not without peril

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loanshark

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Got lucky at a yard sale recently. I was able to pickup some great books for around $10.00. Crawford Notch Signed by Steve Smith and Mike Dickerman, a 1969 amc trailguide with the maps, and not without peril by Nicholas Howe. I'm sure many of you have read this book and many of the mishaps may have been disscussed on this forum. The one that has been haunting me the most is the poor sole who perished on Mt. Madison in 1986. I read that account a couple of times and I tried to put myself in the shoes of the crew in making the decision to wait till mourning to attempt to get him down. I wasn't hiking in the mid 80's, so i'm not familiar with the quality of the clothes and equipment back then as compared with what we have now. I just can't imagine the agony in the hut that night. Any thoughts?
 
A good friend of mine was the hut master at Madison that year and was the guy who made the decision to leave the victim. Obviously he still thinks about it but there really was no other choice. One does what one can.
 
I,m sure they feel they made the correct call. I would never try to pass judgement. My feelings are more of compassion for all involved. Especially since the victom's young son was in their care.
 
That was the most gripping chapter in the book.

The book offers a fascinating history of how people walk their way into trouble one step at a time. I was most impressed with the chapter on Dr. Ball.
 
Yes, that is a great book and that incident was quite gripping. Many times over the years in my climbing career, rescues have been "put on hold" due to horrible conditions in the presidentials, to some this may not make sense, to those who have seen such conditions, it comes down to not risking more lives in a fruitfull attempt to go out in such conditions. This incident reminds me of the Hugh herr rescue in the great gulf, a long time fixture and prominant climber Albert Dow was killed during the rescue attempt, at some point you have to decide on the safety of those who want to help.Im sure the caretaker at Madison would have done anything possible, its quite possible it was impossible to reach the lost hiker.
 
I agree Neil. It was the most gripping story in the book. I read it about a week ago and several times it has been in my mind. I,m sure we have all been to the top of Madison and it isn't very far from the hut, but under those conditions it might as well have been miles.
 
A good friend of mine was the hut master at Madison that year and was the guy who made the decision to leave the victim. Obviously he still thinks about it but there really was no other choice. One does what one can.

Hmm, the book and press reports at the time said it was a woman
 
Here is a link to this chapter in "Not Without Peril"
I'd read it before but it still hits home just the same as the 1st time through.
 
The one time I hiked Madison, it was pretty much fogged in, and to me, it felt like a looooong way back to the hut. As I descended back to the hut, the clouds parted and you could see down to the destination. One side of the mtn was in the clear, and the other was in the fog, and Madison Hut was right in the middle. That day I got a sense of how quickly a short trip like that can take a turn for the worst. COnditions on my day were calm...about 55 deg, 5 mph winds, and I was still tripping over boulders left and right. I can't imagine what its like with a little unexpected weather thrown in.

grouseking
 
I JUST finished that book yesterday....after reading about a dozen or so books on mountain disasters, rescues and such in the last 6 months...

That story being discussed definitely is staying in my head.

There is a lot to be learned from that book. For the novice and experienced alike.

Close to home, frequently hiked by many of us.

In general, do we downplay the risks?

Are we as attentive as we should be to changes in weather and such?

Makes one think.....
 
The 1st time i hiked Mt. Adams was at the end of a Presidential traverse (attempted, lol). The wind had picked up quite a bit just before i got to the summit and i got knocked over by the wind about a dozen times.

I opted not to climb Madison that day, lol.... even though it was the last of the Presi's on my trip. Maybe I wimped out, but after reading Not W/O Peril ... :D
 
The night of the Mt. Madison tragedy chronicled by Nick Howe in Not Without Peril was one of my more memorable nights in the Whites as well. The previous day I had hiked up to the Zeacliffs where I camped out for the night. Shortly after I set up my tent in the woods not far from the cliffs, a series of thunderstorms rolled in and continued all through the night. It was an unnerving night to say the least, and when I awoke the next morning most of my gear was pretty soaked. Nonetheless, I broke camp and headed up the Twinway with the idea that I would bag the Bonds that day and stay the night at Guyot.

The t-storms, however, refused to quit, and I endured two drenching downpours as I made my way slowly to the Bondcliff Trail. By the time I reached Guyot, the temperature had also dropped considerably and the winds had picked up significantly. As I crossed over the exposed summits of Guyot I was knocked over by the wind three different times and at one point resorted to crawling on my hands and knees as I knew I could not stay upright in those winds. Ultimately I made my way safely into the scrub, but due to the awful weather I knew the Bonds were out of the question that day. Soaked, tired, cold and more than a little scared by tumbles atop Guyot, I opted to call it a day and seek relief at Guyot Shelter. By the time I reached the shelter sometime around noon I was close to being hypothermic and immediately crawled into my sleeping bag in an attempt to warm myself up. That's pretty much where I stayed for the next 18 hours as the cold, wind and fog persisted and the temperature dropped into the 30s overnight. It wasn't until the next morning that I finally warmed up.

That morning is also when the caretaker at Guyot shared the sobering news that a hiker had just perished atop Madison. Ar that point I was thankful it wasn't me, given what I'd gone through the previous day.

For the record, I did bag Bond and West Bond that morning, despite the pea soup fog enveloping the high country and gusty winds. I chose not to go after Bondcliff, however, figuring that might be too much to handle under the prevailing conditions. Instead I decided to get down off the mountain as quickly as I could and I retraced my steps back down to the Zeacliffs and Zealand Hut. Enough was enough in my mind.
 
That was the most gripping chapter in the book.

The book offers a fascinating history of how people walk their way into trouble one step at a time. I was most impressed with the chapter on Dr. Ball.

DITTO!

Not Without Peril is one of the best books that I have ever read.
 
"...whose determination to reach the summit was exceeded only by an unwillingness to heed the advice of those more skilled & experienced than him." (Paraphrased from a memory of having read it 4 years ago).

A man after my own heart. A true peakbagger in the finest tradition.

Just kidding. What impressed me was that he lived.
 
A man after my own heart. A true peakbagger in the finest tradition.

Just kidding. What impressed me was that he lived.

Yeah, I think anyone who's done any amount of peak-bagging has to concede to having done some things which "seemed like good ideas at the time".

Didn't Dr. Ball die later on, though, on some other adventure? In Africa, I think?
 
In the incident on Madison,there is mention of a Boy Scout troop,and the leader. We were at Madison in August,a few years ago,and in conversation with a couple of new hikers,they asked us about dressing for conditions. I was telling them about the McDonald Barr incident,and into the conversation came the AMC hut volunteer,who was nearby,listening.
" McDonald Barr...I was here that night....I'm the Boy Scout troop leader" and his face went very serious. It was an eerie moment.
 
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