Franconia Notch Death

[ChileMass]

Looks like these guys got in over their heads and their day trip turned into big trouble. I hope the 2nd person makes it OK.


http://www.boston.com/news/local/ne...2/12/one_hiker_dead_second_fighting_for_life/

 

[thetrailboss]

Long time no see, Chile....

 

[hardrock]

it's making me sick knowing that we were in the same parking lot parked right next to those guys. whats even worse is that we went up little haystack and traversed over to lafayette and back down, so when we got back and saw their car still in the lot, we didn't put two and two together. i wish there was some sort of sign cause my brother and i would have gone back up in a heartbeat to look for them. i really hope the other guy pulls through.

that was my first extreme weather hike and i must say, i was not fully prepared for the worst, if it did happen. next time i will bring alot more safety gear just for that reason.

 

[Mike P.]

James O. has been upgraded. Over the course of the next few days, likely Monday or Tuesday, I'll try & sumise some of the discussion that has taken place over at Views From the top.

There seems to be an assumption that the higher peaks of Franconia Ridge & the other Presidentials (you could add Moosiliauke, Camel's Hump, Mansfield, Bond & Bondcliff and several ADK highpeaks) do not have weather that is as bad as Mt. Washington. While they don't have the written history or weather reports, they are generally 80 - 99% as bad when the weather turns. What is 90% of horrific? Adams is not a safe alternative. None of these high peaks are.

I like popping my head out into a stiff breeze too, but on bad days that should be on peaks where you can't (well where it's really hard) lose the trail & the bare summit is the size of a postage stamp. In NH summits like Liberty, Field, Tom & the Kinsman come to mind.

Figureing a way to better inform the non-internet reading hiking community that it's just not Mt. Washington that can have brutal weather would be a positive thing.

 

[robbovious]

I have read alot of books about Winter hiking, and I canott believe that they didn't dig a snow cave and conserve resourses.

And why didn't they carry a cell phone; it is so easy to throw one in the pack.

 

[Bergamo]

Question for Hardrock: what was the weather like when you were up there? did you have to travel far in the tough conditions or were you just about done when it hit.

 

[Mike P.]

They started Sunday & were found Monday. They may have dug a snow cave Sunday Night & tried getting off the ridge Monday. At this point we don't know anything that they did or didn't do.

The way the weather was described, it would be possible that the SAR folks would not have gone out Sunday Night to look for them or at least not above treeline.