On the local news this morning, I expect more details to follow
http://www.wmur.com/news/nh-news/ma...gton/-/9857858/22035164/-/30esf6/-/index.html
http://www.wmur.com/news/nh-news/ma...gton/-/9857858/22035164/-/30esf6/-/index.html
Tuckermans Ravine Trail Fatality
- Thread starter peakbagger
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erugs
New member
The scroll along the bottom of WMUR read that the man "wanted off a Mt. Washington trail" - what a poor typo in this case. Sad to hear of a young man losing his life.
NH Tramper
Member
Sad indeed 
RoySwkr
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Actually it may be more appropriate than the "wandered" in the text, as the man apparently left the trail deliberately rather than by accident.
There seem to be an excessive number of fatal accidents on this short section of trail, wonder if it is time to close it permanently and create an alternate such as upgraded Lion Head.
erugs
New member
I hope the trail isn't closed, but perhaps a little more safety built into it. I was hoping to see that last time they did trail work there.
DougPaul
Well-known member
The victim was off trail.
If you go off trail on steep terrain, you take your own risks.
Doug
erugs
New member
Yes, he was off trail, but I have found the trail still a little scary and I am experienced.
The reports say he "wandered" off the trail rather than that he purposely stepped off of the trail.
No matter, it is an awful thing.
The reports say he "wandered" off the trail rather than that he purposely stepped off of the trail.
No matter, it is an awful thing.
Becca M
Active member
Very sad!!!!!
Possibly a lot MORE accidents skiing/riding/sliding in the bowl in winter, but, I'm glad people have the freedom to make those risk-related decisions for themselves! (Anybody ever see the ambulance caravans coming up/down Route 16 heading to/from Pinkham on a beautiful winter weekend?????)
Possibly a lot MORE accidents skiing/riding/sliding in the bowl in winter, but, I'm glad people have the freedom to make those risk-related decisions for themselves! (Anybody ever see the ambulance caravans coming up/down Route 16 heading to/from Pinkham on a beautiful winter weekend?????)
Kudos to you Becca for saying so. I could not agree more!
Unfortunately in these situations much of the time our Media is not always adept in their rhetoric. IMO taking the reporting at face value wether he wandered or purposely went off trail he did it for a self made decision. To Quote the article:
"Fish and Game officials said the man, whose name has not been released, was hiking with friends when he wandered off the trail to get a better look at a waterfall and refill his water bottle."
I interpret that as on purpose.
DougPaul
Well-known member
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billski
Member
A friend of mine who has been hiking the presi's all week said the weather has been just marvelous - warm, sunny and low winds. I suppose some people just let their guard down.
iagreewithjamie
Member
It was 5:15 in the afternoon, on the descent. Why need water so soon after leaving the summit? I wonder if he just had one water bottle.
There have been some major injuries up at Washington this year. I remember the kid from Pembroke who free-climbed the wall at Huntington and had a bad accident just a month ago. He "wandered" off trail, too.
The Tuck's trail was the first White Mountain trail I climbed, and I was in horrible shape at the time. However, I never felt that I wasn't safe if I was careful, and used a good dose of common sense. All too often, inexperienced people get to a place where they really shouldn't be, and they think they'll be OK because "if it were so bad, I wouldn't have been able to get here". It's not like you're free climbing a cliff. Despite all of the warnings and signs the AMC has plastered all around there, people still approach the mountain without one iota of respect. It's alarming as responsible hikers because we've invested time and money into hiking responsibly and safely, yet the real dangers posed to us out in the woods aren't the elements mother nature will throw at us... its other people who just finished watching Cliffhanger and think they wanna be Reinhold Messner.
Seems like just recently (maybe last week) we were having this discussion with Billski about preparedness in the backcountry. But when you start using the summits as a way to make steady income and start trying to draw people from everywhere to your mountain for whatever reason, you're going to get your fair share of inexperienced people doing things they shouldn't. And Tucks is a prime example: it's not really a place to cut your teeth on hiking or skiing, yet novices (some with no common sense at all) go up there all the time. That's why I avoid Pinkhams like the plague.
There have been some major injuries up at Washington this year. I remember the kid from Pembroke who free-climbed the wall at Huntington and had a bad accident just a month ago. He "wandered" off trail, too.
The Tuck's trail was the first White Mountain trail I climbed, and I was in horrible shape at the time. However, I never felt that I wasn't safe if I was careful, and used a good dose of common sense. All too often, inexperienced people get to a place where they really shouldn't be, and they think they'll be OK because "if it were so bad, I wouldn't have been able to get here". It's not like you're free climbing a cliff. Despite all of the warnings and signs the AMC has plastered all around there, people still approach the mountain without one iota of respect. It's alarming as responsible hikers because we've invested time and money into hiking responsibly and safely, yet the real dangers posed to us out in the woods aren't the elements mother nature will throw at us... its other people who just finished watching Cliffhanger and think they wanna be Reinhold Messner.
Seems like just recently (maybe last week) we were having this discussion with Billski about preparedness in the backcountry. But when you start using the summits as a way to make steady income and start trying to draw people from everywhere to your mountain for whatever reason, you're going to get your fair share of inexperienced people doing things they shouldn't. And Tucks is a prime example: it's not really a place to cut your teeth on hiking or skiing, yet novices (some with no common sense at all) go up there all the time. That's why I avoid Pinkhams like the plague.
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iagreewithjamie
Member
Here's the "more details" that followed:
http://www.telegram.com/article/20130920/NEWS/309209665/1052
http://www.telegram.com/article/20130920/NEWS/309209665/1052
billski
Member
Quote of the day: "Is hiking Mount Washington safe? No."
Just cruising the web looking up some hiking stats on Mt. Wash. Interesting comments from MWO. It's great reading for the non-hiker. Betcha few people read this.
"Part of its draw is that it is the highest peak in the Northeast – and people are attracted to superlatives."
...
"Hikers should not confuse the trails on Mount Washington with smooth "nature walks". All the trails on the mountain are rugged, rocky, muddy and slippery when wet, and steep."
...
"Before hiking Mount Washington, it is recommended that hikers gain at least some basic experience in hiking on rough terrain, be familiar with their clothing and equipment, and be in good health and good physical condition. A few "shake down" hikes elsewhere in the White Mountains (or on similar terrain elsewhere) are good training "
...
"Is hiking Mount Washington safe?
No. There are no guarantees that hikers will escape the mountain unscathed, so if absolute safety is what you require, then avoid a visit."
"It is estimated that about 50,000 people hike up the mountain each year, and most of those do so without accident or injury. "
" If, during the course of your ascent, you find you are traveling at a much slower rate, you should reconsider your plans and think seriously about turning back – to arrive at the summit late in the day, exhausted, and with four or five rough miles to descend would be unenjoyable at best and dangerous at worst. "
50,000...The odds have it in the cards. 140/day, but let's discount half the year, Nov-March, and it's more like 300/day.
Source,
http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/summer_visits/hiking.php
Oh yeah, I'm doing Mt. Clay tomorrow. But I have a fallback plan below the treeline if the weather is entirely ridiculous. I take pride in the number of times I've turned around... //off soapbox//
Just cruising the web looking up some hiking stats on Mt. Wash. Interesting comments from MWO. It's great reading for the non-hiker. Betcha few people read this.
"Part of its draw is that it is the highest peak in the Northeast – and people are attracted to superlatives."
...
"Hikers should not confuse the trails on Mount Washington with smooth "nature walks". All the trails on the mountain are rugged, rocky, muddy and slippery when wet, and steep."
...
"Before hiking Mount Washington, it is recommended that hikers gain at least some basic experience in hiking on rough terrain, be familiar with their clothing and equipment, and be in good health and good physical condition. A few "shake down" hikes elsewhere in the White Mountains (or on similar terrain elsewhere) are good training "
...
"Is hiking Mount Washington safe?
No. There are no guarantees that hikers will escape the mountain unscathed, so if absolute safety is what you require, then avoid a visit."
"It is estimated that about 50,000 people hike up the mountain each year, and most of those do so without accident or injury. "
" If, during the course of your ascent, you find you are traveling at a much slower rate, you should reconsider your plans and think seriously about turning back – to arrive at the summit late in the day, exhausted, and with four or five rough miles to descend would be unenjoyable at best and dangerous at worst. "
50,000...The odds have it in the cards. 140/day, but let's discount half the year, Nov-March, and it's more like 300/day.
Source,
http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/summer_visits/hiking.php
Oh yeah, I'm doing Mt. Clay tomorrow. But I have a fallback plan below the treeline if the weather is entirely ridiculous. I take pride in the number of times I've turned around... //off soapbox//
billski
Member
One more stat:
There were 136 deaths on Mt. Washington between 1848 and 2004, an average of a bit less than 1 per year.
In recent years the rate has risen. There were 33 deaths in the 15 years from 1990 to 2004, more than 2 per year.
There were 136 deaths on Mt. Washington between 1848 and 2004, an average of a bit less than 1 per year.
In recent years the rate has risen. There were 33 deaths in the 15 years from 1990 to 2004, more than 2 per year.
iagreewithjamie
Member
I think "Not Without Peril" should be required reading prior to hiking Washington. I learned alot from that book.
natron
New member
sad story.
Mt.W. is known as the world's deadliest small mt., primarily due to ease of access and the number of visitors.. if you don't read the book, mt.w. obs have compiled these stats as of 2009, http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/surviving.php good to realize the death traps, of; hypothermia, falls, avys, drowning, falling ice, heart attack, vehicular (airplanes, cars, carriages, slide boards)
The mt. hasn't been kind to users from MA, (the majority of deaths the last 3 yrs, users have been from MA pushing that # closer to 50 now)I did some # crunching for deaths by states as of 2009:
#1 MA, 45
#2 NH, 16
#3 NY, 11
#4(tie) CT, 10
#4(tie) VT, 10
#6 ME, 9
Mt.W. is known as the world's deadliest small mt., primarily due to ease of access and the number of visitors.. if you don't read the book, mt.w. obs have compiled these stats as of 2009, http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/surviving.php good to realize the death traps, of; hypothermia, falls, avys, drowning, falling ice, heart attack, vehicular (airplanes, cars, carriages, slide boards)
The mt. hasn't been kind to users from MA, (the majority of deaths the last 3 yrs, users have been from MA pushing that # closer to 50 now)I did some # crunching for deaths by states as of 2009:
#1 MA, 45
#2 NH, 16
#3 NY, 11
#4(tie) CT, 10
#4(tie) VT, 10
#6 ME, 9
VFTTop'r
New member
Statistically unsurprising since Mass has the highest population in NE and Boston is the closest big city.
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