Death on Mt Washington

[BodeMiller1]

Hmm... File under sad butt true.

R.I.P.


LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) — A hiker who was suffering from severe hypothermia on a New Hampshire trail near Mt. Washington died at a hospital hours after rescuers faced driving rain, blowing snow, and winds gusting to over 80 mph to reach him, conservation officers said.
The hiker was rescued from Gulfside Trail on Saturday night. Xi Chen, 53, of Andover, Massachusetts, was overcome by severe weather conditions.
Fish and Game Department officers said they heard from his wife, who said she received a text from Chen saying he was cold and wet and couldn't continue on. “He further wrote that he felt he would die without a rescue," the department said in a news release.
Conservation officers received multiple rescue calls that day from hikers who were on the high-elevation summits and ridgelines of the Presidential Range.

“The conditions in the high peaks were treacherous," the news release said.
Rescuers carried Chen over a mile up to the summit of Mt. Washington, where he was placed on a truck and driven down the mountain’s auto road, to a hospital in Berlin. He was unable to be revived after several hours of life-saving efforts, the news release said.

Andover hiker dies after rescue near Mt. Washington in snow, 80 m.p.h. winds - The Boston Globe

A hiker suffering from severe hypothermia on a New Hampshire trail near Mt. Washington died at a hospital hours after rescuers faced harsh conditions to reach him.

www.bostonglobe.com

 

[Killingtime]

Hmm... File under sad butt true.

R.I.P.


LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) — A hiker who was suffering from severe hypothermia on a New Hampshire trail near Mt. Washington died at a hospital hours after rescuers faced driving rain, blowing snow, and winds gusting to over 80 mph to reach him, conservation officers said.
The hiker was rescued from Gulfside Trail on Saturday night. Xi Chen, 53, of Andover, Massachusetts, was overcome by severe weather conditions.
Fish and Game Department officers said they heard from his wife, who said she received a text from Chen saying he was cold and wet and couldn't continue on. “He further wrote that he felt he would die without a rescue," the department said in a news release.
Conservation officers received multiple rescue calls that day from hikers who were on the high-elevation summits and ridgelines of the Presidential Range.

“The conditions in the high peaks were treacherous," the news release said.
Rescuers carried Chen over a mile up to the summit of Mt. Washington, where he was placed on a truck and driven down the mountain’s auto road, to a hospital in Berlin. He was unable to be revived after several hours of life-saving efforts, the news release said.

Andover hiker dies after rescue near Mt. Washington in snow, 80 m.p.h. winds - The Boston Globe

A hiker suffering from severe hypothermia on a New Hampshire trail near Mt. Washington died at a hospital hours after rescuers faced harsh conditions to reach him.

www.bostonglobe.com

Saw that. That place is no joke.

 

[jimk]

Apparently the guy was experienced and had hiked numerous 4000' mtns in New England. This is reminiscent of some of the avalanche victims in the Rockies. They are often very experienced backcountry skiers. The more you know, the more you're likely to find yourself in a high consequence situation.

 

[Smellytele]

Hate to say it but there were reports before hand all week saying the weather was going to be dangerous up there. The mountains are not going anywhere and will be there on another day. A little different than avalanches which may or may not happen. The weather was a known well before hand.

 

[2Planker]

RULE #1 on "the Rock Pile" is always check the weather.
The guy definitely had plenty of experience.
Mt Wash is no joke.

 

[BodeMiller1]

Hate to be Debbie Downer butt, if you think checking the weather will help, you've got another thing coming. (Although you can get a sense of what the lows / wind might be like)- and I think that's what Smelly tele is getting at.

You need to be ready for anything from heat to a white out. 365 days of the year.

Yep

 

[BodeMiller1]

I try yo carry a NOAA weather radio. Worth it's weight in gold. I've had this one, can be used as a desktop alert.

 

[BodeMiller1]

I've hiked the marked below. Out of 25 or so attempts I always got up and down in a "day" on my own.
Once in say 1991 I was taken off the top with a group of friends.
I spent the night at the blue circle in early October in 1986. I got lucky that time.

 

[1dog]

Check this out:

CITIZEN FREE PRESS

The Greatest News Site On The Internet. Home of CFP Nation.

citizenfreepress.com

Why anyone would 'hike' that area on horses is beyond my comprehension but 1 American and a few Brits made it out ok.
Couple years ago I got stuck in a lightning/hail/thunder/rain/sleet storm 300 ' below summit of Adams - far more dangerous in my humble opinion than its higher neighbor - no one around to help out or summit buildings to shelter in. . . . it was August - had my 9 yr old arm locked to me as we descended ridge after thunder/lightning passed, due to wind. . . . . at 4500 feet or so - sunny and calm. . . . . none of that was forecast either.

 

[thetrailboss]

Apparently the guy was experienced and had hiked numerous 4000' mtns in New England. This is reminiscent of some of the avalanche victims in the Rockies. They are often very experienced backcountry skiers. The more you know, the more you're likely to find yourself in a high consequence situation.

Sad for the family, but....

Sometimes experience is knowing when NOT to go.

 

[2Planker]

Hate to be Debbie Downer butt, if you think checking the weather will help, you've got another thing coming. (Although you can get a sense of what the lows / wind might be like)- and I think that's what Smelly tele is getting at.

You need to be ready for anything from heat to a white out. 365 days of the year.

Yep

DUH It is where you start though.

The forecast was for rapidly falling temps, freezing rain, sleet & snow w/ 60-80mph winds
I got the call to go out that night......

 

[BodeMiller1]

DUH It is where you start though.

The forecast was for rapidly falling temps, freezing rain, sleet & snow w/ 60-80mph winds
I got the call to go out that night......

That's awesome it's always to go out in heavy weather. Not a moose any where, nor bear nothing goes up there in that weather. Or any where, kind of important to know limits and those kind of things.

 

[raisingarizona]

Sad for the family, but....

Sometimes experience is knowing when NOT to go.

The scarcity heuristic - When an object or resource is less readily available (e.g, due to limited quantity or time), we tend to perceive it as more valuable (Cialdini, 2008).

I'm not saying this is related to this incident but it's interesting and it's where my mind ran to and when you have mountainous areas near large population centers I think this heuristic happens more often. We will often see our window of opportunity as their only option to achieve a goal or experience or photo for a social media update and when we do that it's pretty easy for us to ignore any red flags. This is going to more prevalent with people that only have two days a week away from work and a fairly long drive from the mountains. It's like a panic purchase.

It's hard to believe that the summit of Mount Washington would be perceived as such a high value experience that one would ignore red flags and take such huge risks but it happens pretty regularly up there. 80 mph wind gusts? Hail? Rain? Snow? And above tree line? Oh hell no but I'm old and I got lucky a bunch of times while doing some seriously dumb ass ****.

 

[thetrailboss]

The scarcity heuristic - When an object or resource is less readily available (e.g, due to limited quantity or time), we tend to perceive it as more valuable (Cialdini, 2008).

I'm not saying this is related to this incident but it's interesting and it's where my mind ran to and when you have mountainous areas near large population centers I think this heuristic happens more often. We will often see our window of opportunity as their only option to achieve a goal or experience or photo for a social media update and when we do that it's pretty easy for us to ignore any red flags. This is going to more prevalent with people that only have two days a week away from work and a fairly long drive from the mountains. It's like a panic purchase.

It's hard to believe that the summit of Mount Washington would be perceived as such a high value experience that one would ignore red flags and take such huge risks but it happens pretty regularly up there. 80 mph wind gusts? Hail? Rain? Snow? And above tree line? Oh hell no but I'm old and I got lucky a bunch of times while doing some seriously dumb ass ****.

Very true.

 

[ss20]

I had a boss who's brother died in a freak snow storm hiking in the Catskills 15 or so years ago. I think familiarity and a lack of respect are usually to blame. I'm sure lots of people think "oh it's just Mt Washington.... not the Rockies, not the Himalayas, not a remote mountain in the Canadian BC" and that's what gets people into trouble. Kinda like Hurricane Sandy and all the homes in NJ and NY that weren't evacuated but probably should've been... you think "this isn't Florida or New Orleans...can't happen to me, not here".

 

[BodeMiller1]

Apparently the guy was experienced and had hiked numerous 4000' mtns in New England. This is reminiscent of some of the avalanche victims in the Rockies. They are often very experienced backcountry skiers. The more you know, the more you're likely to find yourself in a high consequence situation.

"Familiarity Breeds Contempt"

Does Familiarity Breed Contempt?

Could we be wrong? Might it be something other than familiarity that breeds contempt?

www.psychologytoday.com

 

[BodeMiller1]

I read the article, this guy is wrong about everything.
Mean while, Ford is off .24 and this is where it's at.

 

[rajkishorprdhan]

It's been a long time but, oh wow, that's really sad to hear about the hiker on Mt. Washington. It's always a reminder of how important it is to be prepared when venturing into the wilderness, especially in unpredictable weather conditions. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.

On another note, have you checked out firstchurchlove.com? They offer resources and services to help us connect with our spirituality and find peace during tough times like this. It's a great place to explore if you're looking for some guidance or support.

 

[BodeMiller1]

On the bright side, there will be a large number of drownings in these parts. People who swim in pools think they can "hop" of a bridge Pumpkin or other wise. Deep water in the mountains is cold and unpredicable. And the beat goes on...