Rocky Mtn. Self-Rescue

[Andrew]

2 NH hiker/climber women self-rescue from Rocky Mt. National Park Colorado peak:


http://www.inquisitr.com/949427/hik...ak-save-themselves-when-rescuers-cant-arrive/

 

[Tom_Murphy]

Given the weather forecast, they should never have been up there to begin with.

Reflects poorly on their company imo.

 

[sierra]

Why is this news? They went for a hike, the weather turned to shit, then they hiked down. I've done that 1000 times and I get no press whatsoever, dam, I should be famous by now.

 

[erugs]

It could have been more extreme news. They went for a hike - Longs Peak is more than a hike. The weather turned - as it does and they weren't prepared for the cold or ice except they did have a tent. Then they hiked down - after realizing help was not going to come quickly because of the "turned" weather they climbed into and because of the extreme rains and flooding that area of our country has seen. Shame on them for not being better prepared, hooray that they self-rescued. They may have hiked/climbed a bit, but I would not have called them experienced with the mess they got themselves into. Perhaps now they are experienced?

Sierra - I hearby declare that you are now famous.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Another newpaper article update -

 

[Stan]

Sierra - I hearby declare that you are now famous.

Yeah! but for what ... 1000 hikes or not checking the weather 1000 times!

Strikes me there was a bit of a publicity stunt in that story but, as far as I'm concerned, there is only one NEMO and it is a friendly little bar in Gila Bend, AZ ... now then, don't I deserve two gratuities?

 

[peakbagger]

"Cloud cover rendered their GPS unreliable"?. That's an interesting one, must be a solar powered GPS unit as clouds usually don't impact my reception significantly.

Cant be a publicity stunt, they don't mention in their website.

I expect whatever model Nemo tent they had is in for a redesign.

 

[skiguy]

Why is this news? They went for a hike, the weather turned to shit, then they hiked down. I've done that 1000 times and I get no press whatsoever, dam, I should be famous by now.

The reason you are not famous is you have not made cell phone contact and declared yourself in the midst of an epic experience.

 

[DougPaul]

"Cloud cover rendered their GPS unreliable"?. That's an interesting one, must be a solar powered GPS unit as clouds usually don't impact my reception significantly.

I red-flagged that line as well...
GPS was designed to be an all weather military navigation system--clouds have little effect on the signals.

My guess is that something else went wrong with their GPS or it was an operator error and they blamed it on the cloud cover.

Doug

 

[sierra]

Yeah! but for what ... 1000 hikes or not checking the weather 1000 times!

Strikes me there was a bit of a publicity stunt in that story but, as far as I'm concerned, there is only one NEMO and it is a friendly little bar in Gila Bend, AZ ... now then, don't I deserve two gratuities?

I like hiking in inclement conditions, some of my best days where in the worst conditions.

The reason you are not famous is you have not made cell phone contact and declared yourself in the midst of an epic experience.

My policy on calling for help is well documented. To be frank on the various boards I post on, both here and out west, I think infamous might be more a accurate term describing me.

 

[blacknblue]

"If our tent ripped away in the wind or the poles broke or we got caught in a flash flood or broke an ankle, it could be the end,"

Well, yeah... that would describe a lot of backpacking trips. Of all the tales of courage and valor during the Colorado flooding, this one is pretty far down the list. They had a bad twist of fate with the weather, yes, but most of their suffering was self-induced. Also, as pointed out with the GPS, a lot of the details are questionably true, and seem designed to add more drama.

 

[erugs]

Did I read the story wrong? Were they not nearly at the top - if so, would flash floods have been an issue there? Did they explain why they had a tent but not storm-worthy clothing for the season at hand? Did their cell phone die because they had it turned on too often? I'm not trying to say they were unprepared, but how prepared were they? Experienced hikers think of the environmental issues they could encounter because they have in the past.

Not trying to be critical, just knowledgeable.

 

[weatherman]

Though early September is probably the best time to find the best trail conditions and the best weather around here, and heck, they DID make it out fine, their trip had a lot of "edges" in my book:
1. They were really on the edge of too little gear.
2. The length of their trip put them on the edge of too little weather information (though, arguably, who could prepare for a 500 year flood and storm length that meteorologists around here say probably hasn't happened in longer than that??). The day before the storm, experts were saying to expect about an inch of rain, maybe two. Not 18.
3. Longs has a lot of edges you can fall off. I wouldn't start up in anything less than perfect weather this time of year.

Have to say I've been in some situations like that, though. Other than the sheer length of their wait, most of us probably have too.

 

[sierra]

Like in New England, this is a critical time of the year for accidents on the 14ers. The weather turns on a dime out there up high and it will snow and ice up in minutes. I have already made additions to my pack here and if I was attempting a 14er in CO tomorrow, I would be ready for adverse conditions for sure. As far as the GPS, I have never even held one in my hand. I know they have some great perks, but Im just not into perks, my compass is fine for me and I relish the times its swinging from my neck.