own two PLBs' I own an ACR Terra Fix 406 and a SPOT

Just for the record:
PLB refers to a specific class of radiobeacons that connect to Cospas-Sarsat, an international SAR alert system run by several governments around the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cospas-Sarsat). SPOT is not a PLB--it is an alternative using the commercial GlobalStar satellite system.

Doug

 

[Tim Seaver]

Shoot First, ask questions later

With out knowing all the details of the emergency it is hard to pass judgement.

Such "details" are rarely an obstacle to passing judgment on this forum.

 

[Craig]

Hard to say much with so little info in the reports.



Just for the record:
PLB refers to a specific class of radiobeacons that connect to Cospas-Sarsat, an international SAR alert system run by several governments around the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cospas-Sarsat). SPOT is not a PLB--it is an alternative using the commercial GlobalStar satellite system.

Doug

[drifting]

It is being reported that Spot will have the ability to text one-way coming soon. They're getting closer to having a versatile unit.

[/drifting]

Regarding this article, I have often thought about being miles in the middle of nowhere and breaking a shoe. Not a good situation.

 

[--M.]

Regarding this article, I have often thought about being miles in the middle of nowhere and breaking a shoe. Not a good situation.

I was backpacking toward Santanoni two years ago with a couple of guys, one of whom broke a snowshoe binding just short of the Bradley Pond lean-to. It was in mid-February, in about four feet of snow (met Grasshopper on his way out, prepping for a group-hike the next day), at around 6pm. We muddled our way to finding the buried lean-to and he made repairs with some piano wire & twist ties. Worked out pretty well.

Maybe she didn't have any piano wire or twist ties, but I'm glad she survived to hike another day. I wonder if she'll need to pony up a few bucks.

 

[Mike P.]

We don't even know where the snowshoe broke, a binding or the frame. I've been known to speculate from time to time & there isn't even enough for me to rant about.

Glad she is fine, with the beacon, when working, there's apparently less search in search & rescue.

 

[sardog1]

Unless you're atop the Rock Pile or a similar summit, you have the means at hand anywhere in New England to make snowshoes, provided you have some string or cord. Lots of examples on a Google search for "emergency snowshoes" to show you how. Here's a pictorial from one of them.

 

[Mountain49]

from an over 50 woman

Hey I hike alone with snowshoes and I'm doing quite well!!

Mountain49
Julie

 

[audrey]

Julie,

From another over-50...we must assume McRat was tongue-in-cheek the whole way.

I see Miriam Underhill's ghost turning over...

 

[McRat]

Thanks, Audrey.

No offense was meant. Someone said something similar in the WMUR comments section* and it fit in with the general absurdity.

I know 50 year old women who could outhike me any day of the week. I climbed my first mountain with my 63 year old great aunt. She was patient waiting up for me.

However, If you did feel offended, please give me a red square to request a more personal apology via pm.

* As a younger nerd, I championed the Internet for giving everyone a voice. Once the newspapers began adding 'comment sections' after the articles, I began to see a downside to that.

 

[carole]

I think the important question is: What brand/model snowshoe was she wearing and where did it break??

 

[Waumbek]

Thanks, Audrey.

No offense was meant. Someone said something similar in the WMUR comments section* and it fit in with the general absurdity.

I know 50 year old women who could outhike me any day of the week. I climbed my first mountain with my 63 year old great aunt. She was patient waiting up for me.

However, If you did feel offended, please give me a red square to request a more personal apology via pm.

* As a younger nerd, I championed the Internet for giving everyone a voice. Once the newspapers began adding 'comment sections' after the articles, I began to see a downside to that.

Shoot, McRat, I was just about to respond to your first post that you shouldn't be worried about the men in the black coats after you but to watch out for the *people* in the white coats who are looking for you, but you've ruined it now, i.e., I agree with Audrey.

 

[audrey]

It's always good to throw in an appropriate smilie for those who may believe everything that they see in print.

Mike P. once posted an unforgettable trip plan on the AMC forum which detailed his intention to do a winter Presie traverse with his young daughter strapped to a pulk. Some of us laughed hysterically, others threatened to report him to DSS.