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Missing hiker on Mt. Adams found dead

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    • BirdBrain wrote:

      There are those that have no plans, those that have poor plans, those that say they have no plan but in fact have terrific plans (I am still learning from that group), those that think they have good plans but are really not prepared at all, those that plan so much that they never go, and then there is me. When I strike out on an adventure, I try to be as prepared as I can be so as to maximize the enjoyment of the trip. Do like I do and you run the risk of being called arrogant and disrespecting nature. What is my point? Regardless of what you do, someone is going to think you are an idiot. I have strong opinions about her choices too. However, being in the middle of such debates online, I no longer see the profit in expressing them. It is my prayer that people would learn from others and not the hard way. As I expressed to TwistWrist when she first came on this site, there are very knowledgeable people here. They are the ones that can help you have success on your hikes. However, it can be difficult to gain that knowledge from them because of the attitude they have towards those that know less than them. Ignorant people need knowledge. I know. I am that person often. Those that know better, need perspective. I know. I have been on the receiving end. I have learned from that. I have gained perspective. And for that I am thankful.

      and so theres nothing to be learned here?
      again, i'd like to find out what her and her husbands thoughts were before she ventured out. was she testing her limits, fully aware of the dangers? or was she just naive and overconfidant, something most of us have been guilty of.
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      BirdBrain wrote:

      There are those that have no plans, those that have poor plans, those that say they have no plan but in fact have terrific plans (I am still learning from that group), those that think they have good plans but are really not prepared at all, those that plan so much that they never go, and then there is me. When I strike out on an adventure, I try to be as prepared as I can be so as to maximize the enjoyment of the trip. Do like I do and you run the risk of being called arrogant and disrespecting nature. What is my point? Regardless of what you do, someone is going to think you are an idiot. I have strong opinions about her choices too. However, being in the middle of such debates online, I no longer see the profit in expressing them. It is my prayer that people would learn from others and not the hard way. As I expressed to TwistWrist when she first came on this site, there are very knowledgeable people here. They are the ones that can help you have success on your hikes. However, it can be difficult to gain that knowledge from them because of the attitude they have towards those that know less than them. Ignorant people need knowledge. I know. I am that person often. Those that know better, need perspective. I know. I have been on the receiving end. I have learned from that. I have gained perspective. And for that I am thankful.

      and so theres nothing to be learned here?
      again, i'd like to find out what her and her husbands thoughts were before she ventured out. was she testing her limits, fully aware of the dangers? or was she just naive and overconfidant, something most of us have been guilty of.


      Goodness! I hope someone learns something from this tragedy. She learned the hard way.
      Non hikers are about a psi shy of a legal ball.

    • hikerboy wrote:


      and so theres nothing to be learned here?
      again, i'd like to find out what her and her husbands thoughts were before she ventured out. was she testing her limits, fully aware of the dangers? or was she just naive and overconfidant, something most of us have been guilty of.


      Until more details emerge, I think there is very little to be learnt from this misadventure. I think everyone on this thread already knew that venturing above treeline in a blizzard is recklessness that at least borders on suicide. This tragedy doesn't have much value as a cautionary tale.

      This woman surely also knew what it could be like: she grew up in Siberia, for Pete's sake! So I, too, wonder what sort of reasoning went into this.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • You're not ignorant BB and you are one of the nicest people i haven't met that i know. (Does that make sense?)
      I'm sorry if anyone thinks i am being unreasonable in my comments.
      But one thing that is a constant on ANY hiking site i have ever visited is advice to be aware of approaching weather, especially when going above treeline anywhere.
      The weather she encountered WAS FORECAST! I knew about it here in Australia!
      This was no week long hike with a weather change sweeping in mid week. She started at 5am and activated her plb 10 and a half hours later!
      This site is a "conversation" site. To openly discuss and criticise the foolishness of her actions I think this is an appropriate forum to do so. It is not a forum in which her family and friends are likely to come in a search for condolences. It IS a site where people who might do such a thing might come for advice. Whatever her plans, given the weather conditions she set out in and that clearly they caused her unfortunate demise, it is fair to make the comments we have about her actions. This does not mean that I or anyone else feel anything other than sadness, just that OUR sadness is perhaps even greater because we can see how unnecessary her death was.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • OzJacko wrote:

      The only reason to take a PLB is for the function it eventually performed - body recovery. It is a form of "entitlement" to expect others to come and save you.


      I originally posted this at a Certain Other Site that will remain nameless, but I found it worthwhile to copy the post over to my blog.

      I carry a PLB for one reason - the safety of searchers. I'd rather they not risk their lives on my account at all, but I don't get to make that choice. The choice that I can make is to carry the PLB to make the 'search' part of 'search and rescue' - which is the high-risk part of the venture - as safe as possible.

      I might leave it home if I'm going in good weather on-trail with a group, or on a popular enough trail that there'll be another hiker along in an hour or two anyway. But if I'm solo, or planning a trip off trail, or going in winter, along it comes. It's not for my sake, and it would take undeserved good luck for it to save me. Bringing it is surely not an excuse to take more personal risks.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • Grinder wrote:


      Who the hell else is there to blame here? It's not like we're talking about a rape where blaming the victim is sheer lunacy, or a woman who for reasons unknown stays with a man who beats her. Those are situations where there IS someone else to blame. Okay sure, in this case we could thump her husband on the head for dropping her off, but when all is said and done, SHE CHOSE TO GO OUT IN THE CONDITIONS SHE DID.


      'Blame' is perhaps the wrong word. 'Pillory' might be closer. She blundered. She paid the ultimate price. Until we learn more, there's not much we can take away from the tragedy - given the forecast, none of us would have been up there in the first place.

      I imagine that we are looking at her in much the same way as my colleagues would look at my (much less risky, I hope!) adventures, were I to have an accident. They'd be saying that I was foolhardy and brought it on myself. Maybe they'd even be right, but what's to be learnt?

      Rest in peace.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • I have cruised this woman's public FB profile, and clearly she was someone with a love for adventure. Winter mountaineering, skydiving, many pictures of her enjoying the outdoors and being active. Qualities I think that should be admired. I wonder if perhaps she saw hiking in these conditions as training/ prep for a grander expedition like Everest? I do not see her as someone how did not know what she was getting into, however nothing probably could have prepared her for what she saw that day.

      Of course type A adventurers can push the envelope too far. This woman made a mistake in making this hike and she has paid for it dearly. Risk takers can sometimes achieve great things, and sometimes they fail. We can all learn something in their achievements and their failures. With time and more information we can all learn from this.

      I hope we never live in a world where people are not allowed to take risks. Where hikers can only hike for a 'legitimate reason.' Yes, her ill judgement put others in danger. Most of her rescuers are volunteers who knowingly take risks too. I agree that risks should be minimized with preparedness, knowledge and experience. However, some of the comments here are disrespectful. There is a way to learn from this and discuss this without being disparaging. Who among us can really cast stones here? Not me.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      Who among us hasn't made a mistake? I'd bet that most of us who have been hiking for any length of time have made near-lethal ones. I know I'm lucky still to be here after some of the damn-fool things I've done.


      Quite often people forget or pretend they never made a mistake. Which is actually better than the new cultural norm of placing their mistakes on TV. My favorite is you see a beautiful scene of a buffalo grazing, and then a stick comes flying in from off camera. The buffalo looks up with a face that clearly says "you wanna f with me?, and immediately his face is all you see in the shot. You hear all kind of screaming and then a live shots of 3 Bozos all busted up. The interviewer asks "OK, who threw the stick?" They look at each other and shrug. I'll bet at least one of them makes this type of outrage post about poor hikers who screw up.

    • im not going to speak for anyone else, but in a mountaineering accident, its a legitimate inquiry to ask what went wrong.
      to those who claim all of us are aware of the dangers of winter backpacking above treeline counters part of the reason that this site exists, to educate those who arent as aware as some of us.
      i want to know what the thinking process was, and i dont see how this is disrespectful or insensitive.
      its all good

    • This is certainly an unfortunate event. What her experience was hiking in snowstorms above tree line we don't know. I would imagine this wasn't her first rodeo in conditions similar to what she encountered. But, based on reports and forecasts even an experienced hiker I think would err on the side of caution prior to embarking on such an adventure. There are factors involved in her trip that are unknown to all of us at this point . Did she hurt herself to the degree that she couldn't cintinue ? Was there some sort of equipment failure such as a broken crampon? All parables that we don't know if these things didn't go awry there was a possibility that she may have succeeded in her hike. I agree though that she was foolish in even attempting it
      RIAP

    • ATL I agree even above the tree line there is a way to survive such an event. They practice a technique at the North Pole for the scientists that work there. It isn't an Igloo, more of a deep cut trench and a snow cap to get out of the wind... She should not have attempted in the first place, and then she relied on SPOT instead of her skills, if she had them. In the past I mentioned some skills and most hiker/backpackers seem to want to hike without a base of some survival knowledge. Clearly pushing a 911 button isn't going to get help fast in several situations.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • gothamist.com/2015/02/17/manhattan_hiker_dead.php

      A 32-year-old Manhattan woman died this week while hiking alone in New Hampshire. Her body was discovered yesterday, and authorities believe she died of exposure.

      The hiker, Kate Matrosova, activated an emergency beacon on Sunday while hiking in New Hampshire's White Mountains, but rescuers were unable to find her body until yesterday afternoon.

      Matrosova, who was originally from Siberia, worked as a financial analyst, but was apparently a seasoned hiker. Still, winds in the area reportedly blew at more than 100 miles per hour on Sunday night, and temperatures plummeted to 30 degrees below zero. Authorities believe weather conditions led to Matrosova's demise. "We’ve been preaching for years that the weather can change dramatically in New England,” Lt. Wayne Saunders of the state's Fish and Game Department told the Concord Monitor. “The weather can change in a heartbeat. There were high wind speeds and sub-zero temperatures. You shouldn’t be hiking in this weather.”

      Matrosova had reportedly planned to limit her hike to Sunday, but was likely overcome by the elements. Her husband, who dropped her off at the base of Mounts Madison and Adams on Sunday morning, is a vice president for JPMorgan Chase.
      its all good

    • bloomberg.com/news/articles/20…es-in-mountain-hike-at-32
      \
      (Bloomberg) -- Kate Matrosova, a New York-based credit trader for France’s BNP Paribas SA, has died after becoming stranded in a blizzard during a hike in the New Hampshire mountains. She was 32.

      Her body was found at about 2 p.m. Monday between Mount Madison and Mount Adams in the Presidential Range, according to a news release from the state’s Fish and Game Department. A search had begun after she activated an emergency locator beacon at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 15. Matrosova died of exposure to temperatures that fell below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit and winds of up to 108 miles (174 kilometers) per hour.

      Matrosova, who lived in New York City, was dropped off at the base of the mountains early on Feb. 15 by her husband, Charlie Farhoodi, Lieutenant Wayne T. Saunders of the Fish and Game Department, said today in a telephone interview. Farhoodi is a vice president at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York, according to his LinkedIn.com profile.

      She planned to hike alone to the top of Mount Madison before heading through Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson and the 6,288-foot (1,917-meter) Mount Washington, the highest peak in the U.S. Northeast. Rescue teams were unable to access the area overnight because of the high winds and falling temperatures.

      “I guess if you are going to hike in this type of weather, you need to be in a more sheltered area, not up on an open exposed ridgeline,” Jim Goss, a Fish and Game official, said in an interview with WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire. “There’s just no room for error in a place like that.”

      Career HistoryThe Russian-born trader had worked in her latest job since August, according to her LinkedIn page. Previously, she spent 17 months as an intern in Paris-based BNP Paribas’s corporate and investment-banking unit, assigned to foreign-exchange and interest-rate structuring and currency trading.

      “My goal is to have as much exposure to the company and to different teams,” Matrosova said of her BNP Paribas placement in a 2013 interview with the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, where she studied. “I try to find a new person every day and take them to coffee and shadow them for an hour to see what they do. It’s amazing what you can learn.”

      Matrosova previously worked as an investment adviser for more than three years and at JPMorgan as a financial analyst from June 2006 to January 2008. Her financial career began at Chicago-based Morningstar, where she was an equity-research intern.

      ‘Deeply Saddened’“We are deeply saddened by the death of our colleague, Kate Matrosova,” BNP Paribas said in an e-mailed statement. “Our thoughts are with her family.”

      Originally from Omsk, Russia, near the border with Kazakhstan, Ekaterina Matrosova moved to the U.S. in 2002 to study, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail newspaper.

      She completed a Bachelor of Science degree at DePaul University in Chicago in 2006, attended a numerical-analysis course at Harvard University’s extension school in 2012 and earned a master’s in financial engineering at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley in 2014, according to her LinkedIn page.


      its all good

    • I think threads like these (hiker fatality's) aren't the best place for criticisms and judgments (makes us look really dumber than we already are) new threads can always be started for that, as has happened now, good job on that, should become the norm.

    • BirdBrain wrote:

      There are those that have no plans, those that have poor plans, those that say they have no plan but in fact have terrific plans (I am still learning from that group), those that think they have good plans but are really not prepared at all, those that plan so much that they never go, and then there is me. When I strike out on an adventure, I try to be as prepared as I can be so as to maximize the enjoyment of the trip. Do like I do and you run the risk of being called arrogant and disrespecting nature. What is my point? Regardless of what you do, someone is going to think you are an idiot. I have strong opinions about her choices too. However, being in the middle of such debates online, I no longer see the profit in expressing them. It is my prayer that people would learn from others and not the hard way. As I expressed to TwistWrist when she first came on this site, there are very knowledgeable people here. They are the ones that can help you have success on your hikes. However, it can be difficult to gain that knowledge from them because of the attitude they have towards those that know less than them. Ignorant people need knowledge. I know. I am that person often. Those that know better, need perspective. I know. I have been on the receiving end. I have learned from that. I have gained perspective. And for that I am thankful.


      Beautifully written. Completely agree. Sadly she didn't come here and have you guys to knock sense into her like I do!
      I have felt very welcome, and I think my newbie questions may lead other newbies who don't like WB to this little forum. This is a badass place, and I appreciate you guys sincerely answering my newbie questions.
      I'm meeting all kinds of new, close friends on my hiking outings on the AT, so I'm learning a ton from them and from experience! I'm having a blast, and I feel happy and content, much in part, thanks to the advice and assistance of the folks on this site.
      So yeah, ATC.net kicks WB.com's white ass! :D
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • socks wrote:

      I think threads like these (hiker fatality's) aren't the best place for criticisms and judgments (makes us look really dumber than we already are) new threads can always be started for that, as has happened now, good job on that, should become the norm.


      i have no clue what you mean.how do you start a " new thread "like this without referencing the incident?this isn't an obituary or a memorial of some kind.its a news story . a sober discussion of what went wrong , in a hiking forum, on the internet, is, in no way,imo, inappropriate.

      this was a beautiful, smart young woman who was an experienced rock climber, skier and adrenaline junkie. i wonder is she knew the forecast, knew the risks, and accepted them anyway. ive done so myself, and put myself into some miserable situations, but ive always been able to keep myself above ground. i wonder if she just took the presis too lightly as so many do, and can't blame her for that. she had hiked and skiied at much higher elevations. and i wonder if she was just ill prepared, and that angers me, cause it could have been me.

      may she rest in peace and may her family alwas celebrate her life, which it would appear, she lived to the fullest.
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      socks wrote:

      I think threads like these (hiker fatality's) aren't the best place for criticisms and judgments (makes us look really dumber than we already are) new threads can always be started for that, as has happened now, good job on that, should become the norm.


      i have no clue what you mean.how do you start a " new thread "like this without referencing the incident?this isn't an obituary or a memorial of some kind.its a news story . a sober discussion of what went wrong , in a hiking forum, on the internet, is, in no way,imo, inappropriate.

      this was a beautiful, smart young woman who was an experienced rock climber, skier and adrenaline junkie. i wonder is she knew the forecast, knew the risks, and accepted them anyway. ive done so myself, and put myself into some miserable situations, but ive always been able to keep myself above ground. i wonder if she just took the presis too lightly as so many do, and can't blame her for that. she had hiked and skiied at much higher elevations. and i wonder if she was just ill prepared, and that angers me, cause it could have been me.

      may she rest in peace and may her family alwas celebrate her life, which it would appear, she lived to the fullest.

      You can climb the highest mountain successfully, you can go to war and be in combat situations and come home unscathed , then only to step off the curb and get run over by a truck and killed. Her hiking on sunday have some of the same risks that everyday tasks do, though the chances and odds are much different.
      RIAP

    • A.T.Lt wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      socks wrote:

      I think threads like these (hiker fatality's) aren't the best place for criticisms and judgments (makes us look really dumber than we already are) new threads can always be started for that, as has happened now, good job on that, should become the norm.


      i have no clue what you mean.how do you start a " new thread "like this without referencing the incident?this isn't an obituary or a memorial of some kind.its a news story . a sober discussion of what went wrong , in a hiking forum, on the internet, is, in no way,imo, inappropriate.

      this was a beautiful, smart young woman who was an experienced rock climber, skier and adrenaline junkie. i wonder is she knew the forecast, knew the risks, and accepted them anyway. ive done so myself, and put myself into some miserable situations, but ive always been able to keep myself above ground. i wonder if she just took the presis too lightly as so many do, and can't blame her for that. she had hiked and skiied at much higher elevations. and i wonder if she was just ill prepared, and that angers me, cause it could have been me.

      may she rest in peace and may her family alwas celebrate her life, which it would appear, she lived to the fullest.

      You can climb the highest mountain successfully, you can go to war and be in combat situations and come home unscathed , then only to step off the curb and get run over by a truck and killed. Her hiking on sunday have some of the same risks that everyday tasks do, though the chances and odds are much different.

      But to climb the highest mountain without heeding the weather is akin to stepping off the curb without looking.
      Our coroners have a category for their findings - "death through misadventure". Not likely to see a more appropriate example.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • hikerboy wrote:

      socks wrote:

      I think threads like these (hiker fatality's) aren't the best place for criticisms and judgments (makes us look really dumber than we already are) new threads can always be started for that, as has happened now, good job on that, should become the norm.


      i have no clue what you mean.how do you start a " new thread "like this without referencing the incident?this isn't an obituary or a memorial of some kind.its a news story . a sober discussion of what went wrong , in a hiking forum, on the internet, is, in no way,imo, inappropriate.

      this was a beautiful, smart young woman who was an experienced rock climber, skier and adrenaline junkie. i wonder is she knew the forecast, knew the risks, and accepted them anyway. ive done so myself, and put myself into some miserable situations, but ive always been able to keep myself above ground. i wonder if she just took the presis too lightly as so many do, and can't blame her for that. she had hiked and skiied at much higher elevations. and i wonder if she was just ill prepared, and that angers me, cause it could have been me.

      may she rest in peace and may her family always celebrate her life, which it would appear, she lived to the fullest.
      ...perhaps it should have been.

      I didn't call it inappropriate, I said I didn't think this was the best place for it, we're in agreement it should be discussed.

    • conwaydailysun.com/newsx/local…ath-monday-offers-lessons

      Expert: Woman's climbing death offers lessons
      Published Date: Tuesday, 17 February 2015 06:25

      By Tom Eastman

      MOUNT ADAMS — Rick Wilcox, head of International Mountain Equipment and president of the all-volunteer Mountain Rescue Service ofNorth Conway, on Tuesday offered two valuable lessons to learn from the climbing death of theNew York woman whose body was recovered near Mount Adams Monday afternoon.

      Kate Matrosova, 32, of New York City was found dead Monday, apparently from exposure, a day after she went missing in the Northern Presidentials of the White Mountains. Searchers braved subzero temperatures and winds up to 108 mph to locate the Siberian native after she activated her Personal Locator Beacon on Sunday afternoon, indicating an emergency.

      The beacon signal showed coordinates between Mount Madison and Mount Adams. Attempts to contact her on her cell and satellite phones were unsuccessful, and a rescue mission was launched.

      “The first lesson involves technology: Did she have a false sense of security, having a spot device on her and probably a cellphone?" said Wilcox, an experienced mountaineer who has summited some of the world's tallest mountains, including Everest as the leader of the successful New England Everest Expedition of 1991.

      "The second lesson? The mountains will always be there, so if you get to treeline and it is horrendous, as it was Sunday and Monday, and you continue onward and you make a mistake, you are dead.

      "It took rescuers a total of 20 hours to get to her, so you've got to be prepared to be out there alone," said Wilcox.

      Matrosova was found between Mount Madison and Mount Adams nearStar Lake, going up toward the summit of Adams behind Mount Sam Adams, according to Wilcox, who noted that searchers from New Hampshire Fish and Game, the Mountain Rescue Service and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue all participated in looking for her.

      Matrosova reportedly worked in credit trading at the banking firm BNP Paribas in Manhattan, according to her LinkedIn profile.

      According to published reports, her husband, a vice president for JPMorgan Chase, dropped her off early Sunday at the base of the mountains, where she planned to hike the Northern Presidentials Traverse, a route above treeline from Mount Madison, Adams andJefferson to Mount Washington, and then down the Ammonoosuc Trail to the base of the Mount Washington Cog Railway.

      "Her husband dropped her off at 5 a.m. at the Appalachia parking lot on Route 2 at the base of the Valley Way Trail that leads up Mount Madison,” said New Hampshire Fish and Game Sgt. Mark Ober of the Region I office in Lancaster. "He was to pick her up at 6 p.m at the base of the Ammonoosuc Trail (at the western base of Mount Washington). It is ambitious in summertime to hike all that distance in one day let alone in winter with those high winds and cold temperatures."

      According to Fish and Game, search crews from Fish and Game and Mountain Rescue Services (MRS) searched through the night in fierce winds and frigid temperatures for Matrosova.

      Crews hiked in over 3 miles to a location north of Mount Madison and searched off trail in deep snow and thick scrub trees in an area identified by the beacon signal as Matrosova's probable last known location. After many hours, the crews were forced to suspend the search due to the treacherous conditions. They had to contend not only with temperatures of -20 F and falling (not factoring wind chill) but also with sustained winds at 60-80 mph and visibility of only 1/16th of a mile.

      On Monday morning, the National Guard was able to take a helicopter over the area though due to blowing snow, they were not able to see anything.

      An advance team made up of Fish and Game Officers, Mountain Rescue Services members and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue members finally got to the area, braving 108 mph winds and subzero temperatures.

      According to Dr. Peter Crane of the Mount Washington Observatory, the high temperature on the summit of Mount Washington Sunday was 0 degrees F, with a low of -35 F. Also recorded were 9/10ths of an inch of new snow and a peak gust of 105 mph from the north. On Monday, the high dropped to -4 degrees F, with a low of -35 degrees and a peak gust of 141 mph from the north.

      As The Conway Daily Sun reported Tuesday, Mount Washington Observatory Summit observer Ryan Knapp received information early Monday from wx-now.com that the summit was the second-coldest reporting location on Earth, behind only the South Pole at -51 degrees.

      In discussing the death of Matrosova, Wilcox on Tuesday praised the teams of volunteers who worked with Fish and Game in the challenging conditions Sunday and Monday.

      He also reiterated that technology is no safety net, noting that "people running around the mountains with technology should not expect to be rescued in those conditions if they are on their own."

      The other rule? Those who go above the treeline in those kinds of conditions need a sleeping bag or a bivouac, said Wilcox.

      He said that Matrosova was not equipped with snowshoes but was able to climb up the Valley Way Trail by following a path packed down by snowshoeing climbers two days before.

      He said Matrosova apparently thought she could do the same coming down the Ammonoosuc Trail down Mount Washington.

      "There are two ways to go (in climbing): light and fast, or heavy and slow," said Wilcox. "But if something happens when you go light and fast, you're screwed. That happened to her, and there is no way to spend the night. If you're on Lion's Head on Mount Washington, and there are 40 or 50 people around you, and you get in trouble, that's one thing — if you're in the Northern Presidentials, and you get into trouble, there is no one to help you."
      its all good

    • Rasty wrote:



      i kind of figured once she got above treeline she was screwed with no way of turning around and heading back into the wind.
      still, i cant help but believe she didnt know the winds forecast had changed due to a low pressure front moving farther south than originally forecast.
      either way, it was a poor decision to go , and she paid with her life.
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      Rasty wrote:



      i kind of figured once she got above treeline she was screwed with no way of turning around and heading back into the wind.
      still, i cant help but believe she didnt know the winds forecast had changed due to a low pressure front moving farther south than originally forecast.
      either way, it was a poor decision to go , and she paid with her life.


      I find it difficult to believe that they didn't have a weather update from their cellphones. There is so much information available now. That is good reasoning fifteen years ago.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Did she have any shelter or sleeping bag with her....I still haven't read that.


      .....the search & rescue guys I think said it best, she had experience, some equipment and determination, but she was irresponsible to be up there in those conditions.


      how many of us have gotten down from there in July!?
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:

    • CoachLou wrote:

      Did she have any shelter or sleeping bag with her....I still haven't read that.


      .....the search & rescue guys I think said it best, she had experience, some equipment and determination, but she was irresponsible to be up there in those conditions.


      how many of us have gotten down from there in July!?


      No sleeping bag or shelter. No snowshoes. No shovel.

      I bailed two years ago on the Pemi loop in June because of 60+ mph wind on Lafayette. It wasn't worth the risk and I didn't know if those 60 mph winds were going to turn into 90 mph.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123