Hikers on Lafayette

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

The removal of the emergency steel shelter at Edmands Col (northern Presidentials) in the late 1970s or early 1980s was done for two principle reasons, as I recall: 1) the place was getting trashed with garbage by people using the shelter as a planned camp site, and 2) people were taking stupid risks in bad weather thinking that the shelter would save them if things "went bad."

In my view, there are three primary places in the Whites where you do not want to get trapped by bad weather in winter, for either day hikers or backpackers: 1) the Edmands Col area, 2) the Guyot area (despite the lean-to that remains there), and Franconia Ridge. There is no easy escape from any of these three areas without topping out a very exposed summit or making a very long bushwhack initially on semi-technical terrain. Of course, there are lots of other areas in the Whites that also can be problematic, but I think that these three places deserve the most respect. We have had fatalites in two of these areas this past winter.

 

[Mtn-top]

On Topic

This has been an interesting thread but it has gotten way off topic. Does anyone have new information or details regarding how this tragedy happened? We can speculate all day long, but until we know the facts, it is difficult to discuss this intelligently and all we can do is feel sorry for those that were left behind- including the poor husband.

 

[Jim lombard]

According to a source, Russ Cox is doing better and should be released today.

All I hear is that visibility was the key factor to why they stayed where they did for so long. I can only imagine that standing on that forsaken peak in a complete white-out with the wind roaring all around would make me want to seek shelter.

 

[CaptCaper]

(QUOTE)I know that in cold and wind my glasses freeze over and become worthless, I imagine that a similar thing might happen with a GPS screen. I am more concerned that by trying to read a small screen in poor visibility you are exposing your face to more weather than necessary, hence my comment about freezing to death.(QUOTE)

Granted weather can make it harder. But pratice and having proper gear can help. The screens on the newer ones are getting very bright with vivid colors and back lighting. Maybe someday they'll put the info on the inside of skigoggles like the pilots have.


(QUOTE)Right now, we don't know whether they came up from the hut or not, if they had a GPS track from Little Haystack it might not have been wise to follow it back.(QUOTE)

I always have a good route loaded with a printed out map showing the points.


(QUOTE)I don't believe that obtaining GPS coordinates from maps is good enough for whiteouts above treeline. The USGS maps are not that accurate, and the scale of the AMC maps is such that the natural error in a point is maybe the same as the distance between cairns - if you can't see between cairns, you might not be able to see a cairn from the GPS point either. A track log is better but not perfect, there are plenty of places in the Whites where even 6 feet from the trail will put you on the wrong side of a cliff.

I agree with the guy who said that GPS is a tool that may help you, but no guarantee that you will survive. In this case a cell phone could have been a better tool (if it worked). Possibly the rescuers would have been more aggressive in pushing to the summit on Monday if they had known for sure about where to look, while at the time they may have seen it as a needless risk as the couple could have been on many trails or ravines in the area. (QUOTE)

You'd be surprised at the accuracy of a good maping program properly used.
That's one thing I like to see and is very much needed is the AMC,or someone to come out with up to date maping software that can be loaded into GPS and also keep them up to date regularly.

 

[Periwinkle]

There was a story in the Union Leader today entitled "Risk Part of Winter Hiking's 'Allure'" by Kate McCann. I couldn't find the story on their website.

"The death of a Mass. woman -- and others before her -- during a winter hike hindered by bad wather in the Whites beg the question: Why take such a chance?

There are a lot of plusses, said Mike Pelchat, a state parks officer -- clear days with great visibility, smoother, hard-packed trails and hikers of a higher caliber who respect nature. And, yes, the risks involved with winter sports are iniviting, too. "There are more risks, that is part of the allure, it's part of the attraction," Pelchat said. Such risks can be minimized with experience and equipment, outdoor enthusiats say.

Brenda and Russell Cox, of Andover Mass., planned a day hike Sunday on Mt. Lafayette on a trail they had hiked before. They were expected back Sun. night, but were straded by subzero temps. and a snowstorm. They were found Tues. morning. Mrs. Cox had already died, said Pelchat, who was part of the rescue crew that found the Coxes. When she was found, she was wearing summer hiking boots, wind pants and a medium weight coat with parts of her skin exposed, said Pelchat.

The Coxes had an ice axe, snowshoes with crampons and small day packs. He said hikers should alway carry a tarp and a foam pad to sit on. They should wear layers and bring a hood for storm gear. The extra pound or two of equipment, or even just properly buttoning and zipping your self up can make the difference.

Last night, Mr. Cox was in good condition at Mass. General.

A Mass. ice [climber] was trapped in an avalance and straded for a night of Mt. Washington over the weekend. [They] survived the night by digging a trench, putting on extra clothes and eating chocolate, nuts and sandwiches.

The AMC offer courses for winter mountaineering....Winter sports have grown in popularity in recent years, thanks to improvements in gear like metal snowshoes and fabrics that allow people to travel lighter and stay warmer said club spokesman Rob Burbank.

But Mother Nautre is a formidable foe, and even the best prepard can become her next victim. The Coxes were also expereinced hikers and competed in endurance trails.

There have been situations where people have been very well prepared but the weather has been terribly inhospitable,' Burbank said.

A 37 y.o. Mt. Monadnock park ranger and trained rescue worker, camping with a tent and stove, froze to death in Jan. when temps. unexpectedly fell to -44 with a wind chill of -100 in the Whites.

"For people who go out in these extreme conditions, there's a drive that's very difficult to understand," said park officer Don Davis after his colleague died. "It compels them to move on and go out into the elements. It's part of their lifesytle."

 

[bob m]

a good photo of Russell and Brenda

Family members sent me this link: Boston Herald article
It's a great picture of two wonderful people.

 

[crazymama]

Thanks BobM, that article gives a little more detail about what happened.

There is one point that doesn't make sense to me:

On their way up the mountain, however, the Coxes heard from fellow climbers that the weather had suddenly changed. They turned around, but were confronted with a whiteout.

If they turned around right when other people told them the weather had changed, why were they the only ones who ended up in this situation?

The other thing mentioned is that when they did try to move down the mountain, their goggles froze up and when they removed their goggles, they were blinded by the blowing snow. It seems to me, that if you are essentially blind, that having a compass or GPS isn't going to help too much.

This is a very frightening and sad story for me. They sounded like a couple of regular hiking folks, out for a nice day hike...not that much different from me probably.

 

[Skiddah]

Off the cuff, crazymama, I might say that they could have had radios or a cell phone to 'hear' from fellow hikers. Also, I have noticed that everyone has their own best pace to hike at, especially when descending. The Coxes stuck together because they were a team, but the other hikers probably had their own pace and could have easily outdistanced them in very short order...

 

[crazymama]

You're right, Skiddah. I actually did briefly entertain the idea that the other people might have hightailed it down the mountain ahead of them.

 

[Jack Waldron]

I too found that report about "turning around and returning to Lafayette" to be confusing. The other reports that I've seen state that the Coxes hiked up Falling Waters and then across the ridge to Lafayette. If that's true then the "turning around" comment makes no sense. If alternatively, they actually hiked up OBP and Greenleaf to Lafayette then "turning around" makes sense. They started across the ridge toward Little Haystack and Falling Waters but attempted to return to Lafayette and Greenleaf when the weather turned bad. Right now we have two conflicting acccounts of their route and behavior.

 

[WildPeaks]

Hi to all.
My sympathy first & foremost goes out to Russ & his family at their loss. I hear what people are saying about timing , sensitivity etc. About what, when, where, how, & why they say it. I understand completely & all need to mourn over the loss. It might not hit all right now, you may feel the affect later, who knows. We are all different, (good thing).
I do however think this is the time & one of the places to talk about it. And know that nobody has any disrespect to the situation.
I would like to comment,(IF IT IS TRUE!) on what multiple sources have written re: the clothing she was found in. (my first source was the Lowell Sun) All to often I cross people on the trail at all times of the year that have very little gear, or if you can believe NONE AT ALL.
We all know this can happen to any of us, YES THIS MEANS YOU TOO! And have seen our own narrow escapes at times & love to tell the story to anyone that will listen. But I am somewhat disturbed, saddened, confused??? at what they say she was found in. ???................ I have more gear than that when I leave home in Hazy Hot & Humid mid summer conditions! We all know that these mountains are no respectors of the local forecast! Come on............ Why will I still see you out there alone & with no gear or very little of it, after just seeing once again what can happen to any of us at anytime.
Yes this bothers me. I treasure you all & can't stand to see something happen to any of us, when if in fact, that's all she was wearing on a March day or any day in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Tom

 

[radair]

I was in the helicopter when the Coxes were spotted and was the first rescuer to reach Russell. They were found above treeline on the Garfield Ridge Trail about .8 miles north of the summit of Lafayette, and about .1 miles north of the Skookumchuck trail junction.

Conditions deteriorated quickly on Sunday, and very high winds continued through Sunday night and all day Monday. A Fish & Game officer that was in the chopper on Monday told me that while visibility was good in the air, blowing snow made seeing anything on the ground impossible (75 - 80 mph steady winds on Mt. Wash.).

While it's easy to speculate and second guess their decisions, the fact is that conditions can and do go bad in a hurry, which I'm sure is the case here. During the rescue, the chopper landed 5 teams of rescuers in various locations, including the summits of Lafayette and Flume, in calm no-wind conditions. Within 15 minutes of flying Brenda out, conditions changed to strong winds and blowing snow.

A lot has been made about the clothing they were wearing, and while they were dressed on the light side, IMO they were suitably equipped for a day hike where one would be constantly moving. They did not expect to have to endure sub-zero temps and high winds, and I think they did really well to survive the first night in those conditions. Some would argue that extra clothes and gear should always be taken; others subscribe by the light-and-fast approach. These are the decisions we as individuals have to make to suit our own styles.

My heart goes out to the Cox family. This is an experience we wish no one ever had to deal with. It is certainly one I will always remember.

 

[HikerDoc]

" But I am somewhat disturbed, saddened, confused??? at what they say she was found in. ???................ I have more gear than that when I leave home in Hazy Hot & Humid mid summer conditions! We all know that these mountains are no respectors of the local forecast! Come on............ Why will I still see you out there alone & with no gear or very little of it, after just seeing once again what can happen to any of us at anytime. "

I agree with WildPeaks. I used to comment to people I encountered on the trail who had inadequate gear for the conditions but gave this up years ago when it was never accepted in the manner that it was intended. Apparently some people saw the Coxes on the trail and warned them about deteriorating conditions. If you use the fast up and fast down approach, without carrying emergency gear, you need a lower threshold of getting out and you need to be aware of escape plans. I only do the fast up and fast down if conditions are perfect. Most of the time I carry way too much gear, and fortunately almost never have to use it. When I see people with inadequate gear, my first thought is if I might have to rescue them. I think this comes from my AMC NH chapter winter leadership training and having participated in an actual 14 hour rescue.

 

[rondak46]

Unfortunate mix....

... of clothing/equipment decisions and, as HikerDoc put it, a "threshold of getting out".

Is it sounding like they took a wrong turn to the NNE?

Mike

 

[RoySwkr]

Re: Unfortunate mix....

Is it sounding like they took a wrong turn to the NNE?

Apparently they followed the Garfield Ridge Trail down nearly to treeline.

This was not a short way back to their car, but if they could see those cairns and not the Greenleaf Trail I'm not sure it was "wrong". If they had gone a little farther they would have been below treeline with a greater chance of survival, and they even had snowshoes to walk out on.

The other reports that I've seen state that the Coxes hiked up Falling Waters

Did you see that anywhere other than the Concord Monitor, which features young reporters with a high degree of geographic illiteracy?

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Some would argue that extra clothes and gear should always be taken; others subscribe by the light-and-fast approach. These are the decisions we as individuals have to make to suit our own styles.

Some believe that seat belts should always be fastened; others do not.

 

[Frosty]

Some would argue that extra clothes and gear should always be taken; others subscribe by the light-and-fast approach.

SOmeone on the AMC board is a strong proponent of light-and-fast, believing that it is better to get out in a hurry than be burdened with heavy gear.

This works as long as the light-and-fast hiker isn't hurt (light-and-immobile) or lost (light-and-moving-fast-in-the-wrong-direction).

Frosty

 

[jjmcgo]

You can always jettison heavy equipment when there is a need to move fast but you can't add clothing, get into a tent or light a stove you don't have.

 

[radair]

It's a fine line between carrying too much gear and not having enough to deal with unforeseen circumstances. In the words of Chouinard, "If you bring bivouac gear, you will bivouac".

Some believe that seat belts should always be fastened; others do not.

Ridiculous analogy. It's apparent where you stand, though.

 

[Peter Miller]

Light and Fast

Maybe I'm hopelessly "old school", maybe I've been living in the shadow of the Whites too long, but IMHO light and fast is always unwise above treeline in the Whites. There is no such thing as a 100% guaranteed clement weather day. On the handful of best days, the guarantee might be 95%, but why chance it even then? The Coxes did not pick one of those "best" days, as could have been extrapolated from forecasts.

How to better educate hikers about above treeline risks? The skulls and crossbones at select gateways don't seem to be getting the message across sufficiently. Nor does the grim warning in the AMC guide. Maybe the guide should include vividly detailed accounts of some of the deaths in the Whites. I expect the AMC will take some new educational initiatives as a result of this winter's fatalities.