First of all, I hope everyone up North is safe and sound!

Interesting on-going story about a climber stuck on Mount Logan after earthquakes triggered several avalanches on Monday and forced her to retreat down the mountain to a safer spot. Martinez is unharmed and has established a new camp as she awaits rescue, which is to be coordinated by Parks Canada, possibly on Friday.

"The trek was expected to take Martinez two weeks, but she packed an extra week’s worth of fuel and food in case of emergency. As the storm let up, she’s been able to prepare warm drinks," She's texting regularly, and if I read the details correctly, she started her climb 9 days ago, so should have about a week and half or so worth of food and fuel left. With a little luck, this should turn out better than the ill-fated journey of that couple in the Himalayas.

Links to a couple of the news reports:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/earthquake-strands-climber-on-canada-s-tallest-mountain-1.3397270?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nati...rticle34885175/

The two incidents show what a difference experience makes, and perhaps, having a map of the area. I was impressed by the traffic Mt. Logan receives - 25 or so per year. Denali will see that many summiters on a really good day, with hordes behind ready to scamper up the West Buttress route.

rescued update:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/climber-rescued-from-canada-s-tallest-mountain-1.3399408

That's good news!

Great piece of survival and positive attitude by this young lady. Congratulations to her!!

BUT do I need to say it?
She was climbing in an isolated region ALONE. If there is one golden rule for survival ... it is this.

"NEVER face hardship alone".

I do hope she learns from this experience. But i am glad she is alive.

Pete

It is just common sense not to embark on tricky enterprises like high altitude, technical mountaineering alone. You increase the probability of bad outcomes significantly. I wonder how often those of us on this forum have done something tricky on our own.

I don't think I have soloed more than two hundred times or so, that I can recall offhand. Sometimes it is circumstances, sometimes it is simply the desire to do it alone, the craving for solitude, and perhaps the desire to test one's limits. After all, if absolute safely is to be the prime concern, we wouldn't go anywhere near mountains or even any outdoor venues.

The lady in this episode is a highly experienced mountaineer and i am confident she is aware of the hazards she confronted. She was well equipped for the climb she attempted.

Inevitably, the odds will likely catch up with those who take risks. Consider the recent demise of Ueli Steck, who made a career of risky solo climbs - the North Face of the Eiger, for one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morn...m=.afa930556378

Link to above cited Ueli Steck fatality.

I have always admired this passage, found on the last pages of Robert falcon Scott's journal when his body was recovered from the Antarctic over 100 years ago: "We took chances, We knew we took them. Things have come out against us. Therefore, we have no cause for regret." Real words, written by a dying man. Definitely not Bear Grylls reality TV.

While it's correct to say and think that you should always have a partner for climbs like this, the point of going solo is to not have a partner; she did have a partner, he just wasn't with her on the mountain. She wasn't alone because she didn't have a partner, she was climbing solo, there is a difference. She was by herself on the mountain, but she was in contact the entire trip. She breaks a crampon and wallah, there's a new pair helo'd up. Things can go south, but that's a risk you take in climbing solo. $.02

We usually assume that, somehow, the group collectively is more capable than a single person. This is usually true, but not always. If the other members of the herd are lacking skills and/or knowledge, a person may be better off on their own. I have seen actual examples of such group incompetence.

One advantage of hiking/climbing solo is that the discussion on when to retreat in the face of an earthquake & avalanche is very short and one-sided. Some folks should never hike or climb solo simply because they don't have the headwork to do it. It appears to me that she made good calls and her decision to retreat was spot-on.