It's winter hiking season in the White Mountains. There was a rescue early today of a couple hikers. At least they were prepared enough to bundle up and hunker down until they could get help. We'll get one of these every couple weeks now until spring.

Here's the initial story:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_ham...rigid_mt_adams/

I love this line gee, ya think?

Yeah, it's amazing, layers of clothing, who knew! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Think about the folks that suited up and went out on the Mt Adams rescue. They said it was 14 below and the wind was blowing at 70 mph... I wonder what "shelter" they are talking about. I've hiked Adams in the summer, and there's an AMC Hut, the Madison Springs Hut that's on the route to Adams, but, it's closed after September I think. Some of the huts had a shelter room that's left unlocked through winter, I don't know if the Madison one does. I know that often some folks from AMC are part of the teams up there, and maybe they have emergency access to the huts also.

I did volunteer SAR in the Whites when I was in college, and for a few years after, and it was nasty work. I haven't done that in many years. At the time though, we always went, almost in any conditions, thinking that one of these days, it might be us, because we were all hiking, climbing, skiing, snowshoeing, etc. I don't think I'd want to be doing that now, with a family at home, but, I have a lot of respect for the folks that put it on the line for us.

I believe most of the huts leave their cellars open. Dont quote me on that one though. I know they had an incident a few years back where someone sheltered a storm in the basement portion of a hut (not sure which hut though). It may just have been unlocke,d or they could have broken in. IIRC, someone said it was left open "just in case".

White Mountains: those non-threatening-looking hills (sorry, but I'm from the West) of central NH? With winds that blow about 150 mph? Windchill down to a zillion below zero? Where lots of people make the news because they've either had to be rescued or died there, but people keep doing it?

WOW! That's the kind of place I would like to hike in winter!

Definition of 'idiot': A person ... having a mental age below three years and generally being unable to guard against common dangers. (I left out all the more offensive stuff)

Let the fools find their own way out. Or pick up their bodies in late spring. Got bears? Never mind.

If they knew what they were doing, they wouldn't have had to call for help, would they?

Cynical Sue

I think you're right, I know many of the huts have some area that you can enter and get out of the weather. I found some other details on the NH Fish and Game site:
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Newsroom/News_2007/News_2007_Q1/Search_2_Rescues_011107.htm

Apparently they called 911 at 3:30pm yesterday. They were on a "day hike". If they were on a day hike, and were still above tree line at 3:30pm, they hadn't planned too well. I think sometimes it's hard to come to the realization that you're out of your league, and might need some help. By that time, they should have long since realized they were in trouble. By waiting so long, the SAR team was out in the worst conditions, at night, looking for folks that didn't really know where they were. It sounds like their cell phone eventually died, but, they had a rough location at that point. These folks might have been kinda frosty by morning. The team found them at 1am. Good thing they had a winter sleeping back with them to stay somewhat warm waiting for help.

Remember officials often have electronics in their faces by Pultizer hungry media. If they get asked a obvious question your going to get an obvious answer. And lets give the lost pair some credit. They were well dressed and carried the single most critical item for their survival, the sleeping bag. They also called for help and followed instructions. So the mentallity that got them into trouble made the quantum leap into one to get out of trouble. Assuming some future soul reads about this and goes hiking on Adams, maybe they will dress in layers and bring a bag and cellphone?

Lost above the treeline. . . let me think about that for a second. . . How do outdoors type people get lost? Billions of tax dollars invested in a GPS system and folks won't invest in a small GPS receiver to make use of what they've paid for. Map and compass? Just a compass? Come on people, how do you get lost?

First year on ETS I got lost in December. No, I didn't have my PSK on me, just pocketknife and BIC lighter. But I followed the HUG A TREE program directions. My then girlfriend eventually found me. Man those Christmastree lots get bigger every year. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> The only problem with these stories from the news is the inability to followup and see if the people learn <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I'm having a hard time with this being a DAY HIKE, they are ABOVE treeline, a storm (probably a forecast store at that) hits, they are lost, etc, and it is already AFTERNOON. My day hike would have me well below treeline by afternoon, I would have checked the weather before going up there in the first place, and of course I would have a map, compass, and GPS along...

Yes, it's amazing that they waited until just before sunset to realize they were in deep doo doo and call for the cavalry. They had to know they were in trouble when the snow started earlier in the day and they lost visibility. I too am amazed that two 50+ year old's would be doing a hike on the 2nd highest peak in New England in winter without a GPS, or PLB. (I must admit to having done similar things as a youth.. but, these folks should have had a little seasoning?)

I have to assume they had a decent map and compass. If so, they should have been able to know when they lost the trail, if they were following along as they hiked. It's pretty important to keep yourself found... it makes it easier to describe where you got lost <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Folks like them are what is called job security by the people who have to go save them...

I've done a 1hr or so hike in that area - trust me - an inch of snow, you can lose the trail even with a map/compass - your in a rock field - if you can't see the next carron - you can get lost

Some of the trails above treeline disappear completely, with the exception of following cairns. And, in poor visibility, the cairns can be hard to see as well. Also, several trails blend together, then branch apart again. With poor visibility, not being able to see landmarks OR cairns, it could be pretty disorienting. I hiked mt. washington once on a totally clear day, until I hit the scree slopes on the final ascent. Then fog rolled in. I knew I was going in the right direction because I was climbing up. I was WAY off course though.
These folks, even though the DID get lost, did the right thing. They carried gear to see them through, were at least MARGINALLY prepared for it, and called for help when they realized they were lost.
They will most likely still get charged for the S&R fees, as they will undoubtedly determine that the couple could have walked out on their own in the morning. But, they kept a calm head, and avoided tragedy.

Who says lock picks aren't survival gear? <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Unlock cabin, spend the night, lock up in the morning.

That translates to about -55 F. Kudos to the S&R people who, knowing that, went out anyway. I have a hard time believing that such conditions were not forecasted, at least partially. I would have canceled my hike that day and stayed home by the fire.... <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Hypothermia may have been a factor in getting lost. From personal experience ;-(, even mild hypothermia really slows down the mental processes. Another thing is that it's a lot harder to navigate in rolling hills when visibility is limited. Everything kind of looks the same. Of course, a GPS tells you where you are, but it's not always easy to translate the GPS coordinates to a position on a topo map when it's cold and wind is blowing your map around.

GPS, Map, Compass. . . there's more than one way to use that combo. If the GPS is functioning and you mark waypoints on the way in/up, you just select the relevant waypoint, get a bearing and walk to it. Watch your step, don't walk off a cliff. If there is a bridge across a stream or a major fork in the trail, mark them as WPs. After you use it enough you'll know what to mark and after that you can fly IFR -- trust your instruments.

And speaking of GPS, many (most/all) have some sort of "trail of crumbs" feature that you can back-track with in case you get lostin a confusing landscape.

"...IFR..."

I Follow Road, right??? You are correct of course, I just had to throw that in...

One thing about the bread crumb thing, at least with my Magellan. If you let the batteries run dead, the birds must eat the bread crumbs, cuz they are GONE. So carry spare batteries, and change them before the ones in the GPS die...

Hmm. None of my Garmins do that.

-john