Solo hiking above treeline in winter

[Louis]

solo hiking...

quoted by Sierra
A long time vet on Washington has a signifigently less chance of an epic then 2 canadians who happened by pinkhams and decided to "bag" Washington.

ummm... or two people from any country maybe...



http://community.webshots.com/user/louis2505

 

[dug]

Yeah, why the slam on Canadiens??? WTF???

 

[giggy]

Yeah, why the slam on Canadiens??? WTF???

I think he is referring to the recent rescue event in sept or oct. It was a few folks from canada - it didn't sound to me like he was singling out or slamming canadians- just describing the recent rescue that way.

 

[Gris]

i hiked solo once - only marginally above treeline - in the winter on a relatively cold day (well below freezing). It was by default as I was late and the others left before me. It was harrowing. I WILL NEVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE DO A REAL HIKE SOLO IN THE WINTER. Baby hikes, snowshoing, XC ski, sure. But no solo winter mountain climbing for me. IMO, one size does fit all - it's insane, pure and simple. Just like doing Everest. Folks who think they have it all under control all the time are deluding themselves. Some people like the rush you get from surviving danger. I know. I've done my fair share of that. But no one should rationalize it on the basis that it's "safe." But, it's an easy choice for me to hike with others in winter. I don't have that many opportunities to do it and I like people anyway.

 

[giggy]

but in all honesty (and with all due respect to a fellow partier! ) gris (and others) - some folks don't consider a hike above treeline on a decent (or even marginal) weather day dangerous by their standards - its all relative.

I think a hike solo hike up adams is no big deal, but I think someone soling pinnacle gully is a bit crazy - but for someone who climbs grade 4 and 5 ice with ease, thats a piece of cake - that person might think soloing liberty ridge on rainier is nuts - but there are people who do that and think the guy who solo's everest nuts

so - is the guy who solo's everest crazy for soloing mt monroe??????

so its all relative....

 

[--M.]

It's not a binary thing...

IMO, one size does fit all - it's insane, pure and simple. Just like doing Everest.

There are gradients of qualification for this activity. It's not insane for everyone.

One thing I needed to do was demystify it a little. This, by the way, in no way defangs it for me; it just puts it into perspective. I realized that I had stood on many treeless peaks in snowstorms -- as a downhill skier. I have done so as a hiker only a couple of times, and will defer for the most part until I am more qualified, but how does such qualification happen? By doing it.

Inasmuch as I have family and experience (I'm in my 40s), I understand Darren's point and agree with it for myself, mostly. What I don't agree with is that no one is capable of being in these conditions.

I grew up thinking that Washington in winter was strictly for Himalaya-level climbers, and parts of it still do strike me that way, but the movement to open up winter hiking has been liberating. And I don't see that a one-size-fits-all approach applies to these parameters (as dvbl stated them).

I also don't think climbing Everest is insane (although, typically, how we've treated it is insane).

...with all respect, Gris.

--M.

 

[dug]

i hiked once - only marginally above treeline - in the winter on a relatively cold day (well below freezing). It was by default as I was late and the others left before me. It was harrowing. I WILL NEVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE DO A REAL HIKE SOLO IN THE WINTER. Baby hikes, snowshoing, XC ski, sure. But no solo winter mountain climbing for me. IMO, one size does fit all - it's insane, pure and simple. Just like doing Everest. Folks who think they have it all under control all the time are deluding themselves. Some people like the rush you get from surviving danger. I know. I've done my fair share of that. But no one should rationalize it on the basis that it's "safe." But, it's an easy choice for me to hike with others in winter. I don't have that many opportunities to do it and I like people anyway.

I just can't agree with this, personally. Is it all treeline hikes should be avoided? How about Mt. Crawford, which is open? Is that also not OK? You mention XC skiing be OK...but how about a Zealand Notch ski-through?

 

[Gris]

Let me clarify - IMO (in MY opinion) all true winter solo hikes (i.e., it's COLD and yer out ther a while) are just pure madness. Just my opinion folks. It's based on the assumption that: (a) you want to live a while longer; (b) all that has to happen for you to die (from hypothermia) is for one little thing to go wrong. Witness the ranger that died on the Twinway a while back. SherpaK's comment about skiing is dead on (no pun intended), if he hadn't been in a high traffic area he'd a been a goner. You people can pretend you're safe, but yer not. No one but God is master of the universe, sorry...

 

[Pig Pen]

Let me clarify - IMO (in MY opinion) all true winter solo hikes (i.e., it's COLD and yer out ther a while) are just pure madness. Just my opinion folks. It's based on the assumption that: (a) you want to live a while longer; (b) all that has to happen for you to die (from hypothermia) is for one little thing to go wrong. Witness the ranger that died on the Twinway a while back. SherpaK's comment about skiing is dead on (no pun intended), if he hadn't been in a high traffic area he'd a been a goner. You people can pretend you're safe, but yer not. No one but God is master of the universe, sorry...

I promised to shut up but I could not resist this one. If the above quote were true there would be a lot of rotting corpses out there. I mean in the Northeast U.S. not Mount Everest.

Show me the rotting corpses.

 

[Gris]

Show me the rotting corpses.

In the Whites all the trails are so close to the main highway the forest service is able to get them out way before the snows melt in April...

ps - in the DAKS the bears eat them as soon as they thaw...

 

[Maddy]

Show me the rotting corpses.

An interesting point.
The good news is, if you die on the Rockpile, SAR (God help them all), will usually get your body off the mountain, but for obvious reasons this is not always possible on Everest.
Instead, you just get to have your very own plaque to memorialize you in the Observatory, and tourist will nod respectfully as they walk by on their way to the gift shop.

 

[Neil]

If you are fit and experienced, smart and equipped and you pay attention to the weather forecast you may go alone, above treeline, in the Whites. As sure as day follows night you will come back and you will feel great.

 

[forestgnome]

After reading this whole thread, which is very interesting and informative, I conclude that a group hike could be a total bummer for an individual who wants to turn back. Once injured, a solo hiker is in more danger, all things being equal. If you feel apprehensive, turn around, go down.

Happy Trails

 

[Mad Townie]

Let me clarify - IMO (in MY opinion) all true winter solo hikes (i.e., it's COLD and yer out ther a while) are just pure madness. Just my opinion folks.

Y'all gotta remember that the boy's from Jacksonville, FLA. That explains a lot. You gotta hear him play guitar, though.

My mom used to send us outdoors to play when it was -20, and she'd lock the door until she was good and ready for us to come back in. Gives you a different perspective on cold. Come to think of it, I guess this explains a lot, too.

 

[Maddy]

After reading this whole thread, which is very interesting and informative, I conclude that a group hike could be a total bummer for an individual who wants to turn back. Once injured, a solo hiker is in more danger, all things being equal. If you feel apprehensive, turn around, go down.

Happy Trails

This brings to mind something that happened on Crawford Path several years back. The individual involved is a friend of a good friend of mine.
He is an avid hiker and has covered much territory in the Whites, solo and with groups. He went on a winter hike with a group and he made a decision to go back He was just not up to it. The others continued on. It was very snowy and he lost the Crawford path on his back. He followed a river but ended up in the river. One foot ended up with large block of ice around it. Another person, who was on the same hike, turned back also a short time later. He to lost the Crawford path. He hiked past the lost hiker following the same river and told him he would get help. The remaining group members finally turned back and when they arrived at the parking lot noticed two vehicles with no hikers. They notified SAR.
The second lost hiker was found on his way down several hours later. The other lost soul was finally found and they had to get him out of the river with his block of ice. HE was really stuck!
HE was was very fortunate to have survived the night in those elements. He had abandoned some of his gear on the way down including his snow shoes.
These two were not feeling up to par and both turned around and went back. Ironically both lost the same trail. One spent months in the hospital and had many surgeries. He still hikes which of course is a good thing.
I think the big mistake here is that the entire group should have abandoned the climb when hiker #1 made the decision to go back.
I cannot imagine how they would have felt if one or the both had died.
In this case turning back was a real bummer for the two who separated from the group. The good news was someone noticed that the cars were still in the parking lot and they were able to report the hikers as missing so a rescue could be mobilized. Had he been solo, I doubt he would have survived because no one would have known where he was, or for that matter that he was even missing.

 

[Waumbek]

After reading this whole thread, which is very interesting and informative, I conclude that a group hike could be a total bummer for an individual who wants to turn back.

I would conclude that a "group" might endanger you, especially if you give in to peer pressure and even if you don't. If you go above treeline in winter, you go with a team you know and trust. Just like Darren went with the man who saved his life.

 

[jn316]

Maybe the best measure of how safe it is for us to hike solo above treeline in winter is not how often we've done it, but how often we haven't.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Seasonal Perceptions of Danger

It's been my perception ( perhaps mistakenly) that the type of current conditions atop Mt Washington - 38 degrees with a wickedly wet 40 mph wind - are a bigger risk as to developing hypothermia in comparison to colder, but drier, winter conditions. I can't really find any rescue stats to back this up. Anyone?

 

[forestgnome]

Can anyone recommend an authoritative online text about both recognizing and remedying hypothermia in the field?

 

[Waumbek]

Can anyone recommend an authoritative online text about both recognizing and remedying hypothermia in the field?

I don't know whether the SAR Society of BC's page of links is considered to be "authoritative," but it contains numerous approaches to hypothermia from different angles. The "treatment in the field" link gives a quick graphic guide to what posters have been advising earlier in this thread and in the related Eisenhower thread.