Of all the mountains they could have tried on a day like that, Jefferson has to be one of the absolute WORST in terms of exposure. You get the west winds from treeline to the top, and the route is filled with opportinuties for broken ankles especially as it nears the summit.
I was going to climb that weekend, but there were warnings not to go above treeline posted all over mountwashington.com. Even if I was dressed in 2 grand worth of North Face stuff, I wouldn't try it in weather like that.......you get incapacitated in ANY way, and you are as good as finished. And they climbed in COTTON????
Whenever I hike, I always plan on a broken ankle.....and dress as if I am going to be stuck on top all night long. That way, if I DO get an injury, I will have a chance of keeping warm until rescue. Anyone that goes with me gets talked into packing extra clothes too, and while this can be a pain to carry if unneeded, it would have worked wonders in keeping those two warmer. They are extremely fortunate that they didn't slip above treeline........otherwise, this would have been a very unhappy ending.
One should always dress for the crash, not the ride.
