NH Fish And Game Seeking Help With Missing Hiker

[peakbagger]

Keep in mind, there was discussion in the past where folks have taken the wrong turn on top of Lafayette and headed towards North Lafayette instead of heading south towards Lincoln. My guess is with the winds funneling up the Lafayette basin from the NW, the hiker would be rapidly hyopthermic and not thinking straight.

 

[DayTrip]

Keep in mind, there was discussion in the past where folks have taken the wrong turn on top of Lafayette and headed towards North Lafayette instead of heading south towards Lincoln. My guess is with the winds funneling up the Lafayette basin from the NW, the hiker would be rapidly hyopthermic and not thinking straight.

I wondered that myself in one of my previous comments. Given the reputation that wrong turn has I'd think SAR would know that too and sent some people up the Skook and/or GRT to check that route? I think the PVSAR report also mentioned they flew over Garfield/Galehead area - presumably for this reason?? Given the agenda she set out on it just leaves such a huge area to cover over a long time frame and is really working against her. This is a tough one for sure.

 

[Salty]

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.

They've been refueling in Berlin (Milan) the past couple of days. Generally (but not exclusively) they've been sticking to the area between Lafayette and Haystack on the west side, so I expect they searched the ridge since they were in the area.

 

[ChrisB]

They've been refueling in Berlin (Milan) the past couple of days. Generally (but not exclusively) they've been sticking to the area between Lafayette and Lincoln on the west side, so I expect they searched the ridge since they were in the area.

In my flight monitoring website I can see the Blackhawk working up n down the ridge at 4400 feet and 11 knots. The nexrad radar layer shows heavy snow squalls all along the ridge.

Globe.adsbexchange.com. =web site.

 

[DayTrip]

Has there been any evidence found to indicate where she may be, i.e. tracks in the snow, trash or whatever? The SAR groups on Facebook really haven't said they have any info whatsoever to narrow the search. Not sure if I missed anything on local NH news, etc.

 

[JustJoe]

Has there been any evidence found to indicate where she may be, i.e. tracks in the snow, trash or whatever? The SAR groups on Facebook really haven't said they have any info whatsoever to narrow the search. Not sure if I missed anything on local NH news, etc.

There's like a zillion comments on FB about this to read even a fraction of them. One thing that is sort of puzzling to me is, I haven't seen a single post from anyone who did the ridge Sunday that thinks they may have seen her. Nor, I'm assuming, have they received a call from anyone who thinks they may have seen her. Even with the early start, if she made as far as even the hut, you'd think someone would have crossed paths with her. Was it that bad Sunday, that no one would have been out? I did the loop on a questionable day one February and we saw plenty of others.

 

[DayTrip]

There's like a zillion comments on FB about this to read even a fraction of them. One thing that is sort of puzzling to me is, I haven't seen a single post from anyone who did the ridge Sunday that thinks they may have seen her. Nor, I'm assuming, have they received a call from anyone who thinks they may have seen her. Even with the early start, if she made as far as even the hut, you'd think someone would have crossed paths with her. Was it that bad Sunday, that no one would have been out? I did the loop on a questionable day one February and we saw plenty of others.

I'm not on any FB groups other than the SAR ones. I was referring more to the actual SAR Facebook posts, not the comments by members. They really haven't shared anything. I didn't spend too much time in the actual member comments, which I generally find useless and rapidly annoy me. Those FB comments are just huge amounts of "thoughts and prayers" and "thanks for all you do" stuff with a sprinkling of "hiking alone is stupid and dangerous" and the obligatory retorts. Anyway....

I'd think there would have been some encounters with her too. The last time I did the Franconia loop was in early March on a horrible day where it was in the low 30's, steady rain all day and sustained 30mph winds the whole time. I saw at least 50 people that day. And that was pre-COVID. Things must have taken a turn for the worse pretty early on in the day.

 

[sierra]

It's possible she got hypothermia quite early in her trek, given her gear selection for the conditions. Hypothermia would drive her off the trails and into a drainage possibly, making any contact with other hikers a moot point. If that is the case, she might never be found. It's amazing the conspiracy theory's floating around on FB, I sincerely hope her mother does not look at the many threads. To me, this is a scenario that has played out many times over the years and I see nothing suspicious or strange about any of it. The mountains this time of year, lull the inexperienced in and they pay a heavy price. The most frustrating part of it to me, is no matter how many times it happens, somebody else falls into the same trap in due time.

 

[Remix]

Theres a Black Hawk that is just entering the area now.

If you go to adsbexchange.com, select live tracking map, then hit the U button to just show military traffic, you can see its search pattern...(assuming there is adbs coverage)

Edit: at 1504 the track disappeared and now it is back...it may disappear when the aircraft is close to the ground. It was circling halfway between the ridge and Greenleaf, on a line going east-northeast from the hut.

 

[JustJoe]

It's amazing the conspiracy theory's floating around on FB, I sincerely hope her mother does not look at the many threads.

Seriously. I hate getting into pissing matches on FB but I had to respond to someone's comment about why would a parent leave their child underprepared in those conditions. I simply stated that if she, the hiker, wasn't knowledgeable enough to know she was ill prepared for that hike on that day, her parents most likely would not have known either. Won't go back to see how many ******"s will have something negative to say about that.

 

[sierra]

Seriously. I hate getting into pissing matches on FB but I had to respond to someone's comment about why would a parent leave their child underprepared in those conditions. I simply stated that if she, the hiker, wasn't knowledgeable enough to know she was ill prepared for that hike on that day, her parents most likely would not have known either. Won't go back to see how many ******"s will have something negative to say about that.

I grew up camping in the Whites with my family, that's all we did. By the time I was 15 years old, my mother would drive me to trailheads, and I would point out other trailheads and say, pick me up here in 3 days. She would always be waiting for me with a lunch. She knew nothing about hiking exept that's what I wanted to do. So, the scenario so many question, seems perfectly plausible to me.

 

[maineguy]

A trip report from Sunday:

https://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=63172

 

[maineguy]

While some hikers miss the junction of Greenleaf and FRT atop Lafayette, it is usually when heading north and failing to turn left for the hut. I've never heard of anyone ever ascending Lafayette from the hut and turning left on the GRT when they want to head over to Lincoln, etc.

 

[DayTrip]

While some hikers miss the junction of Greenleaf and FRT atop Lafayette, it is usually when heading north and failing to turn left for the hut. I've never heard of anyone ever ascending Lafayette from the hut and turning left on the GRT when they want to head over to Lincoln, etc.

Yes that is generally the error in that spot. She could well have been hypothermic or disoriented however after wandering around the summit and just started following cairns in the wrong direction.

 

[iAmKrzys]

There is a lot of speculation at this point and not a lot of hard facts, and when statements are made about her equipment it is hard to assess how credible they are. One thing for sure, cold nights without warm cloths and a decent sleeping bag can be pretty rough, to put it nicely.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I'm not on any FB groups other than the SAR ones. I was referring more to the actual SAR Facebook posts, not the comments by members. They really haven't shared anything. I didn't spend too much time in the actual member comments, which I generally find useless and rapidly annoy me. Those FB comments are just huge amounts of "thoughts and prayers" and "thanks for all you do" stuff with a sprinkling of "hiking alone is stupid and dangerous" and the obligatory retorts. Anyway....
day.

Volunteer SAR team members are not supposed to speak to the media or post anything on social media. All SAR information released to the public is supposed to come only through NH F&G.

 

[DayTrip]

Volunteer SAR team members are not supposed to speak to the media or post anything on social media. All SAR information released to the public is supposed to come only through NH F&G.

The AVSAR and PVSAR groups definitely post details. I assume it is the same high level stuff shared with NH F&G and their posts are no doubt done by an organizational head or authorized public relations person. The comments in their posts are definitely from the general public, not members, but the "group" does respond to certain comments. Much like the police, I'm sure they only share information that is helpful to their efforts and doesn't create problems that would hinder a rescue.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

The AVSAR and PVSAR groups definitely post details. I assume it is the same high level stuff shared with NH F&G and their posts are no doubt done by an organizational head or authorized public relations person. The comments in their posts are definitely from the general public, not members, but the "group" does respond to certain comments. Much like the police, I'm sure they only share information that is helpful to their efforts and doesn't create problems that would hinder a rescue.

I cannot read my SAR team’s FB page, as I do not have a FB account, but I have been told that our team’s FB page manager does not post anything that has not already been cleared through NH F&G.

 

[DayTrip]

I cannot read my SAR team’s FB page, as I do not have a FB account, but I have been told that our team’s FB page manager does not post anything that has not already been cleared through NH F&G.

That makes sense. The information on the FB groups and the NH F&G pages is pretty consistent. I follow all of these groups on Facebook.

 

[Andrew]

Seriously. I hate getting into pissing matches on FB but I had to respond to someone's comment about why would a parent leave their child underprepared in those conditions. I simply stated that if she, the hiker, wasn't knowledgeable enough to know she was ill prepared for that hike on that day, her parents most likely would not have known either. Won't go back to see how many ******"s will have something negative to say about that.

So True. Can't help what you don't know.

Discussing with my wife, she had the point of wouldn't she need a headlamp when starting out at 5 am, but reports have said she had no lights. The light really does not gather here right now until right around 6. If she was dropped off at 5 am, then her and Mom would have started from home at 2 or 3 am? Wondering if that detail got confused in reports and they started from home at 5am?

I used to take great care in communicating details to the press when I did that at Monadnock, pretty much every story was printed with some flaw in the details.