Lost the soles of his Boots

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A word to the wise for old folks with old gear. Passage of time is not kind to leather and plastics or particularly glue used to fasten soles on boots. Beware of old hiking boots or old style crampons with embrittled leather straps likely to snap under stresses of hiking after spending years in closets, attics, or basements. Speak of the devil - I just erected some tents stored in less than ideal conditions and found elastic shock cord had totally lost elasticity. I'm thinking of replacing shock cord, but plastic materials of tent and rain fly appear to have lost whatever strength they once had. I suspect it is time to just take the tent out to the curb. Spend some of that retirement money on purchasing new. Tendons anyone???
 
Sounds like both were in over their heads........you are the only one that can take assessment of your abilities for a mountain hike.The soles of the boots coming off...well..can't really prepare for that but least know the condition of your gear :confused: As far as the GPS goes...nothing takes the place of knowing the terrain and using a map and compass.

Why are people still so clueless on what to carry for a day hike?.....especially hiking Mt Washington
 
I agree it sure sounds like poor planning. That trail is almost impossible to lose until the point where it crosses the top of the cascade. From there its a bit confusing as it crosses a couple of boulder fields that were not well marked when I did it a 3 or 4 years ago.

I sure would not assume anything about family dynamics. Older folks sometimes do not want to be reminded of their relative level of ability, the dad could have have been dragging his daughter up the mountain.
 
A word to the wise for old folks with old gear. Passage of time is not kind to leather and plastics or particularly glue used to fasten soles on boots. Beware of old hiking boots or old style crampons with embrittled leather straps likely to snap under stresses of hiking after spending years in closets, attics, or basements. Speak of the devil - I just erected some tents stored in less than ideal conditions and found elastic shock cord had totally lost elasticity. I'm thinking of replacing shock cord, but plastic materials of tent and rain fly appear to have lost whatever strength they once had. I suspect it is time to just take the tent out to the curb. Spend some of that retirement money on purchasing new. Tendons anyone???

Yup, new gear is a joy. Usually less heavy, better made and more innovative than our 1970-80s issue stuff.

$PEND IT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE !!!!!!
 
I’m guilty of being a gear hoarder. Got rid of most of the old boots and tents. Now onto ground pads. Especially the inflatable variety. But I’ll never give away my packs and jackets.
 
Even new boot soles can come off if you wedge the boot a bit aggressively when stepping in a crevice or between rocks — found out the hard way when doing some impromptu canyoneering a few years back with hiking boots.
This is when one of man's greatest inventions steps in.Duct.jpg
 
I agree it sure sounds like poor planning. That trail is almost impossible to lose until the point where it crosses the top of the cascade. From there its a bit confusing as it crosses a couple of boulder fields that were not well marked when I did it a 3 or 4 years ago.

I sure would not assume anything about family dynamics. Older folks sometimes do not want to be reminded of their relative level of ability, the dad could have have been dragging his daughter up the mountain.

I did that trail a few years back and remember the lower sections being very lightly tread and covered in leaves and other debris. I don't recall ever losing the trail but it was not nearly as well traveled as others leaving the gulf. Maybe that's changed with the popularity of hiking of late? It's too bad the trail dead ends on the auto road. It really is a fine little trail with unique outlooks and water features.
 
This is when one of man's greatest inventions steps in.View attachment 6695

I've had the sole come off a boot in the backcountry. It was an old Trezetta ice climbing boot; I was up on a climb, and my right foot placements "felt quirky." Looked down, and saw the sole was coming off the boot.

So I managed to get down, duct taped it together, and was able to hike out with it (about 2 miles, mostly on trail). Duct tape truly is great.

Also, we routinely carry Kinesio tape (the stretchy stuff PTs use). Way back on Haystack (6 miles or so in) we met a party where one young lady had the soles falling off her boots. The K tape saved the day!

On this particular incident, it's a little concerning that these folks "lost" a marked trail and blamed that on the failure of their GPS. I can see the value of a GPS when off-trail, but on a marked, maintained trail, folks should be able to follow the trail.

Of course I have read about the USFS vandalizing NH trails by removing blazes. Was this vandalism a contributing factor? Should F&G be charging USFS for this rescue?
 
The trail is on the Great Gulf Wilderness. The only blazes would be those left over from pre wilderness days.
 
The trail is on the Great Gulf Wilderness. The only blazes would be those left over from pre wilderness days.

Is there any warning or info provided to hikers from away regarding the idiosyncrasies of our “wilderness” areas?

For example: You are entering a designated Wilderness area. Trails are unmaintained, poorly marked and difficult to follow.

Seems like a good idea. Or am I from the ranks of the Nanny State?
 
There is signage at the point where a trail crosses the boundary into a Wilderness. I found this on Dailey's site,

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zYyAFOLMb...8Fwyo8yI/s1600/The+Beasts+of+the+East+096.JPG

There is similar signage on the majority of trails entering Wilderness areas. I really am not aware of any that are not. I think the smaller lower signs are not as prevalent.

I am not aware of any specific public warnings that a trail is transitioning from a trail that is theoretically marked to USFS trail standards to the lower standards used in a Wilderness area. The 29th edition of the WMG that I have at hand does discuss the lower trail standards used in the Wilderness areas in the preface pages but my suspicion is few if any hikers who own the guide would read this section. Given the explosion of online sources for trail info of varying qualities and level of detail, I expect the average casual visitor to the WMNF is not going to be exposed to any warnings of consequence that the trail is transitioning to a lower standard of marking and maintenance.

I would be hard pressed to think that someone who depends on wholly electronic means using online resources would pause to read and understand a warning sign, they are routinely ignored. IMHO high usage is going to lead to occasional rescues. The rational is that accidents will always happen to someone else.
 
I would be hard pressed to think that someone who depends on wholly electronic means using online resources would pause to read and understand a warning sign, they are routinely ignored. IMHO high usage is going to lead to occasional rescues. The rational is that accidents will always happen to someone else.

Sounds like a wholly electronic means might be effective. GPS fencing, for example. Not that the Forest Service is up to speed on modern conveniences ("Wilderness provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined recreation") and not that Fish and Game has the budget or charter to work with the major mapping apps. Maybe prevention dollars would be cheaper than rescue dollars?

Tim
 
Is there any warning or info provided to hikers from away regarding the idiosyncrasies of our “wilderness” areas?

For example: You are entering a designated Wilderness area. Trails are unmaintained, poorly marked and difficult to follow.

Seems like a good idea. Or am I from the ranks of the Nanny State?

The Great Gulf trailhead has a kiosk with the most extensive wilderness info of any trailhead. Followed by another sign on the suspension bridge. And another at the Wilderness boundary.
 
There is signage at the point where a trail crosses the boundary into a Wilderness. I found this on Dailey's site,

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zYyAFOLMb...8Fwyo8yI/s1600/The+Beasts+of+the+East+096.JPG

There is similar signage on the majority of trails entering Wilderness areas. I really am not aware of any that are not. I think the smaller lower signs are not as prevalent.

I am not aware of any specific public warnings that a trail is transitioning from a trail that is theoretically marked to USFS trail standards to the lower standards used in a Wilderness area.

OK. The sign in your post gives no indication that the nature of the trail the hiker is currently on is about to change and quite possibly become difficult to follow. That's my point.

In addition to listing the things you cannot do in the wilderness zone, it seems almost negligent not to mention the potential changing nature of trail condition and marking.

After all, we do it for above tree-line access points.

(The irony of the GG "wilderness" is when you pop over the headwall you are 200 yards from the summit building!)
 
OK. The sign in your post gives no indication that the nature of the trail the hiker is currently on is about to change and quite possibly become difficult to follow. That's my point.

In addition to listing the things you cannot do in the wilderness zone, it seems almost negligent not to mention the potential changing nature of trail condition and marking.

After all, we do it for above tree-line access points.

(The irony of the GG "wilderness" is when you pop over the headwall you are 200 yards from the summit building!)

I can see your point. But the word "Wilderness" should evoke a certain understanding of what one might be getting into. As already mentioned by peakbagger and I agree: "I would be hard pressed to think that someone who depends on wholly electronic means using online resources would pause to read and understand a warning sign, they are routinely ignored". Along with this mentality it is also evident that these folks are probably not reading the Guidebook and studying the maps even if they own them. Imagine a day when it was all initiated from an executive function rather than from a screen.
 
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OK. The sign in your post gives no indication that the nature of the trail the hiker is currently on is about to change and quite possibly become difficult to follow. That's my point.

In addition to listing the things you cannot do in the wilderness zone, it seems almost negligent not to mention the potential changing nature of trail condition and marking.

After all, we do it for above tree-line access points.

(The irony of the GG "wilderness" is when you pop over the headwall you are 200 yards from the summit building!)

The sign says "Expect primitive conditions in this area with few signs and rough trails that may be difficult to follow." Isn't that more or less what you said should be on such a sign? They passed no less than 3 iterations of that information before stepping foot into the Wilderness.
 
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The sign says "Expect primitive conditions in this area with few signs and rough trails that may be difficult to follow." Isn't that more or less what you said should be on such a sign? They passed no less than 3 iterations of that information before stepping foot into the Wilderness.

Opps, I didn’t read down that far on the sigh (typical moron hiker)!

Probably should be first bullet point rather than a footnote. :)

But at the end of the day you folks are probably correct: scary sighs have little impact on a highly motivated tramper.
 
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