Rescue on Mount Jackson

[forestgnome]

Glad you're safe, Julie!

Many people in that situation along the Southern Presidential Ridge end up in the Dry River Valley trying to escape the wind. Even if a hiker does start pushing down the western slopes their tracks disappear so they are hard to find if they don't make it all the way out.

Julie had enough to keep herself warm. In a situation in wich many would panic, she made a good decision and hunkered down for the night.

happy trails, Julie

 

[weatherman]

That flat area is positively maddening. My brother and I attempted a Jackson-Webster loop a few winters ago on a perfect bluebird day, albeit with deep snow. We summited Jackson fine, then turned right to tackle Webster. We got down below the rock wall into the flat area, lost the trail, floundered for over an hour, found a zillion or eight fir traps (yes, we were wearing great big snowshoes), and despite not even being at our turnaround time had no choice but to grunt back up over the wall to reclimb Jackson and go down the way we came back up. Still never got to climb Webster in the winter.

Weatherman

 

[Becca M]

... all good arguments for carrying a GPS, compass, map, extra batteries, SPOT, bivvy, etc., etc., but especially a GPS!!!!

 

[RoySwkr]

had no choice but to grunt back up over the wall to reclimb Jackson and go down the way we came back up.

Or bushwhack around cone like I've done twice, see above

... all good arguments for carrying a GPS, compass, map, extra batteries, SPOT, bivvy, etc., etc., but especially a GPS!!!!

I thought about a GPS, but either you have to run a track log and hope you don't lose the unit on an overhanging tree or get it too wet to function, or else hope your GPS maps are better than MyTopo

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.20436,-71.38281&z=15&t=T

 

[Becca M]

Or bushwhack around cone like I've done twice, see above


I thought about a GPS, but either you have to run a track log and hope you don't lose the unit on an overhanging tree or get it too wet to function, or else hope your GPS maps are better than MyTopo

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.20436,-71.38281&z=15&t=T

For the $$$ it cost, I definitely don't want to lose it so I just keep it off and zipped in an inner pocket at all times until needed. I have also used it to find Webster!!! ANYWAY, If I turn it on, I could still leave it in the pocket and it would get the track. I can always justify spending the $$$ for any additional margin of safety!!!!

 

[weatherman]

Or bushwhack around cone like I've done twice, see above

We half-heartedly tried to do that but found a bottomless pit of fir traps every 20 feet or so, plus we were more or less in the canopy (we're tall). The trail was the only reliable way to make progress. Anyway, back on topic, I really like Julie's idea of calling to see if anyone could tell/show her where the heck to go. Hard to do operationally, but a good thought! Another possible use for a GPS, assuming high accuracy and functionality and good batteries and....

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I have hiked with Julie a number of times and I think she handled herself quite well given the circumstances. She called for assistance and found shelter for the night. Well done Julie!

I agree. We hiked this route on Sunday and the wind was blowing in the tracks as fast as they were set. There was one set of tracks mistakenly heading east instead of west in the flat area below the summit cone. Only because I have been on this trail many times in the winter did I know where to go. Perhaps a few high blue blazes on trees in this area would be helpful for winter hikers?

 

[Maddy]

I agree. We hiked this route on Sunday and the wind was blowing in the tracks as fast as they were set. There was one set of tracks mistakenly heading east instead of west in the flat area below the summit cone. Only because I have been on this trail many times in the winter did I know where to go. Perhaps a few high blue blazes on trees in this area would be helpful for winter hikers?

OH NO...not a BLUE blaze in a "pristine" wilderness!

Seriously, I am surprised that with the number of people getting turned around in that area that they have not done something about this long ago.
It's interesting to read that more that one has encountered difficulty with route finding.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

OH NO...not a BLUE blaze in a "pristine" wilderness!

Seriously, I am surprised that with the number of people getting turned around in that area that they have not done something about this long ago.
It's interesting to read that more that one has encountered difficulty with route finding.

No problemo, as the tricky area below the summit on the Webster-Jackson Trail is outside the Dry River Wilderness.

However, the Webster Cliff trail is more or less on the wilderness boundary, so blazes might be more problematic there?

 

[RoySwkr]

However, the Webster Cliff trail is more or less on the wilderness boundary, so blazes might be more problematic there?

The Wilderness is carefully defined to be 50'? NE of the trail so it would be the A.T. guidelines that rule, and they are far more generous than typical WMNF standards.

I really like Julie's idea of calling to see if anyone could tell/show her where the heck to go. Hard to do operationally, but a good thought!

I would have thought it would work better, particularly if when the rescue team arrived in the area they could call her cell phone and tell her to unwrap hood and listen for foghorn blast

Another possible use for a GPS, assuming high accuracy and functionality and good batteries and....

If you could furnish accurate coordinates, a rescue team could find you right away but it might take them 3 hours to get organized and get there

Assuming that the rescue center unlike MyTopo has good trail coordinates, they should be able to give you a vector to return to the trail and you would be on your way immediately. Whether they would actually do so is questionable, as there might be swamps or cliffs on that route and rescue groups tend to be snotty about trusting the general public.

It would be better to call a friend with the necessary info, anybody have a phone # for DP?

 

[DougPaul]

Assuming that the rescue center unlike MyTopo has good trail coordinates, they should be able to give you a vector to return to the trail and you would be on your way immediately. Whether they would actually do so is questionable, as there might be swamps or cliffs on that route and rescue groups tend to be snotty about trusting the general public

I have read of a GPS equipped party being directed back to the trail by the authorities via a cell phone. Much easier than sending out the SAR crew to find them and escort them back...

IMO, the best strategy is to load the best available maps or GPS tracks (eg the WMNF GIS tracks announced in http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38643) into the GPS before starting out. In either case, you have to take the possible map/GPS track errors and the possible current GPS location errors into account. In an area like Mt Jackson with a deep snowpack, there may be no surface cues to the location of the trail so this technique may get you close to the trail but you still may not be able to locate it*. (When we used this technique on the Pemi Lollipop ski, we were below timberline so we could usually tell when we were in the corridor.) However, one should be able to follow the map trail or GPS track to a place where there are sufficient surface cues to find the trail corridor.

* You may want to use this technique in conjunction with a mechanical compass to follow the vector from the GPS.

Doug