# Mt. Madison Rescue:



## Mike P. (May 24, 2006)

Some of you may have seen this on VFTT but for those who did not, first the Boston Globe piece:

3 hikers helped off snowy Mount Madison
May 23, 2006

THOMPSON AND MESERVE'S PURCHASE, N.H. --Rescuers hiked all night through snow to reach three Connecticut hikers stranded in a remote section of New Hampshire's White Mountains.

Fish and Game Lt. Doug Gralenski says the hikers called 911 around 10 p.m., Monday, from a trail on Mt. Madison to say they were cold, wet and worried about their safety. The hikers had been headed for a hikers' hut that was not open yet for the spring season and were too far from a second shelter to make it.

"They didn't feel they could go any further, and they felt they were at jeopardy of hypothermia," Gralenski said.

He agreed the hikers "had bitten off more than they could chew."

The hikers were identified as Prentice Tracy, 22, and Tess Cormier, 20, both of Canterbury, Conn.; and and Patrick Cartier, 19, of Moosup, Conn.

Searchers from Fish and Game and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue reached the group around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, with warm clothes and warm drinks. They hiked down.

Gralenski said the hikers carried sleeping bags, but no tent or winter climbing gear, and were not prepared for the snow or for a night out in the elements.

He said they should have turned back sooner.

"By the time they made that decision, they had reached the point of no return," he said.

It snowed lightly during the night, with an inch or two of fresh snow on the snowpack left from winter. 

Now the Union Leader:  

According to Fish and Game Lt. Doug Gralenski, the three hikers — Prentice Tracy, 22, and Tess Cormier, 20, both of Canterbury, Conn., and Patrick Cartier, 19, of Moosup, Conn., had planned a hike that included staying overnight at the Appalachian Club's Madison Springs hut, which has not opened for the season. 

They went up the Madison Gulf trail and by the time they reached tree line, conditions were "wintry," Gralenski said, with a couple of inches of new snow on the remaining snow pack. 

About 10 p.m., Tracy called 911 and was put through to Gralenski. "They were wet and cold and feeling like they were in peril," he said. "They had hunkered down just below tree line." 

They were equipped with sleeping bags, but no one carried a tent. They were in the area of the Great Gulf Wilderness, which he described as "very remote." 

"They described themselves as wet, cold and exhausted," he said. "They were concerned for their safety. I was concerned that they were in over their heads and while hypothermia was not an issue at 10 p.m., I was concerned if they would make it through the night." 

Three conservation officers and three members of the volunteer Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue set out at 11 p.m. and made contact with the trio just before 5 a.m. 

"They were fine — they were wet and cold," Gralenski said. "(The rescue team) gave them hot drinks and dry clothes and starting walking down the mountain" via the Valley Way trail. They came off the mountain by mid-morning. 

"A lot of errors were made," Gralenski said. "Their itinerary was pretty aggressive and they were planning to stay at the Madison Springs hut, which wasn't open. The trail and the conditions were such that they should have had winter climbing gear." 

Officials from Fish and Game and the White Mountain National Forest warn hikers planning to hit the trails during the holiday weekend that there are winter conditions at higher elevations of the White Mountains, and the rains earlier this month have swelled brook crossing on the trails, making some of them treacherous. 

"Proper planning and following safe hiking principles can help hikers reduce the chance of needing to call on rescue services to save them from harm," said Fish and Game Lt. Todd Bogardus, who also urges people to check on local weather before departing and be mindful that weather is unpredictable at higher elevations. 

In addition to trail hazards, officials are also reminding people heading to the outdoors that ticks are out in large numbers, so they should wear bright clothing, tuck their trouser legs into their socks and use insect repellents that contain DEET to minimize the risk of Lyme disease, which is caused by some species of ticks. 

A comprehensive guide to preparing for a hike is available at www.hikesafe.com.

Comments???


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## Mike P. (May 24, 2006)

I've ranted enough on this over on VFTT & as a moderator here, ranting IMO is not one of my responsibilities.  That said & after my comment about planning on the hiking Vs. skiing thread:

Planning a trip in or just after a snowstorm intending to find lodging in a closed hut (that you usually need reservations for when open) in the Northern Presidentials, would seem to indicate little of the first word in this sentence actually took place.

They would not be the first hikers accused of that though.  Luckily & happily, they are survived.


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## riverc0il (May 24, 2006)

couple thoughts:

1) glad these guys made it out safe. sounds like things could have been worse if they didn't get help.

2) how do you plan an itinerary that includes staying at a hut without checking to verify when the hut opens? aren't reservations normally encouraged for hut visits any ways? i am sure open bunks are available early season when the hut first opens, but calling for reservations seems like everyday knowledge. also, snow was reported on mount washington earlier this week. it was no secret to any one following the weather reports that winter conditions should have been expected above treeline. this group seemed doomed from the start due to lack of planning. it is REALLY easy to look back on decisions and say people should have known better... but this case seems to have a lot of, what i would call, "no brainer" decisions that were made incorrectly.

3) that said, i hope these guys are paying for their rescue.


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## thetrailboss (May 24, 2006)

Need to be prepared.  Need to know what one is getting into.  And need to be ready to toss the towel and turn around before things get out of hand.  These folks did none of the above.  They learned their lesson.  Just put other people's lives on the line in doing it.


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## Mike P. (May 25, 2006)

While most of the winter rescues definitely put lives on the line, 

I'm thinking in this case prepared trail tested SAR folks didn't have much to worry about in this case.  Had the hikers carried an extra fleece & shell & pants, known their trail was tough & choose another route (or carried axes & crampons) & knew the hut was closed, no one would know their names.


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## David Metsky (May 26, 2006)

I've said this on the other board, but our level of knowledge about trails, huts, conditions, etc is far greater than the general public.  There are lots and lots of folks who have no idea about needing reservations at the AMC huts, or the fact that they are closed at certain times of year.  I've gotten email questions about it, I've informed people on the trail that the hut they are headed for has closed and the would've needed reservations anyways.

I would never go hiking and expect to get lodging somewhere without completely checking it out first, but not everyone operates that way.  They made a big mistake, but hopefully they've learned from this and it will help educate others.

 -dave-


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## Mike P. (May 26, 2006)

I agree Dave our general knowledge of this area & even checking out the logistics of new places we may go visit is higher than the general public.  I mean we are spending free (?) time on hiking bbs' not shopping E-Bay or checking on entertainment sites to see what recording contracts the latest American Idol winner has received so far. (I don't watch either)

The Norwich Bulletin in CT, the local paper for the area these three lived in, mentioned one of the three had not hiked in the Whites before, another had hiked (if memory serves me) in these mountains several times before.  When I first read it I thought, they meant Presidentials but afterwards, I'm thinking White Mountains.

This is probably a case where three summer hikers decided to see someplace new in the Whites, the lack of a lot of snow & cold weather in CT made them believe the snow was gone in NH & not knowing the area well enough to make any adjustments to their plan either taking another trail or heading down.  I can imagine that initially they thought they did not have far to go in the snow first & then found themselves in a place where a slick descent was not desirable so heading up still was easier & they must be almost there.

(I wonder if seeing snow should have changed their plans but I doubt they planned an alternative hike in case conditions made their first plan unwise, had they gone to Carter Notch instead, we would ot be discussing this at all) 

If they only have seen a hut in summer, would they have a reason to think they might be closed sometimes?  I know outdoors.org has a schedule & if you pick up the brouchures at PNVC or at the huts you can see the schedule but I wonder if you go into a hut if there was a sign posted in plain sight that said "This hut is closed between" (whatever that hut's schedule is) & other huts may be closed at different times.  if some people might be warned.  Maybe something at the Sherman Adams Building & the USFS Info centers might help too.  You''d want it in some locations to also be in French so we don't have a repeat by some Canadian kids similiar to the accident several winters ago which some blamed the english only signs at PNVC for.


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## David Metsky (May 26, 2006)

There is a hut open/closed sign at the OBP trailhead for Greenleaf, and one at Appalachia for Madison.  I'm pretty sure there's one at Pinkham for Lakes..  I don't know if there are others.

 -dave-


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## Mike P. (May 26, 2006)

I know they have signs at the common trailheads showing the huts are closed when they are closed.  (Ammo has one too from the Cog trailhead, I think the regular lot does in the fall, I don't know if it does when the lot is closed)

What I'm thinking though is if I did not know any better & I was just stopping in at Madison Hut in July on my way to Mt. Madison (not even knowing there were huts) & I saw when I went to use the restroom that they even had bunks, is there a sign near the doorway that tells me something like: 'This Hut is closed Sept. 10 Thru June 5th"  

(You could have the months & days on hooks so you could change the sign each year since the days change)

I could see summer day hikers wandering through & seeing this neat place & deciding that next year they would start their hiking season sooner & go visit that neat hut we saw last year.


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## riverc0il (May 26, 2006)

while i agree that folks posting to forums online have a much higher knowledge base than general hiking or first time hikers, the lack of common sense is amazing. why would a hut be any different than a hotel in terms of needing reservations or occasionally closing (as do many hotels in the mountains during the shoulder seasons). a lack of knowledge is one thing but not checking plans out completely is a lack of common sense. one need only read the AMC guide to realize that winter conditions in the presi's during the Spring months and once in a while, even during the summer months, is not only possible but likely. first thing i did before my first hike was buy an AMC guide and study up on what i would need and problems i might face. maybe i just have more foresight than the average person, but this really comes down to a lack of general common sense.  common sense dictates if you lack general knowledge, you obtain that knowledge and approach new situations with care/caution.


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## David Metsky (May 26, 2006)

riverc0il said:
			
		

> why would a hut be any different than a hotel in terms of needing reservations or occasionally closing (as do many hotels in the mountains during the shoulder seasons).


The RMC huts, just a short distance away, are open year round and don't take reservations.  It's not that odd to think that the AMC huts are open year round to all takers.

 -dave-


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## NHpowderhound (May 26, 2006)

I have tried to be sympathetic for these people but I just cant do it.

They had every opporunity to check weather conditions and hut availability. I would find it difficult to believe between the three of them that nobody had a computer to check this out.

Ignorance is no excuse.
((*
*))NHPH


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## bruno (May 27, 2006)

coupla thoughts:

it's fun and easy to call folks numbnuts and all and these folks apparently were
but
it's all about havin' an adventure. at least they were'nt just sittin' on the couch playin' computer games and eatin' cheetos all day. ya know?:flag: :flag: 
and
what's all this "i hope they had to pay for it" crap? we all pay taxes. besides the war where does all the money go? huh?

everyone should get i free rescue a year!:uzi: :wink: 

8) 8)


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## Mike P. (May 28, 2006)

My first few hikes were with only a Road Atlas for a map.  (Greylock, two Mansfield trips & Katahdin, the first VT trip I learned afterwards how to read a topo map)

Crossing the street can be an adventure if you close your eyes & ears, a very dangerous adventure.

I've tried to get into hotels before with or without reservations, with & without success.  Once you have kids though the idea of driving 1/2 the night with them crying keeps you from doing that. It took me a couple of years to learn the Twin Mt. motels are not open 24/7 & I mean many people don't start hiking the shhoulder seasons, they start Memorial Day & end Labor Day or Columbus Day, while many people who view hiking bulletin boards only have hiking season, with & without snowshoes & crampons.


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