NH Fish And Game Seeking Help With Missing Hiker

[DayTrip]

This post from the NH Fish And Game Department hit their Facebook Group about 5 minutes ago:

***New Hampshire Conservation Officers are seeking the public’s help locating an overdue hiker.***
Emily Sotelo, 20, was dropped off this morning at Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia, with the intended hiking route of Mount Lafayette, Haystack and Flume.
She is now overdue and any hikers who may have encountered Sotelo along the intended route should notify NH State Police Dispatch at (603)271-1170.
Sotelo is described at 5’3, 115 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown jacket, and exercise pants."

Not sure if anyone here was on the ridge today but if so you may be able to assist. FYI.

EDIT: The Facebook Group has a photo. Can use this link if you're on FB: https://www.facebook.com/NewHampshireOperationGameThief
Not sure why the page is Game Thief. She is described as an overdue hiker.

 

[peakbagger]

Not good, winds have been cranking up, its been flurrying all day and temps are dropping.

 

[sierra]

Conditions on the ridge will not be easy, if she is inexperienced and ill prepared.

 

[DayTrip]

The PVSAR Facebook Group said it has sent out 3 teams to search. Purely speculation on my part but the limited description provided of a "brown coat and exercise pants" didn't sound encouraging. Doing Lafayette to Flume though sounds like the kind of route a more experienced hiker might attempt so hopefully she took a bail out route somewhere and gets picked up at an alternate trail head.

 

[CaptCaper]

The PVSAR Facebook Group said it has sent out 3 teams to search. Purely speculation on my part but the limited description provided of a "brown coat and exercise pants" didn't sound encouraging. Doing Lafayette to Flume though sounds like the kind of route a more experienced hiker might attempt so hopefully she took a bail out route somewhere and gets picked up at an alternate trail head.

.
We went thru the notch yesterday to hike in Waterville Valley and saw lot's of snow squals and very brisk cold wind. Not to mention the ice and snow there. One can imagine the things could of led to her disappearance.

 

[JustJoe]

Unfortunately, is not looking good for this poor girl. She was dropped off at the trailhead at 5 AM, by her mother, who watched her start off on the trail. "She was wearing windpants and sneakers and not prepared for the cold." At first I was wondering why the trailhead stewards didn't stop her but I'm thinking they are done for the year. Shame.

 

[ChrisB]

... "She was wearing windpants and sneakers and not prepared for the cold."

Not good news.

On WMUR report trails looked snowy and icy right from the start. I don't see how she'd get far without decent boots and traction. But I ain't 20.

As usual, Sunday's frontal passage was well forecast with rapidly falling temps and increasing winds.

Would a trail steward even be on duty at 5AM?

18 teams and a Blackhawk now on the case.

 

[DayTrip]

18 teams and a Blackhawk now on the case.

That is a lot of resources to come up with nothing so far. I'd think she got way off trail?? Was there enough snow up there to hide the foot bed? Maybe she made the classic wrong turn on Lafayette and headed down the GRT? She does have youth on her side. Hopefully it makes a positive difference.

 

[peakbagger]

One report is that S&R is searching drainages, one by one. Weather conditions were stiff and increasing from the west northwest. Odds are someone in trouble will head down into the Pemi to get out of the wind. That is a lot of nasty territory to cover.

 

[DayTrip]

She was dropped off at the trailhead at 5 AM, by her mother, who watched her start off on the trail.

That must be agonizing for her mother.

 

[JustJoe]

Would a trail steward even be on duty at 5AM?

Yeah, probably not.

 

[JustJoe]

18 teams and a Blackhawk now on the case.

They are splitting the resources up having some check all drainage in the area.

 

[sierra]

The ridge is a double edge sword and always has been. If someone in trouble stays on the ridge, they can be found rather quickly. Unfortunately, bad weather forces people off the ridge and it doesn't matter which side they descend, it is a lot of ground to cover. If were to descend say "Lincolns Throat" a fall could result in a body being hidden behind rocks or in the scrub. Descending the Pemi side like in the area of Lincolns slide, could put you in that thick marshy area, while not terribly far from the trail, it's thick in there. If you set a bearing, you can get to the trail pretty quick, without a bearing you could wander for quite a while down there. I would at least send a small team in there looking.

 

[DayTrip]

PVSAR Facebook group reported "no news" 50 minutes ago. Barring some kind of amazing development this is probably not going to end well.

 

[JustJoe]

From a Boston Globe article this morning.



"Sotelo, 19, lives in Westford. Colonel Kevin Jordan said she was seeking to finish hiking every 4,000-foot peak in New Hampshire before she turned 20 this week. “Nobody has seen or heard from her since,” Jordan said in a phone interview. The weather conditions were very cold and windy, and Jordan said, “We’re hearing she wasn’t prepared for that.” “We’re concerned about her,” he said. A Black Hawk helicopter was being used in the search.
Her father, Jorge, said Sotelo enjoyed being outside and has done primitive camping before, but not in the bitter cold. “Emily loves the outdoors,” he said in a phone interview. Her mother, Olivera, said she had “four or five” mountains left on her list. “She was an experienced hiker for summer conditions. Not so much in winter,” she said."

 

[Andrew]

My wife and I were driving through Twin yesterday morning ~10:30 and saw the blackhawk heading west over the ridge between Twin Mt(s) and Galehead, my thought was wow, looking that far out this early; a good strategy for containment of search areas.
My mind led to 2 tracks, some form of unexpected obstacle on the trail up, like deep snow drifts, causing her to go off trail to get around, possibly leading to injury or lost. The other we are all thinking, dressed light so move fast to keep warm, and everything catches up to her with the ridge conditions when she got there.

On Sunday I got scared out of our woods myself during gathering dusk. When I came in just before 6, I was near my weather station display and a gust roared in and recorded at 30 mph. So those winds were pretty significant even at 'ground-level'.

 

[ChrisB]

I imagine Misery Ridge would present lots of obstacles to an under equipped hiker. Icy sections, knee deep snow and wind exposure the higher you go. Just getting to the hut would be hard. Did she have micro spikes ?

No mention of cell phone. But what 19 year old does not carry one these days? Why no call for help?

Hang in there kid. They are coming for you….

 

[hikerbrian]

This does not look good. I poked my head out the door before I went to bed last night (in MA!) and it had that smell and feel to it - winter. All I can think about is that section on Franconia Ridge where everyone turns right to head down Falling Waters, and if you want to continue along the ridge towards Liberty/Flume it's a completely different route-finding ball game. Instant challenge. But how did NO ONE see her the whole day? If she made it that far, someone had to have seen her.

 

[Rhody Seth]

This whole thing is very strange and sad. I know stories of unprepared hikers are a dime a dozen but here's someone who had hiked most of the 48 so you would think they would have at least a basic idea of what they were getting into on this hike. Sneakers (ie. trail runners), no light and little food/water?

We camped at 13 Falls on Saturday night and came out over Garfield on Sunday morning, encountering a couple hikers heading up as we descended around 11 AM. But if she did head out at 5 AM she could have easily not encountered anyone before she got into trouble. Just a terrible situation and I'm afraid they might not even find her.

 

[ChrisB]

This whole thing is very strange and sad. I know stories of unprepared hikers are a dime a dozen but here's someone who had hiked most of the 48 so you would think they would have at least a basic idea of what they were getting into…

You would think…. But,

… planning to run the entire ridge from Laffy to Flume under early winter conditions is optimistic. And then what? Descend the icy Flume slide at the end of the long day?

That itinerary is more than a handful.