No Rescues Past Few Weeks?

[DayTrip]

Following the other thread (Another Clueless Rescue) on here it suddenly dawned on me that I haven't seen any mention of rescues on here or social media the last few weeks. Somewhat shocked by that given the temps, deep snow and high winds. Is it possible that the throngs of new hikers hitting the mountains the past few years have finally been exposed to enough education to prevent a lot of the clueless rescues? Hopefully that trend continues and the badly strained budgets can get some temporary relief.

 

[MikeM]

It's likely that some young man or woman will be heading out soon. They will be full of adventure with a little lack of experience. They will make mistakes. I hope that it only ends up in a little discomfort. Maybe we will be able to offer them advice instead of insult.

 

[richard]

I’ve been reading posts on this forum for a few yrs. now and I consider almost all of them extremely valuable. Most of what I’ve learned has been from reading them and occasionally asking questions, which I pass on to hiking partners and others. I very much appreciate this site .

 

[Nessmuk]

I participated in a 9 day field search for a missing hunter in the northern Catskills of NY. It concluded on Dec 19 with the expected result after a week of extreme cold.

 

[DayTrip]

I participated in a 9 day field search for a missing hunter in the northern Catskills of NY. It concluded on Dec 19 with the expected result after a week of extreme cold.

Sorry to hear. Are hunters generally far less prepared than hikers? Never really hunted but have relatives who do and you don't normally see them carrying much of anything. Usually they are close enough to civilization (or at least their car or truck) to just head home if it is nasty. Is that typically the case? Never really saw any data comparing hiker incidents relative to hunter incidents.

 

[dug]

Sorry to hear. Are hunters generally far less prepared than hikers? Never really hunted but have relatives who do and you don't normally see them carrying much of anything. Usually they are close enough to civilization (or at least their car or truck) to just head home if it is nasty. Is that typically the case? Never really saw any data comparing hiker incidents relative to hunter incidents.

Never underestimate the power of a shotgun blast if you are lost. Also, to your point, they are generally closer to the road should there be an issue.

 

[Hill Junkie]

Have careless hikers ever been billed for rescues? Articles often conclude with statements like "authorities are considering billing the hikers for the cost of their rescue," but I have never seen quantitative evidence where payment was made in recent years. I hike safe and obtain the card every year and hope I never need it. I suspect many needing rescues are both careless and don't buy the card, yet I haven't seen how much rescuees have actually paid for their rescues.

 

[Tom_Murphy]

Also, to your point, they are generally closer to the road should there be an issue.

My Dad got turned around while deer hunting in the Shutesbury end of the Quabbin Reservoir back in the earlier 80s.

He eventually heard the occasional car traffic coming from 202; it was well after dusk. He was able to use his compass to take bearings at the point when the car noise was the loudest and used that to return to the road.

From his story, he might have been in the early stages of hypothermia; lots of shivering even after he was back in the heated car. Also, from my limited experience bushwhacking, a due West bearing would have eventually gotten him to 202. Never said that to him, though

 

[peakbagger]

Have careless hikers ever been billed for rescues? Articles often conclude with statements like "authorities are considering billing the hikers for the cost of their rescue," but I have never seen quantitative evidence where payment was made in recent years. I hike safe and obtain the card every year and hope I never need it. I suspect many needing rescues are both careless and don't buy the card, yet I haven't seen how much rescuees have actually paid for their rescues.

I have not seen an itemized list but yes some folks have been charged including a VFTT member.

With respect to the main thread, IMHO, the peak rescue season is president day weeks in February. Lots of folks "from away" make long range plans to head up for those weeks and most will press on regardless of the forecast in hopes that the weather forecasts will be better than expected. Most of those folks will make it up hear and inevitably rationalize that they can beat the weather or they will turn around if the conditions are too rotten. That and they will rely on technology.

 

[Nessmuk]

The deceased hunter I mentioned above was found in a wooded draw within 5,000 feet of his truck parked on the road. An increasing percentage of SAR incidents I have been on in NY over recent past years have involved hunters and others (such as facility or home walk aways) with some early form of Alzheimers or other dementia. In many (most) of those cases the subject's family will initially deny there is any indication of an impending serious memory problem.

 

[Mike P.]

As a hunter, I stayed in a couple hundred acres and without a map, repeatedly went over the same area over and over. The clothing was not designed for real cold temps. I do recall one day my feet were cold several hours after standing still while deer hunting. (eventually I decided I like the being out better without the gun)

For hikers, the new breed just looking for hits and likes on Instagram and Facebook don't have the gear and assume there is something called a hiking season. If any of us have "a hiking season", it likely starts after Columbus Day and ends in March, the opposite of what most novices consider. They likely start, (I did) with adding a hike a bit earlier than the year before or one after when they quit the year before.

Around here, April and October are bad months because Southern New England days can be quite warm and even at the trailhead, it may be beautiful. From 12/21 through March 1st, we have a decent idea it's winter out there and can be very bad out here. In temps like this, other than a slip and fall, it may be hubris over ignorance that cause SAR events for hikers.

 

[egilbe]

As a hunter, I stayed in a couple hundred acres and without a map, repeatedly went over the same area over and over. The clothing was not designed for real cold temps. I do recall one day my feet were cold several hours after standing still while deer hunting. (eventually I decided I like the being out better without the gun)

For hikers, the new breed just looking for hits and likes on Instagram and Facebook don't have the gear and assume there is something called a hiking season. If any of us have "a hiking season", it likely starts after Columbus Day and ends in March, the opposite of what most novices consider. They likely start, (I did) with adding a hike a bit earlier than the year before or one after when they quit the year before.

Around here, April and October are bad months because Southern New England days can be quite warm and even at the trailhead, it may be beautiful. From 12/21 through March 1st, we have a decent idea it's winter out there and can be very bad out here. In temps like this, other than a slip and fall, it may be hubris over ignorance that cause SAR events for hikers.

The number of people I've seen at trailheads with sneakers and shorts and I'm wearing or carrying snowshoes and crampons on the way down is amazing. One early May weekend, the GF and I hiked the GNLT and everything above 3000 feet was still buried in snow. Met a hiker from Florida on our way down Old Speck who was hiking up just a few minutes from the parking lot. He was wearing shorts and sandals. He asked us if we thought he could make Pinkham Notch in three days. We told him.not without snowshoes you aren't. The snow was still four to six feet deep on top of Old Speck.

That's still ranks as one of the toughest hikes I've ever done. Snow was blowing on the summit, but it was spring at the base of the mountain.

 

[Mike P.]

There have been years where I've seen snow covering the blazes in May and times when there was a foot or less of rotten snow the last 1/4 mile or so below treeline. Many of us think about wide south facing trails early on that melt out first or peaks and trails where they break out of the trees lower than others. High wooded ridges usually keep snow the longest.

 

[sierra]

Its been to cold for the casual hiker to go out, ie. no rescues. When It gets up to 32 or so, they will be back.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Ask and ye shall receive:

Rescue Mount Washington

Sargent’s Purchase- Amy Baker 45 of Easton, New Hampshire activated an emergency locator beacon at approximately 5:30 PM on Wednesday January 10th. She had texted a friend prior to the activation that she had lost the trail due to high winds and drifting snow above treeline and was in waist deep snow moving slowly. Using the information location from the beacon Conservation Officers responded and hiked approximately 1.7 mile up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail then bushwhacked off trail to Baker’s location. She was located at 1:55 AM today’s date. Officers were able to assist her, slowly hiking down the trail arriving at 4:00 AM on the 11th. Barker had most essential equipment needed for a winter hike but had left her snow shoes in her vehicle not planning to go off trail. Prior to hiking Baker had purchased a 2018 hike safe card.

 

[DayTrip]

Ask and ye shall receive:

Rescue Mount Washington

Sargent’s Purchase- Amy Baker 45 of Easton, New Hampshire activated an emergency locator beacon at approximately 5:30 PM on Wednesday January 10th. She had texted a friend prior to the activation that she had lost the trail due to high winds and drifting snow above treeline and was in waist deep snow moving slowly. Using the information location from the beacon Conservation Officers responded and hiked approximately 1.7 mile up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail then bushwhacked off trail to Baker’s location. She was located at 1:55 AM today’s date. Officers were able to assist her, slowly hiking down the trail arriving at 4:00 AM on the 11th. Barker had most essential equipment needed for a winter hike but had left her snow shoes in her vehicle not planning to go off trail. Prior to hiking Baker had purchased a 2018 hike safe card.

I was confident the quiet wouldn't last.