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10.08.08
Dark And Dangerous
Safety officials caution hikers about autumn
conditions in the wake of multiple rescues in the White Mountains.
Two hiker rescues in
New Hampshire's White Mountains in recent days underscore the need for
heightened awareness of safe hiking practices as people get out to enjoy
the fall foliage this autumn.
"At this time of
year, the daylight is growing shorter, so you should definitely bring a
flashlight. Trails are littered with leaves, making them harder to
follow and at times treacherously slippery," said Lt. Todd Bogardus,
hikeSafe program coordinator for the New Hampshire Fish
and Game Department. "In addition, it might be warm and sunny at the
trailhead, but you may encounter winter conditions at higher
elevations."
Early yesterday
morning, a 69-year-old woman, Dorothy Blanchard of New Castle, Maine,
was rescued off Mt. Huntington in the White Mountain National Forest.
Fish and Game were notified around 7 p.m. Monday night of a hiker with a
disabling injury who was unable to get off of the mountain without
assistance. The search team included 25 rescuers from N.H. Fish and Game
and the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team. Searchers located
Blanchard off the Hancock Notch Trail and were able to litter-carry her
out the 3 miles to the Kancamangus Highway, arriving at 3 a.m.
Blanchard was
well-prepared for a day hike. She is an accomplished "peak bagger" who
has already climbed the top 100 highest peaks in New England and is now
working on the top 100 in New Hampshire. She was hiking with a companion
on Mount Huntington, a remote peak in Lincoln, N.H. While descending,
she was injured, and her hiking companion hiked over two hours out to
the trailhead for assistance.
Rescue crews had to
search for Blanchard, who had been bushwhacking. "Her exact location was
not known, but her companion did have good woods knowledge and used map
and compass, which put us in the right area," said Bogardus. After the
rescue, Blanchard was taken to Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth to
have her injury evaluated.
In another incident
on Saturday, October 4, rescuers escorted two hikers off the Liberty
Springs Trail in Lincoln, New Hampshire. The hikers failed to stay with
their group and then were overcome by darkness while descending the
Flume Slide and Liberty Springs trails in Franconia Notch State Park.
Nan Yang, age 30, of Boxborough, Massachusetts, and Christine Hou, age
35, of Arlington, Massachusetts, were hiking with five companions on the
Flume Slide Trail. On the way down, they went on ahead of the group,
hoping to reach the trailhead first. Overtaken by darkness and not
having any lights or other essential gear, they lost the trail and
called 911 for assistance from their cell phone.
Two volunteer members
from the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team located the two
women off the trail about a quarter of the way up the Liberty Springs
Trail from the Franconia Notch Bike Path in Lincoln. While rescuers were
preparing to search for the two, their 5 companions, who were prepared
with gear and lights, emerged at the trailhead in good condition.
"The need for this
rescue could have easily been avoided and demonstrates the need for
people to follow the
hikeSafe Hiker
Responsibility Code and carry the hikeSafe Ten Essentials," said
Bogardus. "These two hikers failed to stay together with their group and
also were not carrying appropriate gear, such as a simple flashlight."
-N.H. Fish and
Game |
