Tragic News in NH

[crazymama]

Hikerfast, thanks for taking the time to share with us what you knew about this very sad story. My condolences to you...

This IS a very sobering story, given this hiker's fitness level, wealth of experience, and preparedness.

The thing that made sense to me in Hikerfast's story was the guess that Ken may not have wanted to fool with getting more clothing out due to stopping to go through his pack, deal with zippers, etc. I can totally understand that, as I have felt that way in much less extreme conditions. Then the confusion of hypothermia sets in, and you lose than critical ability to make good decisions while in a bad situation...I could see how it could happen, particularly given the extreme conditions as described by Hikerfast.

Again, thanks for sharing your story...my heart goes out to you.

 

[SherpaKroto]

Hikerfast: thank you for sharing your insight into this tragic event. Please accept my condolences on your loss, and convey our feelings to his family. Although I've never met Ken, I feel we've lost one of our own. As others have mentioned, there are many friends here to help your healing, so don;t be a stranger.

 

[el-bagr]

Hikerfast, thank you so much for feeling comfortable enough to share your story. Even for those of us who never met Ken, the sense of a loss in the community is very close to home. Our hearts are with Ken, his family, you and all whom he touched. Thanks again for sharing.

 

[LittleBear]

Hikerfast:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on what may have happened. My condolences to you and to his family. Although I and many on this board did not know him, I think it hits us all hard when a member of our community meets an untimely death.

In reading your post, I totally identified with your guess that maybe he was too cold to bother to stop and mess with his pack and zippers to get another layer of clothing on. Last winter I was in Baxter on a 4 day trip to Chimney Pond. The first day was an 8 mile ski into Roaring Brook. The weather was extreme - temps well below zero and high winds, although we were somewhat protected by the trees. We got a late start. I was about 2 miles from the bunkhouse around 3 or so when the sun dipped low in the sky. I could not believe how quickly the temps seem to drop. At that point, I didn't want to even bother with drinking water (which was freezing despite efforts to keep it liquid) or eating. All I wanted to do was to get to the bunkhouse. By the time I got there, I was borderline hypothermic. Luckily, my bunk mates recognized the problem and took care of me, but it is not something I wish to experience again. It did seem as though it came on very quickly and in very extreme temperatures there isn't much room for error.

Again, thanks for sharing your story. My heart goes out to you, his friends, and his family.

 

[Blue]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend.

We heard about a hiker death during the Adirondack Gathering
and talked a little about how doing something that we all really love can be so dangerous.

My heart goes out to his wife and children. "They are not gone who live in the hearts they left behind."

I'm so sorry.

-Liza

 

[Ann]

Hikerfast;
My deepest condolences for the loss of your friend. My heart also goes out to his family.

Thank you for the information and detail and the courage and strength to give us all more insight into what happened. There is no easy way out from that area, even heading out over Guyot must have been an epic. With the condtions that extreme, and windblown following a trail from ANY direction would have been very difficult and taxing and involving very exposed areas.
Hikerfast wrote:

I have gone over in my mind what I could have done to save him prior to calling in the rescue the next night

I think you did your VERY best to help him try to find the easiest way out. These were very, very, unusual, extreme conditions, there was NO way for you to look into a crystal ball to see the future. I never knew Kenny but I don't feel he would have gone for "heading to the hut" as a solution. After reading as much as I could about him I feel he was the type of person who would have wanted to get himself out to a trailhead, so please, this is not a time to think or feel "what if" or second guesses.

Again, my deepest condolences for the loss of your close friend.
Ann

 

[Michael M]

My deepest sympathies to all whom Ken left behind.

Most of us here know the grip of extreme weather
It is a frightening and humbling experience.
Sailors and hikers know/understand what it means to be
afraid of the weather. We have seen the forces of nature,
induce panic in the fearless and with out a care whatsoever
for our human frailty.


Michael CM

 

[Frodo]

Hikerfast,

I am very sorry for the loss of Ken, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this difficuilt time.

Thanks for sharing those tough details about Ken's last hours. It gives us all a greater understanding as to what unfolded, and hopefully we all can learn from it. Personally, I don't think that Ken was any different than most of us on this site. He was passionate about the outdoors, his family, and lived life to the fullest...

 

[Peter Miller]

Hikerfast,

Thank you for sharing these touching and painful details with us. How heartbreaking it must be to put them in writing. I hope you find solace in reaching out to the hiking community.

Many hikers who never knew Ken Holmes have been following this story, not out of morbid curiosity but with heartfelt sympathy, and a wish to learn what this experience can teach. Most of us who have repeatedly gone up mountains have knowingly placed ourselves at risk. Calibrating risk so that one lives to experience future adventures is an art. The information you have shared about Ken Holmes' tragedy can help all of us become more proficient at that art. There is a lot to ponder here, and those of us who promote hiker education and hiker safety will not soon forget Ken's death. There most definitely will be a positive legacy from this tragic loss.

My heart goes out to Ken's wife, his children, his parents and siblings, his hiker friends, and to you.

Peter Miller

 

[audrey]

Hikerfast, your account broke my heart. We all feel diminished by your friend's death. Try not to be too hard on yourself, it could have been any of us.

 

[RoySwkr]

Hikerfast,

My condolences on the loss of your friend and thank you for sharing your story.

I had wondered whether going to S Twin instead of Zealand was a sign of incipient hypothermia at the junction point, but apparently it was a considered decision arrived at the night before. There is a ladder below Zealand and I have spent considerable time hunting the trail in winter in the Zealand-Guyot col so these were legitimate concerns. Could he have made it to Zealand Hut safely? We'll never know. Should he have followed ME's guideline and retreated over Bondcliff? Sure the trail was broken but Bondcliff is exposed for longer than Guyot or S Twin.

As for what you could have done, I think you did it. It appears he was already dead before anyone starting in daylight could have reached him, and starting at night under those conditions when he was in no immediate danger would have been an unreasonable risk for anyone doing it. He probably wanted to talk through the decision process with someone who was comfortable and thinking clearly, and you helped him. Operations research theory says that good decisions can have bad outcomes, and this appears to be an example.

 

[hikerfast]

Thank you for the replies. It is good to hear from so many people. I passed a bunch of you a couple weeks ago, I was heading up Mt. Liberty, and you guys were coming down. I saw a crowd of you near the bottom, near the bridge. Ken would be glad so many people cared about his experience, and I will be sure to tell his wife that so many people were interested in him and supportive. I was glad Roy concurred about problems going down towards zealand, my memory of the zeacliff area going up that way once was that I lost the trail and was unable to get the summit in deep snow. Another thing Kenny told me was he was pinned down on bondcliff by the wind, and had to wait for a break in the wind to run across it and continue up to Mt. Bond summit.
Bob

 

[Papa Bear]

Thank you for the replies. It is good to hear from so many people. ... Ken would be glad so many people cared about his experience, and I will be sure to tell his wife that so many people were interested in him and supportive. ...
Bob

Bob
When some one falls, we all fall, we are all diminished. We are all family out there. Requiescat in Pacem

Pb

 

[MichaelJ]

My deepest condolences to all who knew Ken and shared in his life. While we may all wonder and debate what happened and why, it does not lessen the tragedy that has happened; a tragedy that could have befallen any of us. I pray that we do not forget him, but honor his memory by keeping ourselves safe.

Hikerfast, was it you that I saw on Pierce, Liberty, and then in REI? I am tremendously sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing with us during this time.

 

[hikerfast]

yes that was me.

 

[newcomb family]

Moment of silence

I propose that on January 27th at 10 pm, wheather on line at the time or not, we all give a collective thought of peace and solace for 1 minute to the family and friends of Mr. Holmes. This tragic incident has touched everyones heart and soul. There is no way in words that we can express our sorrow to the folks most affected by this lose. Let us pray and contemplate in unison to help try to relieve the pain and suffering that is being felt by those closest to this extrodonary fellow. Amen

 

[bubba]

I, too, am saddened by this story. Many of us have been out in this brutal weather of late and can quickly imagine how easy it is to cross the line into dangerous circumstances.

Hikerfast, thank you for sharing. I know firsthand that posting/sharing is therapeutic, having lost friends in an outdoor adventure a few years ago. Allow us to share you sorrow load, and know that time itself is the greatest healer.

(PS – I took the liberty of posting an entry in Ken’s memorial guestbook acknowledging sorrow from our NE hiking community.)

Also, a sense of good already... this thread has called Peter Miller back into our fold!

 

[pedxing]

It's impossible not to be moved. From hikerfast's link to the funeral home notice, I gather that there is a fund for the Holmes children. I like the Newcombs' suggestion of moment of silence, and plan to add a moment of action.

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Holmes Childrens Fund, in care of Athol Savings Bank, 388 Main Street, Athol, MA 01331

 

[stevefric]

Hikerfast,

I am very sorry for your loss and especially sorry for his wife and childrens loss. I have hiked Monadnock 100s of times and did not recognize his name but when I saw his picture I recognized him. I will think of him and his family the next time and every time I climb Monadnock.

 

[The Sikes]

Tragic loss

My condolences to the family and friends of this person who died doing what he loved.
I had a friend that I was suppose to be hiking with that die on Washington one year not from hypothermia but falling through a crevas. It is strange to read his name in the back of the book Not Without Peril.
Each time I read about someone dieing while hiking it reminds me of how fragile life is. No matter how much we think we are prepared, we can't control everything.
Thank you for passing on the information you did and I pray this will help those of us who go out there. As a mother who hikes with her kids, I read all I can to try to keep us safe.