Marshie
New member
With respect to the sport of hiking, I am very young (an infantile 23 years old), however I feel as if I have come across a mind-boggling quantity of hikers in my adventures throughout the White Mountains and other regions of New England. Here are a few examples:
1. Last year in mid-May while staying at the Kinsman Pond Shelter with a friend we were awoken around 10pm by a group of 6 hikers. Not a single individual in the group was carrying a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, or warm clothing. All were wearing cotton socks and sneakers. In the morning my friend and I were asked two questions “Where is the dumpster?” and “How do we get down from here?”. After the group departed we spent a few minutes cleaning up their cigarette butts before moving on for the day.
2. Returning to the car (Lafayette Campground Parking Lot) on the same day we were engaged by two individuals who asked “Which way to the top?” to which we replied “Top of what?”. I guess they thought we were being smart or something because their next comment was “The mountain, what do you think?”. Now, as we all know there are a number of peaks in the area that can all be reached from this parking area, so the response we naturally gave was “Which mountain?”. The two point to Lafayette and we then directed them towards the trail head. They were wearing shorts, short sleeve shirts, and were carrying windbreakers. Not a drop of water between the two.
3. On a backpacking trip last October my friends and I shared a tentsite at Liberty Springs with a couple in their 30’s. During the morning while they were preparing their espresso (little espresso maker and all) and readying their wine and cheese for the hike to Lafayette we were asked to borrow our cookware to boil water. The couple was then amazed that we brought a water filter with us and asked to use it as well.
4. While summiting Lafayette on a Franconia Ridge Traverse last month with a friend we had to help a man off of the summit cone who had attempted to summit without crampons (or any sort of traction for that matter), an ice ax, or BOOTS (he was wearing liners to plastic mountaineer boots). Before we reached him he has slid a significant way down the cone, almost flying off of a ledge.
5. This weekend while coming down Moosilauke my buddy and I ran into another group of two going up the trail. At the rate they were going with the distance they had left there was no way they were summiting and making it back down before dark. They asked three questions “How much further to the top?” “Do we stay on this trail to the summit?” and “Is the snow melted further up the trail?”. These two were wearing cloth shoes (Converses), wearing street clothes, and not carrying water, traction, or the headlamps/flashlights they were going to need.
These are just a few of the more pronounced examples of severely underprepared hikers I have come across. Why do people do this? Is it a lack of knowledge with respect to the sport or just plain and simple ignorance? Is this a common trend in the White Mountains due to their easy access via I-93 etc or a relatively new phenomenon due to the “recent upsurge” in people engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking? Either way, the hikers code as compelled me to offer help and the best possible advice when safety is concerned, but it’s still disheartening to see this kind of activity taking place in the mountains on a regular basis.
1. Last year in mid-May while staying at the Kinsman Pond Shelter with a friend we were awoken around 10pm by a group of 6 hikers. Not a single individual in the group was carrying a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, or warm clothing. All were wearing cotton socks and sneakers. In the morning my friend and I were asked two questions “Where is the dumpster?” and “How do we get down from here?”. After the group departed we spent a few minutes cleaning up their cigarette butts before moving on for the day.
2. Returning to the car (Lafayette Campground Parking Lot) on the same day we were engaged by two individuals who asked “Which way to the top?” to which we replied “Top of what?”. I guess they thought we were being smart or something because their next comment was “The mountain, what do you think?”. Now, as we all know there are a number of peaks in the area that can all be reached from this parking area, so the response we naturally gave was “Which mountain?”. The two point to Lafayette and we then directed them towards the trail head. They were wearing shorts, short sleeve shirts, and were carrying windbreakers. Not a drop of water between the two.
3. On a backpacking trip last October my friends and I shared a tentsite at Liberty Springs with a couple in their 30’s. During the morning while they were preparing their espresso (little espresso maker and all) and readying their wine and cheese for the hike to Lafayette we were asked to borrow our cookware to boil water. The couple was then amazed that we brought a water filter with us and asked to use it as well.
4. While summiting Lafayette on a Franconia Ridge Traverse last month with a friend we had to help a man off of the summit cone who had attempted to summit without crampons (or any sort of traction for that matter), an ice ax, or BOOTS (he was wearing liners to plastic mountaineer boots). Before we reached him he has slid a significant way down the cone, almost flying off of a ledge.
5. This weekend while coming down Moosilauke my buddy and I ran into another group of two going up the trail. At the rate they were going with the distance they had left there was no way they were summiting and making it back down before dark. They asked three questions “How much further to the top?” “Do we stay on this trail to the summit?” and “Is the snow melted further up the trail?”. These two were wearing cloth shoes (Converses), wearing street clothes, and not carrying water, traction, or the headlamps/flashlights they were going to need.
These are just a few of the more pronounced examples of severely underprepared hikers I have come across. Why do people do this? Is it a lack of knowledge with respect to the sport or just plain and simple ignorance? Is this a common trend in the White Mountains due to their easy access via I-93 etc or a relatively new phenomenon due to the “recent upsurge” in people engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking? Either way, the hikers code as compelled me to offer help and the best possible advice when safety is concerned, but it’s still disheartening to see this kind of activity taking place in the mountains on a regular basis.
