Eisenhower Cairn

It was my understanding that, in the past, the summit cairn on Eisenhower has been disassembled due to it housing a bees nest? Is this myth or did it really occur? Is it likely to be an option again?

Currently, the cairn seems to have a very active, large group of bees residing in it again.

I was up yesterday with my future daughter in law who had not brought her epipen. While she was scared, she was very cautious and all was fine. Still it seems it could be a set up for a bad rescue situation, considering the amount of traffic that peak sees.

It does seem to attract all sorts of odd insects. I usually do not spend a lot of time right at the cairn but plenty of room at the summit.

If somebody has a severe anaphylactic reaction on top of Eisenhower, or anywhere else that's not right on the road near a town, it's likely not going to be a rescue. Those who die of bee sting usually die in about fifteen minutes. A less severe reaction may take up to thirty minutes to manifest; an epi-pen usually buys you about twenty minutes after that for an ambulance to reach you. But advanced medical aid is not coming to the top of Eisenhower in that kind of time frame. Carrying two or three doses may be a good idea, ask your doctor. Personally, if I were allergic, I'd keep at least one in my pocket at all times, given how many times I've stepped on or brushed against wasp nests in my own back yard.

I'm curious what kind of insect is in the Eisenhower cairn. Honeybees for example are generally very placid (I like to pet them) unless you actually mess with their nest; bald-faced hornets will defend a perimeter.