James Osborne & Fred Fredrickson Follow-up Story

Here's a follow-up story from the 9/14/2008 Nashua Telegraph on the hike from last winter that cost "Fred" Fredrickson his life on Franconia Ridge.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/NEWS01/309149888

Powerful Reinforcement

Thank you for posting this. So tragic! Powerful reinforcement of importance of being prepared for changing weather conditions when hiking.

I was hoping there would be a follow-up accounting of this accident.
There are many lessons that can learn from their experience. I’m glad James Osborne was able to publish his story.

Thanks BigEarl for posting this.

Finally the truth of what happened rather than suppositon and assumption by those that weren't there. I wish we got more follow ups like to other stories of this nature.

A fascinating and scary look at terrible misfortune. Reading Mr. Osborne's story, I was reminded of a passage from Sebastian Junger's "Perfect Storm", discussing the tendency of steel boats to initially more resistant to trouble, but finally deteriorating with stunning rapidity:


Mr. Osborne's story brings home with incredible clarity how quickly things can turn. At the time, I offered the uninformed opinion that they were in over their heads when they left the trailhead, and, while that may have been true in some respects, I am also not sure that I would have been any better prepared myself, or that, die cast, that they could have played things very differently. I can certainly remember times in my life when a series of small events seemed to be compounding into a much larger event, and that quickly leads one to the sobering thought that, there but for the grace of some power I clearly don't understand...

I appreciate the clarity of thought Mr. Osborne has about this incident, and hope the lessons learned might extend past communities like VFTT. I wish him Godspeed in his continued recovery.

"Conditions were good, and Osborne and Fredrickson felt uncomfortably warm under their layers of clothing as they began their hike.

"'The sort of the ironic thing about the hike up is, you're in the woods, there's no wind, and you just start sweating. We were drenched in sweat. We had to stop and take some layers off.'"

This is an important lesson that might be news to new winter hikers and snowshoers. When you start at the trailhead, you should feel a little cold, even uncomfortably cold to the point that you don't want to stand around. Otherwise, you're overdressed and likely to drench your clothing with heat-sucking moisture as you begin the trip.

sardog1 said:

When you start at the trailhead, you should feel a little cold, even uncomfortably cold to the point that you don't want to stand around. Otherwise, you're overdressed and likely to drench your clothing with heat-sucking moisture as you begin the trip.

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Same rules for a bike ride and XC skiing--if you're not cold when you first set out, you're over-dressed. I am a stickler for punctuality on organized trips for exactly this reason.

Tim

AndyF said:

Finally the truth of what happened rather than suppositon and assumption by those that weren't there.

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Yeah, but we can still second-guess what they should have done

Thinking about it is the best way to avoid such situations yourself

I wish we got more follow ups like to other stories of this nature.

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Yes, thanks BigE

That was difficult to read but thanks for posting. I printed it out and highlighted sections. I used to feel guilty about cherry-picking the weather for my hikes, not any more. Take from this article what you will. I know what I do to be a bit better prepared for the unexpected.

I saw a number of unprepared hikers this past weekend. Some were heading to Mizpah, but they had NOTHING with them, not even water. Same for a group of young guys heading from Pierce to Eisenhower; not any water let alone any layers if the weather turned. Oh well.

DrewKnight said:

"...the crisis curve starts out gradual and quickly becomes exponential. The more trouble she's in, the more trouble she's likely to get in, and the less capable she is of getting out of it, which is an acceleration of catastrophe that is almost impossible to reverse."

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thanks for that, also. Very appropriate.

I agree with you, Chip. There came a point where it became too painful to read, so I skimmed to the end in order to find out where he is in the recovery process.

For anyone who done lots of cold weather hiking/climbing in challenging conditions, those descriptions were all too real (and close). The phrase "There but for the Grace ..." came to mind repeatedly.

I hope he's able to once again climb Haystack in the near future.

The article is tough to read. But, there is an opportunity for many of us to learn a great deal from this tragedy.

Additionally, there is a link in the posted map that plays an audio segment which is a recording of James Osborne telling a portion of the story. Also, tough to get through.

Chip said:

I used to feel guilty about cherry-picking the weather for my hikes, not any more.

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IMO, there is absolutely no reason to feel guilty--staying out of conditions that you might not be able to handle is a perfectly good way to stay out of trouble. Some like (or are willing) to go closer to the edge than others, but each individual should choose his own limits. (Something an experienced hiker should be able to do, hard for a beginner.)

Take from this article what you will. I know what I do to be a bit better prepared for the unexpected.

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Studying others' accidents is a good way to avoid repeating their mistakes... I (and others) certainly read accident reports in the hope of improving my (our) own safety. In this case, it was interesting to read a survivor's account.

I saw a number of unprepared hikers this past weekend. Some were heading to Mizpah, but they had NOTHING with them, not even water. Same for a group of young guys heading from Pierce to Eisenhower; not any water let alone any layers if the weather turned. Oh well.

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Sounds like a normal weekend in the Whites...

Once upon a time we ran into a Ranger on the trail between Lakes of the Clouds and Washington in nice conditions--he was glad (overjoyed?) to actually find a group that looked adequately prepared in case the conditions change.


Sounds like this group made some rookie mistakes. Their mistakes would likely have caused no harm in better conditions, but the combination of mistakes, bad conditions, and some bad luck overwhelmed them.

Doug

One of the events which struck me in the article was when they were taking a break near the spur to Shining Rock (I think the article called it Shimmering Rock) about 45 minutes from the summit of Little Haystack. They experienced a temperature drop of many degrees. Now, we've all experienced situations where we encounter warmer or colder air pockets where the temps are noticeably different. But, there's a difference between a transitory pocket and a permanent shift.

I guess my point is - if/when you experience such a shift, especially if you're new to winter hiking - be extremely vigilant. Whether you've read the weather forecast or not, such a shift should send up a "holy sh%$t" alarm bell.

James Osborne is one brave, honorable man to report the trip in such detail. For us, it provides an opportunity to learn. For James, and for Fred's family, it hopefully offers some form of healing.

Best of luck with your recovery, James, if you're reading this.

I, too, printed this out...it should be re-read frequently.

These types of tragic events are indeed difficult to read, but are a sobering reminder as to the indifference of the mountains to mere mortals. Sir Hillary said it's not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves. My own belief is that we don't conquer either, but have to learn how to exist in harmony, and since the mountains aren't going to do the adapting, it's up to us to adapt to them.

James Osbourne is a brave man and a strong soul...his karma for having lost his friend will be his ability to help countless others through his lesson, and his willingness to share it. My sincere thanks to him for sharing, and to BigEarl for pointing this out to us.

Thanks for posting this Earl! Its a staunch reminder of how vulnerable we really are and the importance of being prepared. One overlooked critical item can create a chain of events that form into such a tragedy! Even on yesterdays innocent climb up Moosilauke with a warm breeze and light rain I had enough with me to get through a cold night. This included a large thin tarp, extra clothes and layers, stove, mess kit, meals, soups and drinks, extensive firstaid kit with two emergency blankets I added, as well as many other items. Some laugh and joke that I am like a walking convenience store but I would rather be humble in the eyes of mother nature than worry about whether I could take care of myself or fellow hiker.

Mr. Osbourne did a commendable thing trying to get his friend back to safety after such a night on the ridge under those conditions. I have no doubt that Mr. Frederickson had spent time that night trying to take the brunt of the storm at the cave so that James could go on. The very candid and open honesty of how things deteriorated for them in this tragedy is the best education all of us can get from it, not just those new to hiking. Hopefully James Osbourne's strength in heart and body come back to him soon. It would be an honor to share the trails and ridge with him!

Here's a video interview on WMUR...
http://www.wmur.com/news/17482245/detail.html

and just a reminder about the 'wall' of weather that they talk about hitting, here are the conditions that day...
http://public.fotki.com/MWO/saved/2008/conditions/conditions-022008/20080211045318conditions.html

Moving story. Good for him to speak of it so well. Reminds me of the Everest debacle, and the varied skills of those who stayed high. Fredricson obviously felt responsible, and did things to protect his friend, including taking shelter. But without the rescuers, and maybe the drop in wind, both would have died.

Three things...

... to do no matter what the season:

1. Check the forecast

2. When conditions turn for the worse, abandon the plans and turn back

3. Carry a cell phone

Best of luck to James.

3. Carry a cell phone

This one could be seen as a personal choice, that often would not help at all.