What would you do???

[Bob Kittredge]

I would definitely lean toward heading for treeline and getting out of the wind ASAP. But on Franconia Ridge in a whiteout, I'd hesitate to just start heading downhill in the right general direction; there are some pretty steep dropoffs when you get off the actual trail.

Apparently the Coxes made it to the summit of Lafayette and mistakenly headed down the Garfield Ridge trail when descending (didn't consult a compass? couldn't read the compass?). Didn't reallize their mistake until they hit the sign for the Skookumchuck. I wonder why they didn't head down that.

At any rate, the whole tragedy has impressed on me the need to be very conservative about heading uphill in crappy (and perhaps worsening) conditions. I'm also planning to stop at EMS on the way home tonight to buy a $25 emergency bivy; the old space blanket seems laughably inadequate now.

 

[Frosty]

Apparently the Coxes made it to the summit of Lafayette and mistakenly headed down the Garfield Ridge trail when descending (didn't consult a compass? couldn't read the compass?). Didn't reallize their mistake until they hit the sign for the Skookumchuck. I wonder why they didn't head down that.

I read that also, and it answered a big question in my mind. I saw the helicopter making sweeps on Monday between Lafaytte and Lincoln, but if they (the Coxes) were all the way to the Skookumchuck Trail junction, maybe that's why they weren't seen. The other question in my mind was the repeated mention of the weather not improving on Monday. When I went up to Lonesome Lake on Monday, the weather was very clear, if a little cold. I could see the Franconia ridgeline clearly.

Sadly, as far as taking the wrong trail, I can easily picture myself doing jsut that. "Hey, we got to get moving before the weather gets even worse." and I start downhill believing I'm on the right trail. I've missed turns in the trail in non-white-out conditions. A lesson for me to take away is to slow down at trail junctions and even if I'm familiar, take a sec. Especially when it is important to be on the right trail.

I hope I can remember this when my brain is addled by hypothermia.

At any rate, the whole tragedy has impressed on me the need to be very conservative about heading uphill in crappy (and perhaps worsening) conditions. I'm also planning to stop at EMS on the way home tonight to buy a $25 emergency bivy; the old space blanket seems laughably inadequate now.

I'm of two minds about this. I tossed my old 3 oz space blanket after giving it a test and ripping it to shreds in my living room with my boots. I bought a heavier one, foil on one side, orange on the other. It is a tarp, though, not a bivy. It passed my living room test. I also carry a lightweight green 8x10 tarp with two 40-ft lengths of cord. Total weight is under a pound and a half.

My plan is still to get off the ridge and down to the trees in an emergency. What bothers me is the inability to make sound decisions common to hypothermia. We can wonder all we want why the COxes and Ken Holmes did what they did, but the fact is cold saps your reasoning ability. What concerns me most is that I'll make some bad decisions in an emergency because I won't be thinking properly.

I guess that perhaps bailing out earlier rather than later may be the best choice for me.

Frosty

 

[KenC]

My first experience in bad weather above treeline was in the late 70's. Mt Adams, Durand Ridge. All these years later i have NEVER lost the respect i have for mountain weather!!!

I'm very conservative when making that decision to head above treeline! There are so many variables to the decision. The first question the little guy in my head asks is "Are conditions and visibility worstening?" If yes, it's a no brainer, cause i know it will only get worse with elevation! If i were caught in worstening conditions my priority would be to get below treeline! If the retreat would pose a greater danger than "digging in" i'd look for the best spot i could and hole up, but only as a last resort.

Even in good weather(especially on unknown trails) i'm constantly watching the terrain, taking mental notes on directions and distances, and keeping an escape route in mind. I always have my compass at hand and map folded inside a plastic cover now with a teather.

 

[JohnL]

I've been in a couple situations on the Franconia Ridge where it turned into a whiteout pretty quickly; from blue skies to no visibility within ten minutes. My immediate reaction was to get the heck out of there and down into the woods. My reasoning is that I'm at my strongest right now so this is the time to put some distance between the ridge and me. The woods will provide a level of safety, security, and shelter not afforded above treeline. Unless I have plenty of overnight gear and food, I'm much less inclined to hunker down when exposed to the weather. Your strength can fade pretty quickly unless you have a full complement of shelter, warmth and food, especially if you are getting battered by the elements. I've got a better chance of escape and survival in the woods than above the woods.

I keep a very close eye on the weather when above treeline, particularly if I am solo. Even if I read the weather incorrectly, I'm certainly not ashamed to head down, even if the weather subsequently turns for the better. I just chalk it up to a learning experience.

I like Pete Hickey's idea of knowing some compass coordinates as escape routes. I've used this idea for a couple bushwhacks but I'll also use it for this type of situation. I don't have a GPS and I like to keep things as simple as possible, particularly if my thinking processes are going to be diminished.

JohnL

 

[John H Swanson]

I hope I can remember this when my brain is addled by hypothermia.

What bothers me is the inability to make sound decisions common to hypothermia. We can wonder all we want why the COxes and Ken Holmes did what they did, but the fact is cold saps your reasoning ability. What concerns me most is that I'll make some bad decisions in an emergency because I won't be thinking properly.

I guess that perhaps bailing out earlier rather than later may be the best choice for me.

Frosty

Interesting point. If you're becoming hypothermic, then your cognitive thought capability will deteriorate. If you have problems adding and subtracting then the common navigational step of adjusting for declination can easily be screwed up sending you 28 to 32 degrees off bearing. I've seen it happen a few times too many. Unfortunately or fortunately, a number of times, it was me ... until I mapped out a thought process for applying the declination correction that does not require math.

There are many ways to explain declination correction and everyone seems to like their method. I know someone will say "Why don't youuse a compass with declination built in, or a GPS" Anyway, I like my explaination only because it is easier if you have a good sense of space but not math.

In summary, I rotate the compass bezzle "towards the center of Canada" to go from map to field. This method works on the east
coast and west coast. On a 2 degree increment compass, I get accustumed to turning it about 7 lines for the NEUS. Give or take 2 degrees is usually more than enough precision. Of course you go the other way (away from the center of Canada), going from field bearing to map.

Probably not easy to understand if you are not sure of declination. It's easy to remember if you think that there's two worlds, the map one and the field one. All bearing on the map are true bearings. All bearings in the field are "magnetic" Changing worlds - going from map to field and field to map - requires converting the bearings. In the map world, north is true north is usually the top of the map. In the field world, north is magnetic north and it's located near the center (relatively) of northern Canada. You rotate bezzle to do the conversion. Direction of rotation is determined by the converion required. Map to field means true north to magnetic and this is from the top towards the center of canada. (to the left in NEUS) When you convert from field to map, you turn the bezzel in the corresponding direction. From field (ie center Canada) to the top of the map. (to the right for NEUS) Sound fuzzy, but it uses no math and it works when you're hypothermic.

How do you tell when you're hypothemic? When the thermometer on your watch reads 45F or colder (for me, when it's over one layer of polypro and under my hard shell.) That's another story.

JHS

 

[Mark]

JHS,

Wow, I must be hypothermic now because I'm stumbling through your explanation and mumbling phrases of confusion. Seriously, I’m sure your method works, but I’d rather not have to think about it in the field. A compass with adjustable declination is not very expensive and can be set to compensate for declination in the warmth of your home before you leave.

I have a GPS which I could use to follow critical waypoints which I always preload. I can also use track back to return the same way I came. If my GPS isn’t working, I always have map and compass. I like the idea someone proposed of a small index card with critical locations and compass bearings for use in an emergency. Taking a map out and trying to navigate is not always easy in severe conditions.

Even without a map, a compass will give you a basic orientation in a white out. I usually study the trail maps enough to have a good general idea of correct compass bearing to get me headed in the right direction. E.g., along the Franconia ridge, heading west is generally better than heading east. I know this sounds silly, but one group in recent history bugged out the wrong way and ended up in the Pemi wilderness.

 

[Stan]

One way to remember whether to add or subtract magnetic declination, called "variation" on nautical maps, is this:

"west is best, east is least"

That is, add west declination and subtract east declination.

My problem is, for the past 39 years I've been scratching my head trying to remember whether you add or subtract that declination from the compass bearing or the true bearing. Figure it out for yourself and maybe you'll remember the rule ... better than I.

The way I remember it in the field in the northeast is to consider that the geographic north pole is to the right of the magnetic north pole so I subtract the declination from my compass reading to get my true heading. Conversely, add it to your true heading to determine your compass heading.

Can dead men vote twice?

 

[maineguy]

quote:

"The way I remember it in the field in the northeast is to consider that the geographic north pole is to the right of the magnetic north pole so I subtract the declination from my compass reading to get my true heading. Conversely, add it to your true heading to determine your compass heading."

Or better yet, spring for the extra $10 and get a compass in which you can dial in the declination for the area you will be hiking in.

Seriously, I don't want to have to remember "east is least", etc, much less what that means when I am on the verge of panic trying to navigate my way down a mountain in some storm.

 

[Peakbagr]

John,

I'm a big advocate of taking your bearing at home, ahead of time.
Calculate the important map features or catching-points, and then tape them(and reverse bearing) to the reverse of your compass. No maps to mess with in the wind, no change of dialing in the incorrect declination, no hurried mistakes. Col, to "bump", "bump" to ridge, ridge to summit, etc.

PB

 

[Stan]

I agree maineguy, the middle of a distress situation is not the time to be trying to collect your thoughts on which way to adjust your compass. My navigation training was pretty intense and much of it took place long before many of today's electronic tools were available but regardless of technology, I've always felt that a fundamental understanding of certain navigational concepts, mnemonics notwithstanding, could bail you out when batteries fail, adjustments get screwed up and all hell is breaking loose.

The way I try to prepare for such an occasion is to occasionally, while on the trail, rehearse the various things that could go wrong and how I would hope to react. Not always the most pleasant way to occupy your mind on a nice day but, it does help occupy your mind. That, combined with a fundamental understanding of certain basics, whether it be survival, compass or starting a fire, could possibly provide the margin of self assurance to avoid panic and to actually provide the skills to survive.

As for fire, every military survival manual, not to mention the scouts, cover this. It could have saved Brenda Cox and perhaps a wet smokey fire could have led to their earlier rescue. My experience has been that even green balsam fir will burn ... try it ... but let's none of us be known as the one who burned down the Pemi Wilderness!

 

[MichaelJ]

I'd like to throw in one comment about using compass bearings to get off the top. I've been on several summits where although the trail goes off in a known bearing, the first few steps off the summit ledges are in a different direction - possibly significantly enough different to put you in the wrong place.

The compass is going to help a majority of the time, but a bearing alone is not necessarily the Grail of emergency situations.

And just to play devil's advocate, remember the aberrant summits with iron in the rock that throw the compass wildly off...

 

[Mark]

MichaelJ,

Good point. Whenever I summit, I always try to stop and make note of the trail I took to reach the summit. If I have to bail out quickly, it's nice to know exactly how you got there. When I climbed Lafayette, the summit was socked in. Even with the trail signs, it was easy to get turned around and take the wrong trail off. AS with the Coxes, one might not realize one’s mistake for quite some distance.

 

[Maddy]

A big thank you to all who are posting in reply to my question "what would you do?"
Several nights ago I was unable to sleep after reading the recent Globe version of what happened to Ken Holmes. I lay awake thinking about the Holmes/Cox tragedies most of the night.
Many of us have had some epic adventures and near misses on the rockpile or elsewhere.
I think we are so lucky to be able to ponder all this in the comfort of our homes learning from each other. Perhaps some of us will live a little longer because of these discussions.
I will never again solo above treeline in any season. I've been up there with knowledgeable friends and experienced very bad weather x2 in early September. We had to abandon our climb once and had to use our pre-planned escape route once. We always carry some decent winter gear on our summer hikes.
I will never again take for granted that people I barely know have the experience to be safe in the mountains (above or below treeline). Been there, done that, will never do it again. The cost is way too high.
I learned my personal "hypothermia" lesson with Outward Bound last year in MN. I was lucky that my leaders were very aware and new exactly how to respond. They taught us well and I was able to continue on the expedition.
To this day I am in awe of how insidious and how fast it incapacitates you, renders you totally helpless, and most definitely clouds your judgment. I knew I was becoming a nut case and could not stop it.
I can tell you folks that hypothermia was the last thing I feared would happen to me out there because after all I had been in the mountains for years in the winter. I was confident that I knew exactly how to keep warm and it would "never happen to me". My biggest fear was that I might not be able to keep up with the group but NOT that I would turn into a popsicle my first night out.
Maybe it's not the smartest thing but I will still solo with my big dog.
I just cannot grow old in my rocking chair. I will however take all that I learned from all of you, the AMC winter courses, and OB and I hope to be as safe as I can be in those beautiful but sobering peaks.
Maddy