Missing Massachusetts Hiker located and safe

[pks4000]

He he Rocket
Technology is frustratin' ain't it?

I know the feelin'

 

[DougPaul]

Cell signals have 35 mile "line of sight" acquisition capabilty in most good atmospheric conditions.

I believe this depends upon the protocol. I have seen a reasonably reliable report that GSM is limited to somewhere around 15 mi by the time delays in the signal transmission.

High points can also have the problem that the phone can exchange signals with too many towers or towers that are too far apart. In such cases, you may do better partway down the mountain where some of the towers are blocked. (This is why it is illegal to use a cellphone in an airborne aircraft.)

If you want reliable telephone service in the BC, get a satphone. In a number of places (including the Whites) 2M Ham Radio handheld radios are reported to be pretty effective. (cue SAR-EMT40...) (There have also been past threads on 2M Ham radios in the Whites.)

Technology is frustratin' ain't it?

Take your choice: clear summits or a tower on most of the higher summits to give you your connectivity everywhere...

Doug

 

[OldMan]

I really like to solo, and will continue doing so. I think it's a fine idea. Love it.

I too solo a lot and really enjoy it. Sure a larger/heavier pack is required to carry extra gear in case you have to spend the night but I'm prepared to if necessary. I also always take my GPS with me and in the winter I make sure I have a recorded track to follow incase the trail isn't obvious. The GPS track provides a level of security for me that I'm not wandering off my planned route.

 

[--M.]

I solo more than half the time, because that's how it is. It reins in my itinerary and shrinks the envelope, but I do get out there.

My guess is that the negligence law will be built case by case, and solo, or gps, or tighty-whities will be tested each time. But I'd be surprised if fining-for-solo stood up against public opinion. It's New Hampshire, fer cripes' sake!

When I go out in NH (as opposed to NY), I tell my wife when I expect to call, and also when she should call me in. For example, "I expect to call by sun-down, but don't call me in missing until the next 9am." Both times are chosen based on context, but allow for contingencies.

 

[Tuggy]

I don't see anything wrong with a prepared person hiking alone. Factoring in the weather report and the weather you find is part of being prepared. It seems this guy was coming out on his own and was prepared. He just wasn't able to let his wife know he was ok. As for accidents, it doesn't make sense to me to quit doing things I like because an accident may happen. I like hiking by myself.

 

[AndyF]

When this guy realized that his pace was slower than expected he should have been able to determine he wasn't go to make his expected return time. His choices then should have been to reach his contact to update his return time or if that is not possible turn around at a point where he could return on time.

Ironically I often solo hike on longer more difficult hikes and restrict group hikes to smaller easier hikes. This is because I know my own speed and ability and can predict my time more accurately than a group hike. Being off by 20% on a small hike is less of a detriment than on a large hike.

Also between a day with good weather where I have to go solo verses a day where others are available but weather is not good I "feel" safer solo.

There are two aspects to safe hiking, avoiding trouble and getting out of trouble. Solo hiking can lessen your chance of getting out of trouble but may decrease your chance of getting into trouble. Similarly for carrying lots fo emergency gear. It is an individual decision on what each person feels comfortable with. One size does not fit all.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

...I often solo hike on longer more difficult hikes ... This is because I know my own speed and ability and can predict my time more accurately than a group hike. Being off by 20% on a small hike is less of a detriment than on a large hike.

Ditto.

Tim

 

[Whiteman]

How about a poll on hiking alone

Who are the pollmeisters? I wonder what the votes would be.

I love hiking alone and am also happy in groups, which are usually just one or two people. The risk ratio is low enough for me. I've never had a serious injury alone or with others, though I suppose I'm just a beginner with a mere 100-200 mountains under my belt.

The downside of traveling alone is all that extra gear which bulks up fast enough for winter adventures. It's nice when you can share first aid/repair and other common gear over a few different packs.

I've learned the basic first aid, and can reduce a dislocated shoulder by myself (yep, been there, done that three times now, but once the joint is torn up it's pretty easy to get it back in).

I feel "up to code" when I'm out there alone. And the first thing I check is the weather. That's too easy.

 

[Wolfgang]

Follow-up question for VFTT members from a luker who wrote to us wondering people thoughts on hiking alone.

The N.H. Fish and Game report seems to indicate an issue with hiking alone, but the Hiker Responsibility Code makes no mention to it. Thoughts?

I've hiked all the winters solo and I'm always aware of the dangers of doing this. I move a lot slower and more deliberate in winter, trying to be especially careful of foot placement. I think the biggest caution for solo hikers are the impending weather conditions. I usually won't attempt something too difficult if the forecast is iffy. If I had to wait for groups to form, I probably wouldn't hike as much as I do. One has to decide if the risks are worth it.

Wolfgang

 

[Wolfgang]

Follow-up question for VFTT members from a luker who wrote to us wondering people thoughts on hiking alone.

The N.H. Fish and Game report seems to indicate an issue with hiking alone, but the Hiker Responsibility Code makes no mention to it. Thoughts?

Here's another thought. Hiking solo has some advantages, in that, one has more flexibility over a group hike and can pick and choose at the last minute to proceed or wait for a better day for the hike. Whereas, a group, having determined beforehand to meet and hike, may proceed simply because they're there, so let's do it, and this may not be the wisest choice. I think it all comes down to conditions, conditions, conditions. Enough said.

Wolfgang

 

[rocket21]

Here's another thought. Hiking solo has some advantages, in that, one has more flexibility over a group hike and can pick and choose at the last minute to proceed or wait for a better day for the hike. Whereas, a group, having determined beforehand to meet and hike, may proceed simply because they're there, so let's do it, and this may not be the wisest choice. I think it all comes down to conditions, conditions, conditions. Enough said.

I also believe in the value of out and back hikes in winter - you generally know what you're getting yourself into. Doing a traverse or loop, on the other hand, can increase the chances of running into some sort of unexpected obstacle while trying to get out.

 

[Bob Kittredge]

While I often solo hike in summer, I'm more cautious in winter. I try to plan my solitary winter hikes on days and trails that I'm confident will have other hikers around. One lovely January Saturday I "soloed" Washington; I was probably never out of sight of other hikers for the entire time I was above treeline.

 

[AndyF]

The downside of traveling alone is all that extra gear which bulks up fast enough for winter adventures. It's nice when you can share first aid/repair and other common gear over a few different packs.

I don't carry any less when in a group. I always want to be able to take care of myself and not rely on anyone else. Maybe that is because I'm an only child. Sometimes I actually carry more in a group as a precaution against what the others don't have enough of.

 

[MadRiver]

I don't carry any less when in a group. I always want to be able to take care of myself and not rely on anyone else. Maybe that is because I'm an only child. Sometimes I actually carry more in a group as a precaution against what the others don't have enough of.

What Andy said, except for the only child part.

 

[TrishandAlex]

I don't carry any less when in a group. I always want to be able to take care of myself and not rely on anyone else. Maybe that is because I'm an only child. Sometimes I actually carry more in a group as a precaution against what the others don't have enough of.

I'm the same way. Actually, I think everyone should probably carry just as much as the solo winter hiker....if everyone happened to get stuck out for a night, how would one determine how to spread the emergency gear around? If I'm the only one who brought a sleeping bag and bivy...um, sorry, but I'll be the one using it....I can fit one other person in with me but the rest of the group has to figure something else out....

I'd do what I could to help out, but bottom line is that perhaps each person should be prepared to take care of themselves for a night out, even if they're traveling with 6 other people. Not saying anyone should abandon or neglect anyone in their party of course.....but I know I certainly can't squeeze in more than one other person into my bag and bivy.....so what happens to the rest of the group if no one else came prepared (because they assumed they'd be safe in a group)..?

 

[MadRiver]

A quick side note on why I carry my own gear. Five or six years ago I was doing a Pemi loop and someone in the party talked me into not taking my stove to save weight and said I could use hers. When we got to Liberty Springs I asked to use the stove to make my dinner and she refused saying she wanted to wait awhile. I ended up using another person’s stove and shared my dinner with him. Lesson learned.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

I almost always hike alone. For me to not do so would defeat one of the reasons why I hike, and that is to get away from the real world. This individual may have been hiking alone but he was well prepared. His only mistake appears to be not checking the forecast more thoroughly or checking more than one weather source.

Kudos to S&R; glad things turned out well.

 

[DougPaul]

I don't carry any less when in a group. I always want to be able to take care of myself and not rely on anyone else. Maybe that is because I'm an only child. Sometimes I actually carry more in a group as a precaution against what the others don't have enough of.

Same here. (But I'm not an only child.)

FWIW, when I had my BC XC skiing accident (broken leg), I had everything needed in my pack (~23 lbs) to stabilize me until evacuation.

Doug

 

[Maddy]

. If I had to wait for groups to form, I probably wouldn't hike as much as I do. One has to decide if the risks are worth it.

Wolfgang

When people were astounded and/or dismayed that I "solo" hiked most of the time, my response for years has been
If I had to wait for people to hike with, I would surely grow old in my rocking chair."

I love to hike solo.The risk have always been worth it. This has been reinforced to me recently because I have a friend who is making a half hearted attempt to hike. It is far more challenging keeping an eye out on her than keeping an eye on the dog.
I am extra cautious hiking alone not only for myself but for the fur kids.
I would not be aversive to paying for a rescue if it was deemed that I was reckless and would not have gotten into the situation if I had been hiking with others.
However, I think I would most definitely be charged for being reckless if I brought this "friend" to the Whites.

That being said, I do carry emergency gear because if for any reason I am ever benighted, I hate being cold.
I learned my lesson in MN. Freezing just isn't a whole lot of fun and I found it to be totally incapacitating. Not a good thing if one is solo.
"No argument here, Lt. Borgadus!!! Your check will be forthcoming.Many thanks for saving my bacon.!"

 

[wardsgirl]

There are some great points being made here by Trish, MadRiver, and others. Good grief, let's not vilify solo hiking! I am usually the slowest hiker in the bunch, so I have always shunned group trips, in favor of enjoying the woods alone (until I had a child, at least!). If I had to wait for others to be available to hike, I never would have begun enjoying hiking or backpacking as a sport in the first place. Certainly almost all of the patrol work for the trail maintenence in the Whites that I have done has been performed solo- READ: "Aw, Mom, do I have to go to (fill in the blank: West Bond/Isolation/Twin Brook Trail/Dry River Cutoff) again?"

If solo hiking is outside of your comfort level, don't do it, but don't discourage others from enjoying the woods alone. When I first started hiking, I took a wilderness medicine course. The instructor, Bill Aughton, made the good point that solo hikers are usually more careful than those traveling in a group because they need to be prepared to take care of themselves in case of an emergency. In my travels, I have found this to be true when evaluating the experience level of hikers. The more experienced hiker tends to carry more useful gear, hikes more competently, and makes better decisions with respect to conditions.

I have always carried enough gear to spend the night and take care of myself. When I finished the W48 the first time, I had hiked 36 of the peaks solo. Back in the day, it was very uncommon to run into other hikers on a winter trip and I planned accordingly.