Katahdin Rock Slide, one dead other injured

[Nadine]

This happened on the Catherdral trail. The hiker who died was a local Bangor resident. My sympathy to the family.


Sunday, June 27, 2004 · Last updated 1:01 p.m. PT

Maine rock slide kills 1, wounds another

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILLINOCKET, Maine -- A rock slide on a popular trail near Mount Katahdin killed one hiker who became trapped under a boulder and seriously injured another, officials said Sunday.

The injured hiker and two other people caught in Saturday's rock slide were rescued after about 60 searchers worked through the night to find them, said Irvin "Buzz" Caverly Jr., director of Baxter State Park in northern Maine.

The crew of a Maine Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter removed the dead hiker's body late Sunday morning, Caverly said. The names of the victims were not immediately released.

The slide occurred along Cathedral Trail in the south basin of Mount Katahdin, Maine's highest peak and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

The trail was closed until further notice. Officials want to determine the extent of the slide, which Caverly said may have been triggered by natural conditions such as the winter's severe frost and heavy spring rain.

Baxter State Park, about 60 miles north of Bangor, is a popular attraction for hikers, mountain climbers and campers.

 

[Artex]

That's very sad news.

 

[spencer]

NPR this morning said that the trail would be closed until July 1, but that doesn't seem like much time to "figure things out"

my sympathies to his family.

spencer

 

[SherpaKroto]

Another sad event. The current location of the trail is from a not so old rockslide, and it is indeed a rough section.

My sympathies to the families of all those affected by this tragic event.

 

[LauraM]

Here is the link to the story in the newspaper:

www.bangornews.com

Story says these guys were high school friends, had planned the hike 3 years ago.

No wonder we saw a helicopter flying north yesterday.

My sympathies to the family!!

Laura

 

[LittleBear]

Tragic events, indeed. My sympathies to the families of those involved. Turns out that I know one of the hikers who was injured. I hope he recovers quickly.

Another article here: Article

 

[Seeker]

Shudder. I was on a trip two years ago and participated in a rescue on the lower part of Cathedral. One of our party pulled his back out and couldn't walk. It took forever to get him to a place where the helicopter pick him up. That was a real wake up call--it's a rough trail. It must have a taken a very long time to get people off the trail.

My sympathies to his friends and family.

 

[Jim W]

This is awful. We were approaching Chimney Pond when the helicopter went overhead. We were hoping that the rescue would have a happy ending, but it was not to be. Our sympathies go out to family and friends.

 

[Mtn-top]

This is such incredibly sad news. Blue and I were on that trail just four weeks ago and when you hear such terrible news you cannot help but think, "but for the grace of God..."

There have been several similar incidents this past winter and spring that have touched so very close to home- it is really very sobering and causes one to pause and rethink their passions.

My sympathies to the friends and family of Mr. Cooper.

 

[burg]

What a shame. This is somewhat stunning news to me as I was still sort of basking in the glow of a night hike I did on the Cathedral trail just a week ago. From one end of the spectrum to another. My condolences to all involved.

 

[wannabe46r]

That is sad

Wow, that is sad news. Couple of friends and myself were on the same trail just a week before this (June 20). That trail was treacherous and the rocks were HUGE. Climbing the slide, I was thinking what would happen if the rocks start moving. The trail is so steep, it probably does not take much to get that stuff moving. And just to stand there helplessly and watch somebody struggle beneath those rocks, so sorry to hear this.