stu
New member
This is an incredibly chilling story told to me by two people I met on the trail in Baxter S.P. this past wed. I am including just the facts as I remember them and I’m not going to make any judgments on what amounted to some really weak decision making.
While making my way up the Saddle Trail I came upon a man and his wife (probably in their mid-forties) sitting on the trail, resting. As I approached, the women blurted out, “How much further to the ranger’s station?” I told them that they were almost there and it was probably only ¼ mile down the trail. I started wondering where they were coming from this early in the morning (8:45), so I asked. They said they were coming down off the saddle and had spent the night up above tree line! Then the “floodgates” opened.
“Didn’t you have headlamps?” They both had flashlights, and both failed. He had purchased a “cheap” one battery light (the kind sold in gas stations), and apparently had never tested it. She had a “Mag-Lite” but the batteries were weak and died. They had spent a long, cold & windy (but dry) night above tree line, huddled by a rock waiting for dawn. They also said they had a stove, (but couldn’t light it due to the wind), no tent, and minimal day-hiking gear.
Taking the Ranger’s advice they had waited until the clouds cleared on Tue. before leaving Chimney Pond Camp. They had wanted to leave at 7:00 but didn’t get started up the Dudley Trail until 9:00. They crossed the Knife Edge, summited Baxter Peak and started toward the “saddle”, eventually running out of light making it too dangerous to continue.
This is where it gets interesting. Although the guy said he used to do some hiking (including several peaks out west), this “was his wife’s FIRST HIKE EVER” and “he under estimated how slow their progress would be.” And finally, he “forgot that his wife was AFRAID OF HEIGHTS” and that “she had to crawl on her hands and knees over the Knife Edge”
Obviously this was why it took them so long and why they ran out of daylight. Although they were shook-up, I told them they actually looked pretty good considering and that they were very lucky that it didn’t rain that night. With that I assured them they were almost to Chimney Pond and we parted company, each going in opposite directions. I was haunted by their story for the rest of the day, at one point wishing I had helped them back to camp….but hindsight is 20/20.
While making my way up the Saddle Trail I came upon a man and his wife (probably in their mid-forties) sitting on the trail, resting. As I approached, the women blurted out, “How much further to the ranger’s station?” I told them that they were almost there and it was probably only ¼ mile down the trail. I started wondering where they were coming from this early in the morning (8:45), so I asked. They said they were coming down off the saddle and had spent the night up above tree line! Then the “floodgates” opened.
“Didn’t you have headlamps?” They both had flashlights, and both failed. He had purchased a “cheap” one battery light (the kind sold in gas stations), and apparently had never tested it. She had a “Mag-Lite” but the batteries were weak and died. They had spent a long, cold & windy (but dry) night above tree line, huddled by a rock waiting for dawn. They also said they had a stove, (but couldn’t light it due to the wind), no tent, and minimal day-hiking gear.
Taking the Ranger’s advice they had waited until the clouds cleared on Tue. before leaving Chimney Pond Camp. They had wanted to leave at 7:00 but didn’t get started up the Dudley Trail until 9:00. They crossed the Knife Edge, summited Baxter Peak and started toward the “saddle”, eventually running out of light making it too dangerous to continue.
This is where it gets interesting. Although the guy said he used to do some hiking (including several peaks out west), this “was his wife’s FIRST HIKE EVER” and “he under estimated how slow their progress would be.” And finally, he “forgot that his wife was AFRAID OF HEIGHTS” and that “she had to crawl on her hands and knees over the Knife Edge”
Obviously this was why it took them so long and why they ran out of daylight. Although they were shook-up, I told them they actually looked pretty good considering and that they were very lucky that it didn’t rain that night. With that I assured them they were almost to Chimney Pond and we parted company, each going in opposite directions. I was haunted by their story for the rest of the day, at one point wishing I had helped them back to camp….but hindsight is 20/20.
