Presi Traverse Hikers Missing - FOUND

[erugs]

Two experienced hikers from Virginia: http://www.wmur.com/news/15334219/detail.html

 

[roadtripper]

Wow, quite a busy month for SAR! I hope these guys are alright, the conditions appear to be nasty today.

Thanks for posting!

 

[NewHampshire]

I am REALLY feeling sorry for the poor SAR folks now. It has been one TOUGH couple of weeks for them. I hope this one ends on a good note like the last.

Brian

 

[CaptCaper]

Two experienced hikers from Virginia: http://www.wmur.com/news/15334219/detail.html

I like the way they say expierenced..Ha...I doubt their expierenced and equipped to do these mountains in the winter..

As your seeing here the weather is unstable,mean, and down right nasty.
Very few can do this and be certain they'll come out on top. I mean few. Most others take a chance and play the game.

I live here and see flurries,squalls,winds all the time that come in and they don't call it at WMUR,etc.

These guys aren't the first and won't be the last.. Weekend warriors playing Russian Rullet.

It's like the gal at Pinkham Notch told me years ago " It's not just one thing that kills them it's a total of different things that have a snowball effect"..

You all know here what I mean....We've all tasted these situations building, coming in at us up there. We've just been lucky not to have it build enought to take us out..

Another old timer told me " I don't care what ya say. If you go up there enough times it'll get you."

Something for "Expierenced Hikers to comptenplate"

 

[miehoff]

Good God!

I like the way they say expierenced..Ha...I doubt their expierenced and equipped to do these mountains in the winter..

As your seeing here the weather is unstable,mean, and down right nasty.
Very few can do this and be certain they'll come out on top. I mean few. Most others take a chance and play the game.

I live here and see flurries,squalls,winds all the time that come in and they don't call it at WMUR,etc.

These guys aren't the first and won't be the last.. Weekend warriors playing Russian Rullet.

It's like the gal at Pinkham Notch told me years ago " It's not just one thing that kills them it's a total of different things that have a snowball effect"..

You all know here what I mean....We've all tasted these situations building, coming in at us up there. We've just been lucky not to have it build enought to take us out..

Another old timer told me " I don't care what ya say. If you go up there enough times it'll get you."

Something for "Expierenced Hikers to comptenplate"

Seriously? Either you are kidding or you are ill. Can we stop the silly, meaningless threads that are peppered with spelling errors? I do like to know when someone is missing, injured or killed in the mountains, and I do like to learn the facts, but it is posts like these that make me wish I were a moderator. Come on!

 

[Tom & Atticus]

I like the way they say expierenced..Ha...I doubt their expierenced and equipped to do these mountains in the winter..

As your seeing here the weather is unstable,mean, and down right nasty.
Very few can do this and be certain they'll come out on top. I mean few. Most others take a chance and play the game.

I live here and see flurries,squalls,winds all the time that come in and they don't call it at WMUR,etc.

These guys aren't the first and won't be the last.. Weekend warriors playing Russian Rullet.

It's like the gal at Pinkham Notch told me years ago " It's not just one thing that kills them it's a total of different things that have a snowball effect"..

You all know here what I mean....We've all tasted these situations building, coming in at us up there. We've just been lucky not to have it build enought to take us out..

Another old timer told me " I don't care what ya say. If you go up there enough times it'll get you."

Something for "Expierenced Hikers to comptenplate"

No disrespect meant here, Capt Caper, but this all seems a bit too cavalier for me. For whatever decisions have been made by these two men, their lives are still at stake. Perhaps when all is said in done in this situation I will have have a similar attitude but for now, I'd rather hope they can be helped and are indeed experienced and well-equpped for whatever the Pressies are throwing at them.

Here's to their safe recovery.

 

[Darl58]

We were up on Eisenhower yesterday afternoon and there were no tracks at all, we had to break trail all the way from Pierce. I'm sure they hadn't gotten that far, at least over the summit. The wind was blowing us around pretty badly and it knocked me down.

I hope they made it to some place out of that wind. The morning was warm but wet, lets all hope for a safe and fast rescue of these two guys!! It's two fellow hikers!

The SAR folks have their work cut out for them on this one. Wish them Luck, and thanks!

 

[caleb]

Another old timer told me " I don't care what ya say. If you go up there enough times it'll get you."

Something for "Expierenced Hikers to comptenplate"

Ed Viesturs said something similar today on NPR "Just because you love the mountains doesn't mean the mountains love you". here's the link to the interview, he was plugging his new book (with David Roberts) Climbing the World's Tallest Peaks.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4632063

yes I hope the two hikers get out safe and sound. From the picture, they looked reasonably well dressed.

 

[DougPaul]

I like the way they say expierenced..Ha...I doubt their expierenced and equipped to do these mountains in the winter..

The statement from the report on WMUR is: "The men are believed to be well equipped with good hiking experience." (http://www.wmur.com/news/15334219/detail.html)

This could mean anything from some summer experience to 8000 meter peak experience.

If they are appropriately experienced and equipped, it is always possible that they have simply holed up to wait out the storm. Or are bogged down breaking out an escape route.

Might I suggest that we wait until we have some real info before we castigate them?

Doug

 

[NewHampshire]

I like the way they say expierenced..Ha...I doubt their expierenced and equipped to do these mountains in the winter..

As your seeing here the weather is unstable,mean, and down right nasty.
Very few can do this and be certain they'll come out on top. I mean few. Most others take a chance and play the game.

I live here and see flurries,squalls,winds all the time that come in and they don't call it at WMUR,etc.

These guys aren't the first and won't be the last.. Weekend warriors playing Russian Rullet.

It's like the gal at Pinkham Notch told me years ago " It's not just one thing that kills them it's a total of different things that have a snowball effect"..

You all know here what I mean....We've all tasted these situations building, coming in at us up there. We've just been lucky not to have it build enought to take us out..

Another old timer told me " I don't care what ya say. If you go up there enough times it'll get you."

Something for "Expierenced Hikers to comptenplate"

I have to agree with miehoff and Tom. Now is no time to be sniping at people who are in a dire situation. In the past I may have been critical of people in such situations, but as I have grown in the hobby of ours I realized that anything can happen at any time. To use a crude saying "S**t Happens".....and it can happen to the best of us. Taking reasonable measures to ensure your safety is the best any of us can do, and from what it appears as of right now these two gentleman have done so.

In "A Fine Kind Of Madness" Guy Waterman relates a winter Presis Traverse backpack he and his son took. He described a number of cirucumstances that put them in a nearly disasterous situation. They survived (without needing rescue, which at the time the story was related would probably have taken A LOT longer than it would today) and he learned from his mistakes. But learning does not mean having to be afraid of every snowflake, every whispy cloud in the sky. If you know what your doing, KEEP YOUR HEAD and don't panic, and make reasonable decidsions then you are cutting the risk factor drastically.

Most peole have busy lives, and when they do have free time to get up to the mountains it tends to be too little. Does this mean if the weather is not blubird blue skies and sunny we should all turn back? Making god decisions on trail at any given time is what safety is about. I remember, off hand, a story Giggy told about heading up the Presis one day in winter. He got out to treeline, poked his head up and was getting blasted with winds. He decided to just turn back. He still got out on the trail, got to a place and time where he felt it prudent to turn back, and he did so. He did not let the weather determine wether or not he got into the mountains, but when the time came he made the right call for him.

So maybe its best not to be too citical. Remeber, you could have an unfortunate accident in the mountains and require a rescue. At that point would you want people here critisizing you?

Brian

 

[king tut]

Just judging by the photo of the two men, they appear to be well equipped. Who knows if they had a tent, or other gear that could have helped them. It's not like the photo shows them hiking up in jeans and chugging budweiser. I just don't really understand the intentions behind the angry post. I'm also not sure what Russian rullet is? Is it similar to roulette, maybe a Foxwoods version? I hope they weathered the rain last night and this morning, looks to have been the perfect hypothermia conditions up there.

 

[Orsonab]

Just wondering where they were spotted at 8:30am - was it Pinkham Notch? I met a guy on Valley Way yesterday who was coming down but said his two friends had gone on to try a Presidential Traverse. I'm assuming they're different guys if the missing hikers set off from Pinkham. I can say that at 10am yesterday, the sky was beautifully sunny and no discernible wind in the trees but by noon there was thick cloud over Washington and I was being blown off-balance on top of Madison. Hopefully it's warm enough right now to prevent tragedy.

 

[Dave Bear]

Lets all realize now more than ever is a time to start being positive and not play angrily into the attitudes of those that would restrict or ban our winter past time! WE need to encourage proper safety and respect for the mountains in any way we can. New Hampshire is a rural, relatively small tax-based state that can't just foot the bill for careless or calous attitudes when we do what we enjoy.Not saying these fellows weren't equipped but the general population may have that perception. The rescue teams are no doubt the other victims of so many events. Having spent so many high-risk hours in the elements we choose when we go out in. Praise and godspeed to all of them out there and pray that all come home safely including the hikers! Lets all do our part to promote our best face to the nonhiking community and keep hiking an individual or group, not guided sport! Suggestion #1, we take it upon ourselves to make donations to New Hampshire F&G toward SAR for their very unselfish support of the hiking community!

 

[Woody]

I hope these guys are just holed up somewhere waiting for good weather. Let's all hope they hike out on their own.

 

[carole]

I have a pit in my stomach as I wait for any news. I can't even imagine how they, their family and friends, and the searchers feel.

 

[WinterWarlock]

Experienced as they may be, this one doesn't feel right right now...I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Bobby]

Fingers crossed, hoping for the best.

 

[MTNRUNR]

CRAWFORD NOTCH, N.H. -- Two hikers missing in Crawford Notch since Sunday were found Tuesday morning, officials said.

Alex Obert, 30, and Steven McCay, 29, both of Arlington, Va., were found on the side of Mount Eisenhower and appeared to be in good condition. A helicopter was on the way to take them off the mountain.

Just saw this from the earlier posted website.

 

[WinterWarlock]

CRAWFORD NOTCH, N.H. -- Two hikers missing in Crawford Notch since Sunday were found Tuesday morning, officials said.

Alex Obert, 30, and Steven McCay, 29, both of Arlington, Va., were found on the side of Mount Eisenhower and appeared to be in good condition. A helicopter was on the way to take them off the mountain.

Just saw this from the earlier posted website.

http://www.wmur.com/news/15341241/detail.html

 

[Chip]

That's good news. I hope they're okay.
There is something about Eisenhower, though.