Xmas-Day Lost Hiker Story (Zealand)

[Waumbek]

Looks like the cell-phone didn't function after 1.30 p.m.

From the Coos County Democrat (Lancaster NH):
"Lost hiker cold, but uninjured

By Eileen Alexander

TWIN MOUNTAIN Ñ A Stamford, Conn. man, out for a hike in the Zealand recreation area on Christmas Day, was found cold but unharmed on Mt. Tom by Fish and Game officers about six hours after he had been reported overdue by his wife.

Howard Ross, 50, had been staying at a timeshare at Bretton Woods with his wife, Abby, and another couple, when he set out for the hike at around 10 in the morning. The other people in the party chose to go downhill skiing, but Mr. Ross opted for the hike instead, said Fish and Game Conservation Officer Brad Morse of District 3 New Hampton, which covers the Littleton and Bethlehem areas.

Mr. Ross had headed up the Zealand Road to Wildlife Pond, and had asked other hikers for the easiest way out when he decided to return at around 1:30. At that point he called his wife on his cell phone and said he was headed back. When he hadnÕt returned by 4:30, she called for help.

Officer Morse said that Fish and Game found Mr. RossÕs tracks, and took a snowmobile and followed them as high as they could. ÒWe got to him around 10:45 p.m.,Ó said Officer Morse, Òand we walked him down.Ó About halfway down, they built a fire so that Mr. Ross could warm up. HeÕd fallen in some water and his jeans were cold and icy.

Officer Morse said that after getting directions from the other hikers, Mr. Ross had taken a wrong turn that led him up Mt. Tom instead of back down to the parking lot. There were about two inches of snow on the ground in that area. The place where he was found on Mt. Tom was about one to one-and-a-half miles from the snowmobile trail that led down to the parking area, and the snowmobile trail headed about three miles up from the parking lot. Mr. Ross and the rescue party walked out at about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 26.

Mr. Ross was wearing jeans, a fleece jacket, a hat and gloves, and L.L. Bean Gortex¨ hiking boots. He didnÕt have a compass, a map or a flashlight, said Officer Morse. He did, however, have a cell phone as well as a hand-held radio that he had used to communicate with a friend at the Zealand Campground area.

Officer Morse and Fish and Game Officer Sam Sprague walked Mr. Ross out. They were assisted by Sgt. Mike Moody on the snowmobile and Lt. Todd Bogardus who commanded the rescue operation."

 

[Sherpa John]

::Shakes head::

 

[JimB]

Why would you need a map and compass when you have a cell phone and a radio? ?

 

[Puma concolor]

Easy folks. He did, after all, stop and ask for directions.

 

[Waumbek]

Since I am unable to reach my own house in Franconia on a cell phone from my front lawn, I don't bother carrying one when I hike. I tried 2-way radios when hiking in groups. They almost never work on hikes with tree cover beyond the distance that you could shout to the other party. So I don't carry them anymore either. They are useful under two miles for a) car-to-car calls on interstate highways when you can see the car you are calling; b) desert hikes; c) above-treeline hikes; d) shopping malls. Now I've been given a GPS as a gift. I wonder if that's more useful. I'll read the thread by someone else who recently got one as a gift.

 

[Jasonst]

"Mr. Ross had taken a wrong turn that led him up Mt. Tom instead of back down to the parking lot. "

Huh? Seriouslly?

 

[afka_bob]

[shuffling his feet nervously]

I can get lost on my way from the bathroom to my bedroom, and having forgotten my lunch on a recent ski/hike, well, I'll let you guys throw all the stones.

 

[Grumpy]

Holy cow!

I think I just agreed with afka bob on something.

Is this the dawn of a new year, or a new era? Or have I popped my cork?

Glad the lost hiker is home safe and sound.

G.

 

[afka_bob]

I think I just agreed with afka bob on something.

Is this the dawn of a new year, or a new era? Or have I popped my cork?
G.

If it helps any, it scares me, too

 

[Jasonst]

I can get lost on my way from the bathroom to my bedroom, and having forgotten my lunch on a recent ski/hike, well, I'll let you guys throw all the stones.

I usually try to avoid throwing stones because they usually get thrown back at me, but... trying to figure out how to confuse an ascent with a descent? Was alcohol a factor?

 

[Grumpy]

I usually try to avoid throwing stones because they usually get thrown back at me, but... trying to figure out how to confuse an ascent with a descent? Was alcohol a factor?

Don't be too puzzled by this. Experience in the boonies over many decades has taught me in no uncertain terms that going down the mountain sometimes entails going up, and vice versa. And I quit hiking and drinking a long time ago, because when I get a pop or two in me I soon get more interested in snoozing than doing anything that entails physical exeertion in any real measure.

G.

 

[Remix]

There should be a difference between the definition of 'hiker' and some one who walks into the winter woods with jeans on. But it won't make it in any newspaper style guide books.

Its sort of like people who walk on railroad tracks and have an unfortunate experience with the front of a train. Newspapers refer to them as pedestrians, but the correct term is trespasser.

 

[Grumpy]

There should be a difference between the definition of 'hiker' and some one who walks into the winter woods with jeans on. But it won't make it in any newspaper style guide books.

Kindly explain this. My working definition of "hiking" always has been "putting one foot in front of the other until you get from Point A to Point B." What's yours?

My definition has nothing to do with one's clothing, one's gear, one's experience or one's motivation . . .. It has to do with the activity. Do you really define hiking in more narrow, and inherently exclusive terms? Can one who does not obsessively bag peaks or red line trails still be a hiker? Can one who is 80 years old and still goes out to cover 5-6 miles over gentle terrain once a week be a hiker? Can flatlanders who do most of their walking on relatively level ground be hikers? Can people who gear up at Walmart rather than REI and EMS be hikers? Can someone out on his own first venture into the hills be regarded as a hiker? How many trips out does it take? Can people who mostly stay home in the cold months be hikers? Can people who are fat be hikers? Just where do you draw the line?

Frankly, I'm happy this guy made it home, safe and sound, even with assistance. Doesn't it make good sense to celebrate the positive in these episodes, while perhaps taking what lessons we might to keep ourselves out of jams from the negatives?

G.

 

[Jasonst]

Don't be too puzzled by this. Experience in the boonies over many decades has taught me in no uncertain terms that going down the mountain sometimes entails going up, and vice versa. And I quit hiking and drinking a long time ago, because when I get a pop or two in me I soon get more interested in snoozing than doing anything that entails physical exeertion in any real measure.

G.

Not to be, well, grumpy but he was retracing his steps. You would think that he would at least remember having descended Mt Tom. Is that unreasonable?

 

[Remix]

Its a positioning thing..(what ideas pop in to the minds of readers when they see the word "hiker" in a story). The implications of what come to mind to the general public have a bearing on how the public perceives the sport and its risks, legislation and policies affecting the sport (rescue staff budgeting, forest service rules and policies).

I call putting one foot in front of the other walking.

I call walking along a strange trail in the winter without a map, compass, and a pair of jeans, and, apparently, an inability to remember long climbs and descents, a real lack of knowledge and experience.

I call the man fortunate.

But I sincerely hope that the aggregate statistics of "hiking" rescues, to which this man (and *perhaps* many like him) contributes, does not convince people that hiking is inherently dangerous and that more restrictive policies are necessary for the common good.

Thats it.

 

[Grumpy]

If you must criticize this guy pick on the right stuff . . .

Not to be, well, grumpy but he was retracing his steps. You would think that he would at least remember having descended Mt Tom. Is that unreasonable?

Here are two key statements in the story:

“Mr. Ross had headed up the Zealand Road to Wildlife Pond, and had asked other hikers for the easiest way out when he decided to return at around 1:30.”

and

“Officer Morse said that after getting directions from the other hikers, Mr. Ross had taken a wrong turn that led him up Mt. Tom instead of back down to the parking lot.”

This leads me to believe that Ross was not “retracing his steps” but in fact had been advised of and expected to take a different route out of the woods. Even retracing steps, though, sometimes yields a confusingly different view of the surroundings -- been there, done that. However, this is a general statement since I am not familiar with the particular area in which this incident occurred.

It’s easy enough for even relatively experienced hikers to get confused and turned around in unfamiliar country, particularly while trying to remember and follow verbal directions. That’s where an accurate map and compass, and knowledge of their use, come into play as useful tools. Mr. Ross can be rightly criticized for not having those essentials with him in this case.

I stick to my guns in suggesting that we applaud the fact this incident ended happily and that we examine it for information that might help us keep our own perfect selves out of similar jams.

G.

 

[Jasonst]

Well said. I am glad that Mr Ross successfully extricated himself from the grasp of the wilderness. I am not so arrogant to admit that it could be me there someday - hopefully not in jeans though...

 

[afka_bob]

there are exceptions, of course, and the other side of the spectrum...

There should be a difference between the definition of 'hiker' and some one who walks into the winter woods with jeans on.

I quibble on a technicality, here, but I know two true hikers who might be able to walk -- er -- hike your legs off and do just that.

Exceptions, I know.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, dave.m and I (while admittedly forgetting our lunches) watched a half-dozen guys in full alpine touring setups and the latest fleece, shells, and techno-trousers go cross country skiing on flat terrain.

Probably something they got for Christmas.

And they probably had a map and compass somewhere.

 

[Jasonst]

I quibble on a technicality, here, but I know two true hikers who might be able to walk -- er -- hike your legs off and do just that.

Exceptions, I know.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, dave.m and I (while admittedly forgetting our lunches) watched a half-dozen guys in full alpine touring setups and the latest fleece, shells, and techno-trousers go cross country skiing on flat terrain.

Probably something they got for Christmas.

And they probably had a map and compass somewhere.

And I think that YOU are the exception, Mary!

 

[afka_bob]

Mary?

Jasonst Received Message Stop Mary Question Mark Stop Please Wire Key To Decode Stop