N.H. Conservation Officers Rescue Maine Hiker

[Ed'n Lauky]

N.H. Conservation Officers Rescue Maine Hiker. Details from News 8 here: http://www.wmtw.com/news/30378661/detail.html

 

[KPMMBM]

in the article in today's Portland paper, he says he is going to spend more time instead in the Adirondaks as the weather doesn't change as significantly as it does in the Whites. Is that true?

 

[procook131]

I'm no weather expert, but from living thirty years in NY, and hiking/hunting/fishing in the Adirondacks in all seasons, I say that's a big no. The biggest difference I see in the weather between the two is the wind. You can almost always expect higher winds in NH, but that certainly doesn't mean that they don't exist over in NY. Glad to hear the young man was properly equipped and got out safely.

 

[Tim Seaver]

I have to wonder if situations like this develop because people look at the forecast for the valleys, which show winds in the 10-20 mph range, without looking at any type of mountain-specific forecast which would likely be a pretty good indicator of the winds you are going to encounter. I don't think it was a mystery or some surprise weather event that the open ridges above 4000' were windy on Friday.

One other thing that bugs me about these types of events is that the fact that because this person was equipped with overnight gear, the idea that ALL people doing a day hike of Franconia Ridge should carry overnight gear begins to metastasize among the Nervous Nelly Types.

So let's just put this out there - hundreds of people hike the Falling Waters Loop every winter. Hardly ANY of them carry overnight gear, which enables them to enjoy the hike and complete it with less effort than lugging overnight gear. Some might say this approach is even SAFER on windy exposed routes, as you don't get blown around as much and can move quicker!(gasp).

Someone has to say it, right?

 

[wisher]

I understand your sentiment Tim, but in this particular case the hiker had winter gear not as a hedge, but because he was planning an overnight. I think the main problem he had was that he broke his snowshoes - which makes me wonder why he didn't have the equipment needed to make an emergency repair; that seems foolish when hiking in winter, alone.

Personally, I don't pack overnight gear as a matter of course while winter hiking, but I do pack enough gear to where I would be okay for a night, if perhaps somewhat uncomfortable. The way I see it, someone should be free to take whatever risks they want with their own neck.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Yes, I was clear on his plans - it's just that I have seen this happen before, when somebody gets rescued up there that happens to have overnight gear, and before you know it, it's being discussed as the "responsible" way to be above treeline on Franconia Ridge or elsewhere.

 

[RoySwkr]

he had was that he broke his snowshoes - which makes me wonder why he didn't have the equipment needed to make an emergency repair; that seems foolish when hiking in winter, alone.

Back when people used wood frame snowshoes laced with cord, you could repair the frames in the field with some small screws and mending plates and the webbing with cord

With aluminum snowshoes you probably don't carry a heliarc welder so fixing broken frames is tougher

I once broke some plastic snowshoes in half and tied the halves on top of each other to finish the trip (they were a lot stiffer that way but once again a good repair is tough

Sounds like his snowshoes weren't strong enough for the load he was carrying - does that mean he was carrying too much

 

[Tim Seaver]

Sounds like his snowshoes weren't strong enough for the load he was carrying - does that mean he was carrying too much

Or...does it mean he wears MSRs?

 

[MadRiver]

Or...does it mean he wears MSRs?

Tell me about it, I broke my second pair of Lightning Ascent coming down Owl's Head slide last weekend.

 

[sardog1]

Tell me about it, I broke my second pair of Lightning Ascent coming down Owl's Head slide last weekend.

"What is MSR thinking, and when will they stop thinking it?"

(Lest those with too little time to read the link think that I think ill of MSR snowshoes generally, let it be known that I am the foremost advocate on the East Coast for the non-Lightning parts of their product line. My own Denali Ascents are now in their second decade.)

 

[MadRiver]

"What is MSR thinking, and when will they stop thinking it?"

(Lest those with too little time to read the link think that I think ill of MSR snowshoes generally, let it be known that I am the foremost advocate on the East Coast for the non-Lightning parts of their product line. My own Denali Ascents are now in their second decade.)

I just hope the new pair will last the season then I'm moving on to something else.

 

[Little Rickie]

N.H. Conservation Officers Rescue Maine Hiker. Details from News 8 here: http://www.wmtw.com/news/30378661/detail.html

Seems to me "sh$$ happens", he did the right thing, everyone walked out and no one got hurt.

It can happen anywhere.

 

[erugs]

We here know another person who was benighted nearly a year ago and was successfully able to spend the night out. That person was charged for a rescue, even though no gear needed to be brought in. That person was also able to walk out. Will the guy from Maine be charged for having snowshoes brought up to him? Just wondering. Also wondering what brand snowshoe he was using, as others have mentioned, and am especially happy he survived the ordeal.

 

[akafuzzjones]

I have to wonder if situations like this develop because people look at the forecast for the valleys, which show winds in the 10-20 mph range, without looking at any type of mountain-specific forecast which would likely be a pretty good indicator of the winds you are going to encounter. I don't think it was a mystery or some surprise weather event that the open ridges above 4000' were windy on Friday.

I run into many times when hiking with others - the forecast says its going to be calm and warm. Only later do they realize that the forecast that they used was for the valley and not the summit.

While the Mount Washington Observatory has some good information for the higher elevations I have found that you can so some of the same "higher elevation" forecasting using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (www.noaa.gov) site.

Enter your city and state to get the big picture, then on the map navigate around to get the detailed forecast for where you are going. You may not get the exact spot but I have often gotten pretty close.

For example, the forecast for Lincoln, NH today is "mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Northwest wind around 7 mph". But when you use the map to pinpoint today's forecast for Owl's Head you get "mostly sunny, with a high near 19. Wind chill values as low as -8. Windy, with a northwest wind around 29 mph". That's quite a bit different.