Hiker dead after Ice fall ..

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CaptCaper

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AHH....SKYLINE
I know exactly were this happened.. It almost and did happen to my wife and I .. almost got us and came close.. ticked me off ..the trail should be moved or climbers not chip hard when someone is under neath. We were coming down and had to go by that section..tough trail there and a climber kept chipping away while we passed underneath. Duh... huge chunks fell on us.

https://www.wmur.com/article/hiker-killed-after-being-struck-in-head-by-falling-ice/25666656
 
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I wondered if they were hikers or climbers. Article didn't have many particulars. I don't know that area but it would seem like a bad idea having a normal trail go under climbing routes. Probably should move or post signage or something. Are we sure it was a climber who dislodged the ice and not a freeze/thaw thing from the weather? The article indicates the weather as the cause, not climbers.
 
With all the rain on Friday, Saturday would have been a bad day to be anywhere near an area with ice overhanging it. The ice would have been undermined by the rain. Reminds me of another fatality on Falling Waters trail several years ago. There is pretty reliable ice overflow immediately adjacent and overhanging the the trail bed, I expect thousands pass under it in winter and early spring. One day a Japanese tourist just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a chunk let loose and killed her. Same thing happens in tucks and occasionally people have been hit.

Must have been tough for all involved. RIP
 
Yes, this is very sad. Climbers know to wear a helmet and to be alert under places where ice (or rock) can fall. But non-climbers (the vast majority of visitors) cannot be expected to know this.

And as we know, people don't read signs. I think it makes sense to re-route "non-climber" trails at least a few yards to get them out from under climbing areas. In most cases, that would not be difficult.

I can't think right away of many places here in the Adks where this type of "terrain trap" exists. But the one place that does come to mind is the short section of trail at the height of land in Avalanche Pass, where the trail passes under the base of the 1999 slide. For that section (maybe 100 feet long), there really is no other place to put the trail. So climbing on that slide is banned, and as a climber, I'm fine with that. In almost all other areas, the Adk's climbing locations are at least a little ways away from hiking trails.
 
I know exactly were this happened.. It almost and did happen to my wife and I .. almost got us and came close.. ticked me off ..the trail should be moved or climbers not chip hard when someone is under neath. We were coming down and had to go by that section..tough trail there and a climber kept chipping away while we passed underneath. Duh...

What a bummer and freak accident. Time and place conspire once again to wreak havoc in someone’s life.

But please don’t blame the ice climber. Whether leading or seconding h/she was preoccupied with not falling and getting good tool placements. It’s a given when traversing under an active ice route that you move quickly and don’t look up. The other alternative is to wait for a break in the action and then scoot past.

Ice reports for last week warned of poorly bonded ice and running water. Those who climb under these conditions face extra risks.

The trail should probably be relocated during the winter.
Cb
 
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Well now that someone died maybe they'll re route the trail. Isn't that what it usually takes to change. I'm sure I'm not the only one that almost got hit in the winter there from ice falling from climbers or mother nature's work. There was climbers there on this death as well as we've read so I'm surmising it was the same story as what hit me. That trail is not popular in the Winter so climbers are not concerned or aware of hikers that do come along I'm sure. The one that broke ice on me seem oblivious or didn't care my wife and I where trying to cross the gully. I did flip out and call him a A*****e. Next time I'll yell and ask them to stop..
 
Well now that someone died maybe they'll re route the trail. Isn't that what it usually takes to change. I'm sure I'm not the only one that almost got hit in the winter there from ice falling from climbers or mother nature's work. There was climbers there on this death as well as we've read so I'm surmising it was the same story as what hit me. That trail is not popular in the Winter so climbers are not concerned or aware of hikers that do come along I'm sure. The one that broke ice on me seem oblivious or didn't care my wife and I where trying to cross the gully. I did flip out and call him a A*****e. Next time I'll yell and ask them to stop..

It’s a tradgedy on many levels. She was a primary care doc at Tufts medical center. One less caring person in the world.
 
I feel for the folks that lost a loved one but the only thing that Ice Climbers did in this situation was help with the rescue. This is a well known area for falling ice and rocks more so among climbers than hikers. Being one of the more accessible trails this area sees a reasonable amount of traffic from less experienced hikers. Because of the easy accessibility and shorter length of this trail it is IMO easy for someone to hike this trail and not be tuned into the objective hazards present. How little or how large any outdoor endeavor requires research.
 
Very sad news. In CT we are looking at 50+ degrees and more rain, I believe more rain is headed to Northern New England too. Same conditions may apply later this week and same for river crossings.
 
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