Huntington Ravine Rescue

[peakbagger]

https://nhfishgame.com/2023/10/18/injured-hiker-carried-out-of-huntington-ravine/
Classic "Fall season in name only rescue" The clouds lifted this AM for a few minutes and there was snow on the summits down to about 5000 feet.

It is interesting the added comment

should not be attempted by anyone who does not have the experience, skills, and ability to rock climb and to utilize ropes, harnesses, and other technical gear.

I am expect many folks have successfully climbed this trail without any gear and for some little common sense. I hope Fish and Game is not imposing new rules to the game.

 

[DayTrip]

Surprised we have seen more of these stories the past few weeks. I've passed several people on my past few hikes that felt like "local morning news" waiting to happen. I still marvel at how many people take trails with absolutely no idea what they're getting into.

 

[KRooney]

Thanks goodness for the SARs staff. They must have been really hammered by the time they got back to Pinkham.

 

[skiguy]

https://nhfishgame.com/2023/10/18/injured-hiker-carried-out-of-huntington-ravine/
Classic "Fall season in name only rescue" The clouds lifted this AM for a few minutes and there was snow on the summits down to about 5000 feet.

It is interesting the added comment

should not be attempted by anyone who does not have the experience, skills, and ability to rock climb and to utilize ropes, harnesses, and other technical gear.

I am expect many folks have successfully climbed this trail without any gear and for some little common sense. I hope Fish and Game is not imposing new rules to the game.

Kudos to the rescuers. Very challenging conditions. Perhaps the warning on technical gear was intended for the current conditions although it does come across sounding more generalized.

 

[sierra]

I have some questions, but maybe I'm reading this report wrong. The "fan" is the talus slope before the "slab" that is typically considered the crux of the route. I have no idea why you would perform a rescue from above that requires fixing lines and lowering litters down the entire face, when you could just hike up to basically the initial start of the climb from below, (which they ended up doing anyway). There is even a cache on the floor of the ravine with a litter and rescue gear ready to go. Not to mention, you could access the ravine via the fire road that leaves the Tucks trail at around 2.4 miles from Pinkham. Secondly, the comments of needing technical gear are way off, the hiking trail that ascends the headwall is class 3, but does not require ropes or technical gear, even at this very moment. The ravine may have some surface ice and frost, but traction would be all you needed to ascend the standard route. Aside from the hiking trail, yes, all the other routes do require 5th class climbing and the associated equipment. I guess this greenhorn missed or ignored the sign installed at the Tucks? Huntington trail junction explaining the difficulties ahead. No surprise, a good sign never stopped everyone. Just for the record, my comments are based on the post itself and the information provided, I am by no means taking anything away from the SAR teams.

 

[NHClimber]

I have some questions, but maybe I'm reading this report wrong. The "fan" is the talus slope before the "slab" that is typically considered the crux of the route. I have no idea why you would perform a rescue from above that requires fixing lines and lowering litters down the entire face, when you could just hike up to basically the initial start of the climb from below, (which they ended up doing anyway). There is even a cache on the floor of the ravine with a litter and rescue gear ready to go. Not to mention, you could access the ravine via the fire road that leaves the Tucks trail at around 2.4 miles from Pinkham. Secondly, the comments of needing technical gear are way off, the hiking trail that ascends the headwall is class 3, but does not require ropes or technical gear, even at this very moment. The ravine may have some surface ice and frost, but traction would be all you needed to ascend the standard route. Aside from the hiking trail, yes, all the other routes do require 5th class climbing and the associated equipment. I guess this greenhorn missed or ignored the sign installed at the Tucks? Huntington trail junction explaining the difficulties ahead. No surprise, a good sign never stopped everyone. Just for the record, my comments are based on the post itself and the information provided, I am by no means taking anything away from the SAR teams.

Agreed. Seems odd. Sounds like he fell on the slab somewhere, which as you note is right above the fan at the bottom of the serious climbing. And certainly no gear is required until the area fills in with snow/ice. I once turned around many years ago as I examined the wet/slightly icy slab and decided it was a bad idea that day. But a few other seemingly unprepared hikers continued (and it was raining too). Couldn't believe they didn't get into trouble. It was lightly snowing/freezing rain last week at Hermit lake and I saw a completely unprepared group head up towards Lion Head. No idea if they kept going but they were in tee shirts and one was wearing shorts. I went up the Boot Spur Link and it was fine but cold and I was decked out, winter hat and all.

 

[nartreb]

Yeah, "1200 feet below the Alpine Trail junction" (by elevation) would put him about the top of the Fan. Seems like an obvious thing to try to access that spot from below, but maybe they had bad information about how far up the ravine he was. (Sounds like a drone might have helped!)
Note that "equipment needed to hike the trail" is not the same as "equipment needed to perform a rescue after somebody has slipped off the trail." Even an empty litter is heavy and awkward enough that carrying it might call for use of ropes for safety on a trail like HR in rainy conditions. Also note that slab is not always generous with anchor points. In a technical rescue, descending is often much faster than ascending: you make one good anchor, descend one rope length, repeat. Whereas going bottom-up means actually climbing (finding handholds as you go), and finding gear placement every so often, in addition to building anchors.

Also of note: 911 call from the hiker was at 5:20 PM. Was he going up or coming down? Not sure which is worse...

 

[DayTrip]

the hiking trail that ascends the headwall is class 3, but does not require ropes or technical gear, even at this very moment. The ravine may have some surface ice and frost, but traction would be all you needed to ascend the standard route.

There are a few scrambles on that headwall that would be pretty tricky in icy conditions (a glaze coating is what I was imagining with the described weather) with just "traction" and nothing else. There are a few spots where you'd want some solid handholds too. I don't personally think that big wall at the beginning is the hardest scramble on that trail (although it obviously would be the biggest fall). There are a few shorter, near vertical ones that are pretty smooth further up on the headwall.

And from the point of view of the rescuers there not just ascending/descending the trail. They need to safely and securely transport the litter too. I doubt they'd be doing that on that section just in traction.
Having said all that, I agree I thought that was weird they didn't just go up to the Fan from below if he was at the base of the big ledge. Maybe proximity to the auto road for evacuation was their motivation to descend? Sounds like they got it right in the end.

 

[sierra]

There are a few scrambles on that headwall that would be pretty tricky in icy conditions (a glaze coating is what I was imagining with the described weather) with just "traction" and nothing else. There are a few spots where you'd want some solid handholds too. I don't personally think that big wall at the beginning is the hardest scramble on that trail (although it obviously would be the biggest fall). There are a few shorter, near vertical ones that are pretty smooth further up on the headwall.

And from the point of view of the rescuers there not just ascending/descending the trail. They need to safely and securely transport the litter too. I doubt they'd be doing that on that section just in traction.
Having said all that, I agree I thought that was weird they didn't just go up to the Fan from below if he was at the base of the big ledge. Maybe proximity to the auto road for evacuation was their motivation to descend? Sounds like they got it right in the end.

You and Nartreb make valid points and my post was pure speculation without having every fact of the rescue. The use of the auto road is quite common and the point about carrying litters is 100% true. I was came upon the scene of a rescue once on Washington and volunteered to help with the litter carry. Until you carry a litter over rough terrain, you have no idea how hard it truly is. I had a sore shoulder for a week and I destroyed one of my crampons walking over the talus slope with all that weight.

 

[Shoe]

Surprised we have seen more of these stories the past few weeks. I've passed several people on my past few hikes that felt like "local morning news" waiting to happen. I still marvel at how many people take trails with absolutely no idea what they're getting into.

My favorite is when they ask us where we are staying because of the bigger bags and maybe our pads. I just say, "Just planning on not being that guy. That's all."

 

[skiguy]

Lots of us here self admittedly starting hiking in cut off jeans and knee socks. So what's new?

 

[DayTrip]

Lots of us here self admittedly starting hiking in cut off jeans and knee socks. So what's new?

I remember my first "Winter attempt" of Mount Washington in my early 20's. Well before I knew anything about hiking or did it on any regular occasion I decided after a few Summer climbs of Washington (which generally involved no backpack, worn out basketball shoes, jean shorts and a Patriots sweatshirt) that it would be cool to climb it in Winter.

So one cold Winter day when no one wanted to go to Wildcat to ski I set off from Pinkham Notch in my downhill skiing clothes, no map, no traction whatsoever (I didn't even know it existed) and Winter boots. I headed up Tuckerman Ravine trail (had never done it before and had no idea it would be closed) which was thoroughly post holed so I was able to keep my footing. I think it took me about a mile before I realized I had embarked on something epicly stupid. I passed a few guys heading down who advised me it was snowing on the summit with wind gusts of about 130mph so I decided to just hike into the hut at Tuckerman Ravine. I took in some views, sweaty and now getting quite a chill and headed back down. I think I had Gatorade and Snickers Bars for nutrition. I just remember how cold it was (nowhere even remotely near the summit).

It's fun years later to look back at how fantastically ridiculous and dangerous that was. Ignorance is bliss as they say.