Pretty strong hints that its not a great stretch of weather to go hiking

[peakbagger]

The obs higher summits forecast today lays out some pretty good reasons why its bad idea to go hiking in the next few days. Luckily the big holiday week was last week but it looks like anyone heading up to the summits between now and Wednesday are putting their lives and their potential rescuers at risk.

"With severe conditions expected from summits to the valleys, hiking will be extremely risky Monday and Monday night and hiking above tree line is strongly discouraged through Tuesday. If search and rescue needs arise, help will be slow going or postponed until conditions improve. All SAR assistance if needed will have to come from below, as summit staff will not be able to assist in any way. A single injury will potentially put several lives at risk not just your own. Additionally, driving to locations will be difficult and debris on and along roadways, especially from downed tree limbs and powerline, could slow travel. Hiking in the woods will also have the risk of falling trees or tree limbs as gusts in foothill regions and neighboring valleys reach upwards of 70 mph. This could result in loss of power in areas, which could also lead to loss of wireless communications slowing help further. Additionally, debris that is aloft, including chunks of ice and snow, will act as high speed projectiles which could cause bodily harm or knock one unconscious. Blowing snow will also be limiting vis at times too especially when in the mix with summit fog. And as previously mentioned, frostbite and hypothermia risks will be possible from trailheads to summits."

 

[richard]

Thanks for posting this information. Very helpful. You may have saved someone a lot of grief.

 

[peakbagger]

Unfortunately the folks most likely to need it ignore it or second guess it.

 

[nartreb]

I feel bad for anybody who cleared their schedule for a one-season 48 this winter. On the other hand, if you're able to snipe the good days there have been some beauts. Saturday was about as perfect as you could ever hope for, and snow conditions were great too.

 

[peakbagger]

Snow conditions are variable, up north in the York Pond area there was 12 to 18 inches of loose snow before hitting a crust on Saturday. What was mostly wet drizzle sunday during the day turned into about 6 inches of fluffy snow overnight. I expect with the wind and cold temps that they curst will be back up to snuff in a few days.

 

[Mike P.]

Thankfully this wind and cold was not in place Friday night through Sunday as someone would have ventured where they should not have. They are estimating that even Monadnock may get 90 MPH gusts

 

[KenC]

Yup! Good few days to NOT get an award from Mr. Darwin!!!!

K

 

[hikerbrian]

25 below tonight with winds sustained at 105-125? Crikey. Gonna get my stove going a little extra hot, I think.

 

[Grey J]

Are warnings like this normal or does this reflect the increasing amount of people requiring rescue under conditions in which it should be obvious to stay home? I don't think I've ever seen this before but I'm not tuned into NH daily like most of you. They are basically saying, "If you are foolish enough to go out in this and you get in trouble, we ain't coming for you until it calms down." Which does make perfect sense to me. Why risk more lives? IMO SAR already pushes the boundaries by going out for people in life threatening weather. They have my support and respect.

 

[Dunc4]

I was hoping to hike on Monday as I couldn't hike this past weekend and can't hike next weekend, but we canceled due to the weather. I really wanted to get out on the trail, but clearly the right call.

 

[Tom_Murphy]

Are warnings like this normal or does this reflect the increasing amount of people requiring rescue under conditions in which it should be obvious to stay home?

The warning appears to be part of the Mount Washington Observatory's Higher Summits Forecast. As such, it is the position of the WMOBS staff and it doesn't necessarily reflect the official position of the NH F&G nor the various SAR organizations.

It has always been my understanding that the WMOBS staff should not be expected to open their door for you nor to lend their assistance ever. And, IMO, the warning that valley based SAR efforts may be delayed is also always true.

So that fact that they felt they needed to mention these realities definitely speaks to a perceived change. i don't know it the actual number of winter S&R events has increased in recent years.

 

[peakbagger]

IMO, over recent years the OBS higher summit forecasts have ramped up describing outcomes of particular weather conditions more clearly in hopes that it may get folks to think before heading out. I rarely see F&G issuing routine weather related advisories of late. A few years back there was some level of frustration in the F&G staff or their management and there were some press releases that were pretty direct that is folks went out they could die get severely injured and would pay for rescue. The F&G director seems to be a fairly short term job so expect every director has his style.

I don't have recent insight on the OBS policies. In the "good old days" I was told the staff tended to be older and more experienced than the current staff appears to be. At one point I did hear someone quite familiar with the operation using the MT Washington B&B reference to explain why many staff were leaving as they signed up to be meteorologists instead of poorly paid B&B staff. I heard another individual lament that the staff was mostly college kids working a mandatory short stint to boost their resumes so they could go onto bigger and better things. This was in era where the obs was teetering on the edge financially and staff was getting laid off due to funding issues. I expect the OBS from a liability point of view have to make it very clear that there should be no hope of assistance as if they don't some folks may make bad decisions assuming that they will get special treatment if they are in trouble.

Winter hiking has increased of late and expect on a per capita basis the number of S&R missions may not have changed but given the increased number of folks I expect the number of rescues have increased.

 

[DayTrip]

Are warnings like this normal or does this reflect the increasing amount of people requiring rescue under conditions in which it should be obvious to stay home? I don't think I've ever seen this before but I'm not tuned into NH daily like most of you. They are basically saying, "If you are foolish enough to go out in this and you get in trouble, we ain't coming for you until it calms down." Which does make perfect sense to me. Why risk more lives? IMO SAR already pushes the boundaries by going out for people in life threatening weather. They have my support and respect.

In the past 6-7 years or so that I have been seriously hiking I see these warnings in the Obs Forecast quite often, even when weather is not biblical. Not sure why that is but it certainly is not new.

 

[egilbe]

Similar forecast the night Kate Matrasova died. It was strongly discouraging to go outside that day.