Lost hiker dies of hypothermia in Catskills

[AOC-1]

This sad news was discreetly referenced in another thread here. Because the name of the deceased has been released, I thought it appropriate to start another one. Two hikers became lost in the Blackhead Range over the weekend. One was rescued this morning (Mon.), but the other was not located until this afternoon when it was too late.

Walking downhill in the Blackhead Range will bring you to a road within several miles from just about any location. The two must have gotten horribly bogged down in the deep snow. Very sad.

http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/top_stories/498840/missing-hikers-found-alive

 

[MonadnockVol]

Very sad

It's so sad. I don't want to second guess these two as I wasn't there, but this is the time of year when I know that other people have seen that spring has hit at lower elevations and get unpleasantly surprised to find winter still in force in the mountains.

Again, I am not saying that my comment applies to these hikers and my condolences go out to the family for a tragic loss.

 

[Kevin]

Seth was a great friend, and the brother of a very close friend. The basic details were they hiked to the Batavia Kill Leanto on Friday night, hiked to the peaks on Saturday.

After that no other details are known as of yet except for when they called their 911 calls.

Alberto was found last night... Seth sadly was found this afternoon.

If you hiked the AT in southern Dutchess, you may have come across Seth... You definately came across his handy work as he was a dedicated trail maintainer. He was a key memeber of the RPHCabin Trail Club as well.

Peace to Seth...Peace to his family.

 

[MattC]

Seth was a great friend, and the brother of a very close friend.

Kevin, my condolences. Very sorry for the loss of your friend.

Matt

 

[Jay H]

Kevin, my deepest sympathies for the lost of your friend Seth. My heart sank when I heard that the news article I sent ya was inaccurate. This weekend was brutal down by me in NJ, I can't imagine how it must of been on the range.

Jay

 

[lattinhill]

So sorry to hear this , Kevin . Prayers to the family .
We had planned to hike Blackhead also , but the weather kept us away .

Dave

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Kevin, I'm very sorry about your friend. Condolences to his family and friends.

 

[RoySwkr]

It is always sad when someone dies, and it sounds like the trails will be worse for his loss

I hope that people will post links to followup accounts, I'll be interested to hear why it took so long to find a 2nd person described as 100 yards away who presumably left tracks

 

[Darl58]

So sorry to hear this and thoughts to the families and friends!!

 

[spicedoubt]

A sad day for the hiking community. Everyone who hikes this week should keep Seth in their hearts during their trek.

Peace to Seth on his new journey.

 

[Kevin]

Thank you to everyone, your thoughts are being passed along to Seth's family...

 

[AOC-1]

A few more details here:

http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2010/03/16/news/doc4b9f05913860f381436872.txt

 

[Chip]

He was a key memeber of the RPHCabin Trail Club as well.

Peace to Seth...Peace to his family.

Kevin, did I meet Seth at the RPHCabin maintenance we did a few years ago ? Must have.

Very sad.

"Lyon had a blanket, Wren said, but other hiking gear had been left in the lean-to."

I wonder if the mean a mylar or space blanket.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

There was a post/reply from Seth Lyon's daughter, Sarah, in the readers' comment section of the Kingston Daily Freeman news article. Sarah offers some insights into the two hikers' abilities, equipment, prior knowledge of the weather forecast, and their condition on Sunday morning when Seth was unable to strap on his snowshoes and attempted to hike out. I am repeating the full text of Sarah's comments below:

Thank you for your kind words. I am Seth Lyon's daughter and I would just like it to be known that the weather forecast changed for the worse after they had already left. Messages were left on their cell phones, but they didn't receive them until they were well into the hike.

Yes, they did have snowshoes, cell phones, maps and even a compass. They were about an hour from the lean-to where some of their gear was stored, when they lost their way on Saturday. They did manage to get through to a 911 operator and made a snow shelter. By Sunday morning, they had lost mobility in their hands from the cold, and were physically unable to strap on the snow shoes. Alberto, had lost all mobility in his legs and was unable to walk. In a last ditch effort to find help, Seth left on his own. Alberto was finally rescued Sunday evening after managing to get a call through once again to the 911 operators. It was the following day before they located Seth based on the pings emanating from his cell phone. He had collapsed and died.

I've only met Alberto once. Although both made detrimental mistakes on this hike, I would like people who read this to know that Seth was not reckless, nor inexperienced. He was prepared to expect rain, sleet and cold conditions, but not 7-8 feet of snow. He was a compassionate, generous man who always had a smile and found peace in the mountains.

I hope that other "mountaineers" will take additional precautions by carrying whistles, flares, a portable radio and even a GPS system so that their families don't have to experience the terrible loss that we have.

 

[erugs]

So sad and close to home, them being New England hikers out enjoying themselves. Thanks Marc for posting Sarah's words. We hope for continued strength for her and her family and their friends.

 

[BlackSpruce]

"I've only met Alberto once. Although both made detrimental mistakes on this hike, I would like people who read this to know that Seth was not reckless, nor inexperienced. He was prepared to expect rain, sleet and cold conditions, but not 7-8 feet of snow. He was a compassionate, generous man who always had a smile and found peace in the mountains."

Sarah, rest assured that no one in the hiking community is passing judgement but we all feel your pain and know deep down that the same would have happen to any of us had we encountered the same weather conditions.

 

[Seeker]

Deepest condolences. I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Tom Rankin]

A tribute to the lost and the rescuers is here.

 

[erugs]

Those tributes were very moving; great selection of music accompanying each.