Continuing Hiker Education Exercise

[Acrophobe]

I was wondering a little while ago - after reading a book on Everest that claimed 25% of successful summits of that mountain end in death - if anyone bothered keeping a similar figure for Washington. Probably not, huh?

[Bill O]

Interesting timing for this. The latest issue of Backpacker Magazine has their list of the 10 most dangerous hikes in the US. Mount Washington is rated #3 on this list - mostly due to the rating of 10 out of 10 for weather danger. It probably should have been even more due to the "intangibles" rating for people underestimating it because it seems like a tourist destination as the last few people on this thread rightly point out.

By the way, #1 on the Backpacker list is the Bright Angel trail in the Grand Canyon. Notice any similarity?

Haven't seen it yet. I completely understand the point they are trying to make, but the statistical data would prove that both of these trails/mountains are among the safest in the world. Based on accidents per hiker. That wouldn't make for a very good article though.

If you had to guess, where is it safer to be a pedestrian? New York City or rural Vermont? Perception is completely opposite of statistics.

So what is the answer with regards to "fetching"?

[Gorque]

The sad thing about all of this is that the hiker had an easy escape route; the auto road. It may have been the wrong side of the hill for him, but at least your down and food and shelter are then easy to be found.

[KD Talbot]

I completely understand the point they are trying to make, but the statistical data would prove that both of these trails/mountains are among the safest in the world. Based on accidents per hiker.

I'm with Bill on this. What are they basing their statistics on? How many deaths have occurred on a particular mountain or trail? In 200 years 140+ people have died on or near MW, many of them on Cog accidents or sliding on the tracks. How many hundreds of thousands of people have had successful climbs in that time span. Is there any real record of how many injuries/rescues there have been?

The Grand Canyon? Well, yeah. Fat, out of shape tourists show up at the rim and say, "Well, it's all downhill." But then they have to climb back out, in oppressive heat. I'm guessing there's lots of cardiac arrest, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

You can't put "hiker police" at every trailhead to check every person that decides to attempt a hike. Nobody has to pass a test to become a hiker. All we can do is hope to educate those who will listen to become safer hikers, and rescue those unfortunate ones who didn't bother to educate themselves before starting.

KDT

[Steve M]

How many "museums" are on the summit of Mount Washington?

Maybe their should be a wax museum of those who perished while unprepared on the mountain?

[TrishandAlex]

So what's the answer? Why did he need to be fetched out?

[Gorque]

Maybe their should be a wax museum of those who perished while unprepared on the mountain?

Before or after their demise?

[Brad]

I am just reading this thread for the first time. Questions and issues come in a flood.

- must have been a late start
- the hiker did not have a turnaround time - at this time I need to turn around to get back to the car before it gets dark
- sounds like no map and no headlamp
- going above tree line when a known storm was approaching - or did not check the MWO site for forecasts before heading out
- thinking a cell phone was a safety device
- thinking someone else can rescue me instead of taking responsibility for their own actions and decisions
- did he even think through the hike and what he was about to do beforehand (clueless)

[Steve M]

I am just reading this thread for the first time. Questions and issues come in a flood.

- must have been a late start
- the hiker did not have a turnaround time - at this time I need to turn around to get back to the car before it gets dark
- sounds like no map and no headlamp
- going above tree line when a known storm was approaching - or did not check the MWO site for forecasts before heading out
- thinking a cell phone was a safety device
- thinking someone else can rescue me instead of taking responsibility for their own actions and decisions
- did he even think through the hike and what he was about to do beforehand (clueless)

I don't think he thinks!

[Gorque]

I don't think he thinks!

Ya think?