Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Hiker dies in White Mountains of New Hampshire

Some thoughts...

1). How the media came up with the idea she was "experienced" I have no idea.

A walk-up Kilamanjaro (usually guided), and some rock climbing doesn't amount to tackling the Presidential Traverse in extreme weather. There's no possible way she was "experienced" with that sort of weather, based on a multitude of incredibly stupid decisions.

The stupid decisions include:

a). Starting at all given the forecast, and continuing given the weather at timberline.

According to SAS:

b). She Carried no snowshoes. The Whites had gotten 10' of snow. Only reason she could get up the trail to timberline was because a previous party had broken the trail for her. Not sure what she thought she was going to do in an emergency drop off into the timber?

c). She carried NO SLEEPING BAG.

d). She carried NO SHELTER, tent or bivi bag.

The last two in particular cost her her life. Going "light" in the winter mountains above timberline is one of those thing you just don't do, ever. The winter highcountry is just not forgiving. On every trail at timberline in the Presidential's there is a warning sign about dieing in bad weather, and a warning to turn back.

All the phugging blather like "she died what she loved doing" is the sort of empty, stupid platitude people pull out of their azzzes when someone dies an untimely and preventable death. I guarantee her loved ones are in agony and aren't thinking "she died what she loved doing." I guarantee as she was dying, and knew it, she wasn't thinking in terms of oft quoted platitudes.

I'm so sad for her and her loved ones, but I'm not going to paint this as anything other than it is, a preventable, empty tragedy. Silver linings don't exist with something like this. It just flatly sucks for all those left behind.