Three rescues in the Whites

[DougPaul]

A Boston area TV newscast (~1 AM, Mon morn) reported 3 rescues in the White Mtns this weekend:
1. Franconia Notch: 2 fell
2. Mt. Washington. No info
3. N Conway area: a family out hiking gets caught by darkness, finds a rock to wait on, and is rescued after 5 hrs.

That is all I remeber hearing. Was unable to find anything on line.

Doug

 

[Klutz]

A Boston area TV newscast (~1 AM, Mon morn) reported 3 rescues in the White Mtns this weekend:
1. Franconia Notch: 2 fell
2. Mt. Washington. No info
3. N Conway area: a family out hiking gets caught by darkness, finds a rock to wait on, and is rescued after 5 hrs.

That is all I remeber hearing. Was unable to find anything on line.

Doug

OMG! Franconia Notch??? Wonder what happened there? We were supposed to go up there this weekend, but changed our minds due to weather.....I hope people at work don't think it's me....I told some that's where we were going, but ended up going up the Osecola's. I was pretty windy on Sat. and Sun was raining here, don't know about up there.

Mt. Washington...anything could've happened there. Don't know, never been up there hiking.

The family out hiking and getting caught by darkness.....well maybe some people just shouldn't be hikining.....sorry, but that's how I feel. Must've started out too late and didn't have the sense to turn around at the proper time to get back before dark.....I bet they had a cell phone, didn't they???

 

[chipc]

A Boston area TV newscast (~1 AM, Mon morn) reported 3 rescues in the White Mtns this weekend:
1. Franconia Notch: 2 fell
2. Mt. Washington. No info
3. N Conway area: a family out hiking gets caught by darkness, finds a rock to wait on, and is rescued after 5 hrs.

That is all I remeber hearing. Was unable to find anything on line.

Doug

Here's a story on the N Conway rescue:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/09/02/parents_and_kids_helped_off_whitehorse_ledge/

 

[Klutz]

Sounds like the adults at least did the right thing there. Still it also sounds as though they didn't allow enought time to do what they had planned.....???

Glad to hear everyone was alright.

 

[chipc]

story from MSNBC

This story mentions all three incidents, two of which were climbing related:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14646077/


Great jobs by the rescue teams!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Thanks for the link, Chip. And good to see that all the incidents has a happy ending, although sounds like the fellow on Cannon might have had some injuries. In some ways I'm amazed that more people don't get in trouble.

 

[DougPaul]

although sounds like the fellow on Cannon might have had some injuries. In some ways I'm amazed that more people don't get in trouble.

There is quite a bit of rockfall on Cannon cliff--some of it pretty big. When you walk along the base of the cliff, you see lots of pulverized rock and some scarred trees. And the large boulderfield below didn't come up from the valley below...

Chip: Thanks for the link. From last night's report, it sounded like the N. Conway group was a batch of hikers without a light that found a rock to sit on when it got dark... (Whitehorse is quite a "rock to sit on".)

Doug

 

[Klutz]

Glad everyone came out of it safe. Sounds like the people on the Mt. Washington hike should've reasessed the situation when the woman started getting into trouble though. Maybe the boyfriend didn't know his girlfriends limits either. I know my limits, even though I do try to push myself just a little, but know when to say I've had enough. There have been more than a few trips we've cut short, mostly because of me, not my husband. He's a little more experienced than me and more physically able to do more, but knows when I say I've had enough, it's time for us to call it quits so I don't get hurt or anyone else that may have to give assistance. He very willing to turn back with me when I just can't go any further.

One trip, on our way back, I think we were just about a mile from the end of the trail, it was late and I pretty much had it for that portion of the hike, we just found a spot to camp for the night and that's where we stayed. Of course we didn't really realize that was all we had to go, but instead of pushing too much, my loving husband, knew it was time to break, besides the fact, it gave us one more night in the backcountry.

 

[Mike P.]

Great job with the rescues, the Whitehorse crew anchored themselves so that was a climbing trip also.

The Washington one appears to be the 'take a non-hiker to the biggest mountain around,' not entirely uncommon. (not the hardest but it's still a big walk on a trail that is nothing at all like a rail trail or sidewalk)

If you wanted to introduce a SO to hiking & how enjoyable it is (you take your old High school chums out on a I'm still tough trip & you guys are sofa spuds trip - okay thats dumb too, take your daughter's bad boyfriend & when he pulls up lame ditch him, literlaly push him in a ditch or ravine ) Anyway the point is why take a SO to Washington for her first hike?

Something with a view, some cascades, maybe a bathroom (hut) & relative peace & quiet that's enjoyable not blister & profanity inducing.

Zeacliff, Moosilauke from the Lodge, Pierce, Osceola & a bunch more make more sense.

What was the weather like & time of day did he descend auto road? out at 3:30 AM must have been late. if the weather was not bad & early enough, ascending would have been quicker to get SAR troops up from the vague picture I'm coming up with for where she was. (up Tucks, they assisted down Chandler Brook makes me think she was above the headwalls along the Alpine Garden Trail or off trail completely.

Of the three rescues, two were for making less than good decisions (hard to pin Cannon Rescue on decision unless purposely off route & planned new ascent on bad rock) One was too much hike for a non-hiker & other was for starting too late for the group to complete the climb assuming it was not too much for them.

 

[DougPaul]

Of the three rescues, two were for making less than good decisions (hard to pin Cannon Rescue on decision unless purposely off route & planned new ascent on bad rock) One was too much hike for a non-hiker & other was for starting too late for the group to complete the climb assuming it was not too much for them.

PLEASE, lets wait for the detailed (and accurate) reports and analyses before throwing blame around.

Just for the record--I've finished a different route on Whitehorse in the semi-dark. (The last two pitches are trivial (usually 3rd classed) for both this route and the route most likely taken by the rescued group.) We lost the climbers' trail on the way down and did a technical bushwack (included a rappel) to get back to the car. IIRC (it was a long time ago), we had a light. Time to climb a route can be hard to estimate.

Doug

 

[TCD]

I've been up Whitehorse a few times, and it is a long slab. It can take a very long time. If their party of four was climbing as one party, and traditionally belaying each pitch (as opposed to simul climbing or soloing) it could easily get dark, even with a nice early morning start (especially with two kids). It looks like the mistake they made was mis-estimating the time it would take. And it's not always as easy to reverse a climbing route as it is to stick to a turn around time on a hike. It also wasn't clear if everyone in the party had headlamps, or what their climbing ability was. The easier routes on the main slab (like Sliding Board and the Standard Route) would be reasonable by headlamp if you were fairly experienced.

 

[giggy]

glad to hear they are ok. The climbing ones don't seem too out of the ordinary - tough luck on the rockfall. That is unfortunate as the whitehorse one. call me crazy, but based on what we have here - the mt washington one is a typical ""bit off more than chew thing"" - no biggie - it happens. no judgment here.

This is typically the time of year when these kind of events happen in the pressies and franconia - gets dark a bit earlier, weather gets a but worse, rain is a bit colder, winds a bit stronger - signs the summer is outta here - folks caught with pants down above treeline.

I heard this guy was hanging around the mountains this weekend and was a huge factor in getting folks to safety.

 

[drewski]

look--up in the sky

 

[SAR-EMT40]

2. Mt. Washington. No info
Doug

I see there was some info later on about this rescue. It was a SLOOOOW walkout with a woman who was dehydrated and exhausted. The rescue team found her around 1AM, fed her, gave her water and decided that it didn't need to be a carry out. Like it said they eventually walked her down from Chandler River trail to Great gulf and eventually was able to get her to an ATV and brought her out the rest of the way. I do know it took an hour or so for her to get to Great Gulf with the rescue team but, I suspect she wasn't moving very fast so I don't know how high she was up the trail.

Nothing else was really notable. The boyfriend/husband did walk out to get help for her. Don't know if he walked back in to help with the walk out or not.

Keith

 

[Grandaddy]

PLEASE, lets wait for the detailed (and accurate) reports and analyses before throwing blame around.

I agree with you Doug.

Let's discuss the common occurrence of a hiker unprepared on Mt. Washington. I'm sure that this has been discussed before, but how many times have you seen an unprepared hiker on Washington? I think that many want to just bag the biggest peak, period. That's all right if the hikers have the requisite skills (mostly between the ears) for a long hike. I think that many are deluded into feeling that Washington is a safe climb, because there are various shelters spread about the mountain. There is a train, an auto road, and, one might think, hikers everywhere. There can be an ignorance of the need for self-sustainability in the mountains, which can lend to unawareness for what may lay ahead and the likelihood for a cascade of bad decisions if trouble is met.

On a positive note, I think that many experienced hikers on Washington have a watchful eye out for those who are not sufficiently prepared. I think that it is good to kindly intervene if one notices someone potentially putting him or herself in harm's way. Even if the hiker does not heed advice right away, it may be enough to make the person stop and think further up the trail.

 

[RoySwkr]

Like it said they eventually walked her down from Chandler River trail to Great gulf and eventually was able to get her to an ATV and brought her out the rest of the way....

Nothing else was really notable. The boyfriend/husband did walk out to get help for her. Don't know if he walked back in to help with the walk out or not.

There is more to this story than has been said. They were climbing Mt.W via Tucks and she winds up halfway down Chandler Brook while her boyfriend walks down Auto Road? This is people getting lost not people getting tired.

 

[Woody]

I've climbed on Whitehorse a few times. It is a BIG piece of rock and it can be easy to get off route and wander around a bit. This is serious technical climbing, not hiking. I know of one guidebook for the rock that is not worth the paper it is written on. I know this from experience. After getting 6 pitches up the Beginner's Route (a 5.5 climb) I followed the directions in the guide book and ended up in territory I didn't want to be! Fortunately, I was able to rappel back to the belay and then my partner and I were able to rappel the rest of the way to the ground. I always bring a head lamp with me and I am sure that this is a lesson these folks have learned as well.

 

[Mike P.]

Well put Roy. I agree doing the biggest first is a draw (I did it myself Started initially as a highpointer, did MA, VT (almost 2x because I miss the top the 1st time) & ME (a true epic of stupidity on my part with an obvious non-tragic ending) before doing Washington, my first NH trip. (then drove to NY for Marcy the amount of tired driving was where most of the stupidity lies in my case)

To end up where they did, this was not a tired 1st time hiker with boyfriend going up Tuckerman's who got caught in the dark below the parking lot. We'll have to see if it gets posted on any of the official sites to see if we get all the info.

 

[dvbl]

...If you wanted to introduce a SO to hiking & how enjoyable it is (you take your old High school chums out on a I'm still tough trip & you guys are sofa spuds trip - okay thats dumb too, take your daughter's bad boyfriend & when he pulls up lame ditch him, literlaly push him in a ditch or ravine ) Anyway the point is why take a SO to Washington for her first hike?...

SO? What's that?

 

[UNFROZENCAVEMAN]

Significant Other!!!