Rescues This Weekend?

[summitseeker]

Hi All,

I saw the folks from the WMNF Service at the trailhead for Lafayette ( Falling Waters, Bridle). They had a very large tent and there were about six representatives warning and talking with hikers as they approached. Some hikers appeared unprepared for the unusually chilly spring weather and were wearing shorts and cotton t-shirts or questionable footwear, or both.

I'm not making a judgement call on these people or the practice of turning people away. I was curious if people saw the other temporary information center at Lincoln Woods.

Also, has anyone heard of any rescues from this weekend?

This is what I have found thus far. It is very low on the details.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news.../6-hikers-rescued-in-nhs-white-mountains.html
Thanks,

Z

 

[peakbagger]

None that I have heard of yet but its early, some folks wait until Monday afternoon to call in a rescue as they have come to the conclusion that they wont make it home in time to make it to work.
I just picked up a couple of hitchhikers who had to bail on three day presi. They had unspecified "equipment issues" and had elected to bail out via Butress trail. They indicated that in some spots the snow was hip deep. I picked them up near the Great Gulf parking lot and delivered them back to Appalachia.

 

[summitseeker]

"I saw the folks from the WMNF Service at the trailhead for Lafayette ( Falling Waters, Bridle). They had a very large tent and there were about six representatives warning and talking with hikers as they approached. Some hikers appeared unprepared for the unusually chilly spring weather and were wearing shorts and cotton t-shirts or questionable footwear, or both.

I'm not making a judgement call on these people or the practice of turning people away. I was curious if people saw the other temporary information center at Lincoln Woods."

Here is what the WMNF Service is essentially promoting:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whitemountain/workingtogether/volunteering/?cid=stelprd3797312

Z

 

[JCarter]

I don't think they were "turning people away", but I think they were providing sufficient information for people to make the right choice.

When I left the tramway parking lot to head up Lafayette at 8AM, it was 32F. I was a little surprised that it was that chilly, but I put my pants and fleece on and just went. There were a LOT of people on Lafayette for the conditions. MOST of them had pretty good gear, but there were definitely some in shorts and w/o hats. I don't know what the wind speed was, but descending into the wind was actually difficult.

 

[alexmtn]

Hi All,

I saw the folks from the WMNF Service at the trailhead for Lafayette . . . they had a very large tent and there were about six representatives warning and talking with hikers as they approached . . . I'm not making a judgement call on these people or the practice of turning people away . . . Z

It's the USFS Trailhead Steward Program, staffed overwhelmingly by trained volunteers (of which I'm one). The objective is to make folks feel welcome and supported, provide weather or trail info as needed, increase awareness of HikeSafe principles, and to alert people regarding any observed red/yellow flag issues concerning them (weather. conditions, gear, food/water, etc.). We may advise someone not to go through with what they had in mind in light of conditions and their circumstances, but we're not empowered to literally turn a person away if his/her mind is made up to attempt a given hike.

This year, subject to resource availability, we are working to provide coverage on weekend mornings at 4 of the busiest trailheads: OBP/Falling Waters, Ammo, Champney Falls, and Welch-Dickey.

If you're an experienced hiker who's sensitized to safety issues, interested in helping fellow hikers, have solid knowledge about the hiking and the common challenges associated with one or more of these 4 locations, and would like to up your 'giving back' quotient, perhaps the program can use your help. If any of this prompts interest or a question, feel free to pm me.

Alex

 

[TomD]

I'm just curious as to whether the obviously unprepared take your advice. I've read accounts of people trying to offer advice and been told in no uncertain terms to mind their own business. I imagine it's not too hard for you all to tell who's prepared and who's not by looking at their clothes and gear.

 

[summitseeker]

Hi All,

It sounds like it was a safe and successful holiday weekend in the Whites. FWIW I am aware that the WMNF service does not literally "turn people away", but I can imagine the language and phrases used when deemed necessary would strongly encourage an unprepared hiker to make a re-evaluation. Obviously not everyone listens to the advice of others.

Thank you for volunteering alexmtn! I am sure that you have helped guide some hikers into making better preparations. Any day that the SAR folks don't have to risk their own necks is a good one.


I hope you all had a good weekend, whether braving the masses or not.

Z

 

[alexmtn]

I'm just curious as to whether the obviously unprepared take your advice. I've read accounts of people trying to offer advice and been told in no uncertain terms to mind their own business. I imagine it's not too hard for you all to tell who's prepared and who's not by looking at their clothes and gear.

As in many other aspects of life, there's a broad range of personality types and learning styles on the trails, and you try your best to fit yours with theirs. And yeah, sometimes the necessary connection just isn't there. You celebrate the encounters that do make a positive difference.

Alex

 

[TJsName]

I'm just curious as to whether the obviously unprepared take your advice. I've read accounts of people trying to offer advice and been told in no uncertain terms to mind their own business. I imagine it's not too hard for you all to tell who's prepared and who's not by looking at their clothes and gear.

Clothes and gear are part of it. Skills are the other. I imagine by talking to people you can get a sense of of they know what they are doing. Must be pretty interesting!

 

[JustJoe]

This is a red flag father and son I think they'd like to have a chat with. Ammo. Trail, cold and damp above above 4000' that day. Since I opted not to stop them, (my Bad)I don't know what there plan was. But trying to finding that out at the trail-head would definitely be a good idea for those 2.

 

[Grey J]

The program sounds like a good idea to me. Prevention instead of intervention. Information and advice instead of prohibitions, penalties and/or scorn. Hopefully, good practices instead of tragedy. Joe, we have all met or seen people like the ones you picture. I've met them on Cabot, Clay, Wildcat, and Cannon. (and that's just in NH) One can only hope they learn from their experiences which amount to discomfort and not worse. It has been said that good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.

 

[dug]

I think I'm on the fence about the people in the picture. How often does someone like that need rescue, vs. someone with full gear doing something they shouldn't? With a full pack...do you go beyond what you should, since you have gear to survive so you push it? The recent case with the hip issue...gear wasn't his issue. The Eagle Scout who got "lost" (I say with " " because he was never lost, just go into an area where he needed a long time to get out) had a full pack. These are two of the most high-profile, and costly, rescues in the WMNF.

I've seen lots of people hiking or trail running in such gear. I've done peaks with just a waterbag and a light rain jacket, too.

(And, yeah, I understand we are all one loose rock away from breaking an ankle and needing help to get out)

 

[DayTrip]

Saw a lot of denim, cotton sweatshirts and backpack-less hikers on Edmands Path and Crawford Path this past Sunday and a few people who took alternate routes down out of woods and then hoped for rides to the trail head there car was actually at. One couple I gave a ride to had done this intentionally and was going to do the 2.5 mile road walk to car. They were well equipped and aware of the situation but appreciated the unexpected hiker in the lot at 7:30PM. The other group flagged me down in parking lot and showed me a map asking where the Ammonoosuc Parking area was - I replied they were standing in it. . It appears they parked at Cog and did not realize the difference. The guy I gave a ride to was going to "pay it forward" and give them a ride up the hill.

At the end of the day if you choose a favorable weather day and have enough common sense to turn around when you realize you're in over your head you rarely need a rescue. For all our complaining about unprepared people wandering off into oblivion every weekend there really are very few actual rescues for these people. Seems to be a roughly even balance of rescues between experienced people pushing beyond their limits and absolute idiots/unprepared/unequipped/too lazy to save themselves. Considering how many unprepared people you see out there it really is amazing more rescues aren't needed. The White Mountains are not the Himalayas.

 

[hiker0200]

When I was going down the Jewell Trail last weekend, I ran into a group of Canadian hikers at around 3:00 PM who asked how much longer it was until the summit. I said, "at least three miles", flat out and deadpan. Needless to say, they didn't look too thrilled. To top it all off, they didn't have much for backpacks, water, or rain gear. I still wonder what ever came of that attempt. I didn't hear about them on WMUR the next day, so I assume they either turned back or made it successfully but got back at an ungodly hour of the night.

Hiking is becoming far more popular than in past years, but the problem is that many of these "newbies" don't have the necessary smarts (as far as planning, packing, and decision-making go). I applaud the FS for providing this service to their trail users. Hopefully at least some people heed the tips.

 

[Raven]

I talk to a lot of people heading up Ammo Ravine.

Two weeks ago, 4 "kids" about 18-21 ish had made it to LOC Hut without snowshoes somehow and were asking about rides down from the summit. They also wanted to know how long the Jewell Loop was from there. They were not psyched with the answer. They continued on.

The following day I had a long conversation with two athletic looking ladies on their way to do the same loop. They were quite surprised when I told them they were going to hit snow after the first mile and very deep snow at some point after/late into the second mile and I had needed snowshoes the day prior. They had no headlamps so I gave them a cheap spare I had and told them they would be able to decide themselves if they could make it or not once they hit the deeper snow.

They seemed very realistic about turning back if things were more than they expected. So, they had the right attitude but seriously lacked proper gear. Those people are generally fine IMO, not to condone it however.

It's ill preparation combined with summit fever that ends up getting people in the worst kind of trouble. It's like the line about Mount Washington from the older WMG editions, "the mountain spares most fools."

 

[sardog1]

This is what I have found thus far. It is very low on the details.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news.../6-hikers-rescued-in-nhs-white-mountains.html
Thanks,

Z

It was very low on the details when it was first reported … back in January 2013. Might want to ask for a refund from the Nashua Telegraph if you've sent them any money.

Six hikers rescued from NH's White Mountains

 

[Stan]

... I imagine it's not too hard for you all to tell who's prepared and who's not by looking at their clothes and gear.

As they say, you can't always tell a book by its cover.

 

[TomD]

As they say, you can't always tell a book by its cover.

When I lived on Oahu (Hawaii), it was fairly easy to tell the tourists from the locals. At the two popular bodysurfing beaches, the locals all had fins, but few of the tourists did. Those were the ones the lifeguards had to warn off or wind up pulling out of the water on a big day.

 

[JCarter]

It was very low on the details when it was first reported … back in January 2013. Might want to ask for a refund from the Nashua Telegraph if you've sent them any money.

Six hikers rescued from NH's White Mountains

Yes, the Nashua Telegraph should be folded, spindled, mutilated, and humiliated for posting news stories with no dateline. This is about the 4th time I've seen this particular news story pop up over the last 2 1/2 years with "hey, did you read about the rescue in the WMNF this weekend?" There is NO WAY on the NT website to tell when the story was posted (and they even helpfully put today's date in the page header)

 

[kerry13]

Looks like there was at least one rescue this past weekend. Ran across this one which occurred in Huntington Ravine.
http://nhpr.org/post/rescuers-help-stranded-hiker-mount-washington