Unprepared Hikers On Washington-Union Leader Article

[Chip]

Apparently my brother-in-law and his wife hiked up Washington this past weekend with friends of theirs. They're in decent shape but aren't hikers. She took a van down. Next time I see them I'll have to ask if they "had a plan" or what they would have done if there was no ride down available.

 

[BobC]

I don't know why carrying a toy poodle up Mt. Washington is more funny than with any other type of small dog, but it just is.

I'll bet that dog wasn't as well-cared-for as this happy guy.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Perhaps this should be mandatory reading before climbing Mt. Washington.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

I try hard not to...

say stuff like this, but I think a lot of the people that get in trouble out there would need that book read to them. They obviously can't read the warning signs posted in Pinkham, at Ho-jo's and at tree-line, and yes, I don't think that putting more signs would do any good. They are ignored or scoffed at.

They can't read a weather report, either, so the MWO has a downloadable audio version of the daily high summits forecast posted on the MWO website for them to ignore, also.

You just can't help some folks. Gotta live with it.

KDT

 

[dug]

Just me, but I can guarantee that probably a few of you may have seen me on the trails over the last 35 years and thought:

"What a boob. This guy's carrying no gear at all up here in 'The Worst Weather in the World'".

Or:

"What a boob. Look at all the gear this guy is carrying."

To project what people can or cannot do, or their reading comprehension, or making a book mandatory, is getting kinda comical.

It's a state park on top of a mountain with a road and railroad to it, housing radio and TV transmitters, a gift shop, and 24x7 cameras. I would think these types of issues are a given.

 

[smitty77]

say stuff like this, but I think a lot of the people that get in trouble out there would need that book read to them. They obviously can't read the warning signs posted in Pinkham, at Ho-jo's and at tree-line, and yes, I don't think that putting more signs would do any good. They are ignored or scoffed at.

They can't read a weather report, either, so the MWO has a downloadable audio version of the daily high summits forecast posted on the MWO website for them to ignore, also.

You just can't help some folks. Gotta live with it.

KDT

I agree completely. Those signs on the trail are hard to NOT notice. I think some view them like "winter storm coverage" on 7 news - a lot of hype and dramatization. Some just don't realize how fast you can get yourself into a pickle.

It's the same story on mountains such as Monadnock - to a degree. I've seen people in flip-flops (the $1.99 kind), bikinis, sunday church attire (yes, including ties), bare feet, no water, etc. Having no shelter on top and the requirement to actually hike down keeps a small percentage of fools away.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I They could include worst case low temp and precip forecasts with all the usual legal disclamers, and could also include a recommended "start by" time for various abilities.

On Mount Katahdin, regular season start times are mandated by Baxter State Park rangers, but my guess is that they have about the same percentage of ill-prepared folks tackling Katahdin as we have peak bagging in the Whites (i.e., it is not just Mount Washington).

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Maine has so many signs that they become just so much noise along the road that nobody pays attention to any of them. I generally dislike being told what to do (who doesn't) but I particularly dislike being told what to do by bureaucrats. All the rules and regulations at BSP are a big turn-off for me. Yeah, I will probably go eventually, but at times it feels like so much hassle -- I can't just show up when the weather is nice and work is not too busy and the kids haven't got soccer or...

Tim

 

[skiguy]

All the rules and regulations at BSP are a big turn-off for me. Yeah, I will probably go eventually, but at times it feels like so much hassle -- I can't just show up when the weather is nice and work is not too busy and the kids haven't got soccer or...

Tim

This is almost every Hikers reaction to BSP....but after you have jumped through their hoops once you will come to realize it's not all that tough and you will be hooked for life!

 

[MadRiver]

All the rules and regulations at BSP are a big turn-off for me.

When I went to Baxter last year with Windy and the gang I was hiking up to Baxter Peak and encountered many unprepared hikers who were turning around because of the weather. I only saw one Ranger at the trailhead and he wasn’t asking anyone any questions about what type of gear they were carrying, he was just directing traffic.

My favorite encounter, for obvious reasons, were the Hooter Girls from Colby who were all wearing Hooter outfits. They also were turning around because of the weather. When I finally made it to the plateau I encountered a girl shivering because she was wearing pajamas. It might have been an off day or they were short on staff, but I was really surprised of all the cotton clad hikers I saw shivering because they didn’t have the proper gear. It started out as a nice day and then the weather turned quickly.