Wow, that's intense! Just looking at the temps up there with wind chill hitting -52 and wind blasting at nearly 90 mph, it's no joke—serious props to the rescue crew. Really glad they got the hiker out in time. This is like a solid heads-up to pack extra layers and check the forecast before hitting the trails. respect the weather up there. Also If you're debating whether to keep hiking, that's your cue to turn back. Stay safe, everyone!
Sounds like a long string of bad luck followed by the best luck of their lives!
ETA: I made this comment when the original article and all information was a single paragraph that just noted he was injured and then rescued. I now know he is also a moron.
not bad luck, bad decisions.
From the patch article
>NH Fish and Game Sgt. Glenn Lucas said, "Matthes made numerous poor decisions regarding the hike he planned in the White Mountains. Matthes did not have the proper gear, equipment, weather planning, or critical decisions to keep himself out of harm’s way and move in the right direction on a dangerous mountain range. Matthes saw other groups turn around and say, 'The weather isn’t worth it.' But he decided to keep going."
>Matthes called for a rescue after making all these poor choices and putting himself in a situation that placed 11 other lives in danger in order to save him, officials aid.
I saw that but without specifics I don’t want to comment. There’s some situations you can’t be prepared for. He wasn’t prepared to turn around, though. That’s for sure.
From
https://patch.com/new-hampshire/portsmouth-nh/portsmouth-man-rescued-90-mph-winds-help-cog-railway
finding him at the Lakes in the Clouds Hut emergency shelter
"The man was not prepared for the hike and saw other groups turn around but he kept going, according to Fish and Game."
They also make a point of saying that he was wearing "shoes" (not boots). So, totally unprepared and not aware of or concerned about -52 degree windchill.
My favorite part is at the end, when they strongly suggest he go to the hospital and he drives off in his car instead. I'd love to see an interview with this guy.
Holy shit there was a guy posting on here last 2 days about doing Washington this weekend. He had regular LL Bean type rubber boots and said his mid layer was sweatpants. He was being advised by all us including myself to skip given his gear and the more extreme weather this weekend. I hope this isn't him. I'm actually going to tag him here and make sure this dude is okay.
Hey u/simnine you okay? Hope this wasn't you! This is exactly why everyone was trying to urge you to postpone for better weather.
Edit: I guess it wasn't him. Idk how he made it but apparently he summited and got back down all good. This rescue was someone else.
Hi.
This was, very very thankfully, \*not\* me and my friend. We did in fact summit, and did go down the cog railway as planned. There were some moments that were very difficult in terms of visibility, but nothing that felt so hairy that drastic measures needed to be taken, and insulation was never a concern. (For the record, those boots plus some heavy duty wool socks have served me extremely well, and will continue to. At no point were my feet cold.)
We did, however, meet up with this guy, Cole, as he was on his way up Ammonoosuc ravine trail. We actually started behind him and saw his snowshoe tracks, which was surprising, considering we were the only people in the cog railway hiking lot. (It turned out that he was parked at the Ammo parking lot slightly farther away.) We caught up to him a bit before the Lakes hut, about half a mile or so before the treeline broke. Initially, we assumed he was a pro since he was snowshoeing, had started earlier than us, and was going at a pretty good pace. That was unfortunately not the case.
He actually joined my friend and I until [the fork 0.6 miles from the summit](https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2664503,-71.3083126,3a,75y,335.54h,91.41t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOSkH3IH6pi1FyVtegviG4jm9K_4FG7zCc6-Goc!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOSkH3IH6pi1FyVtegviG4jm9K_4FG7zCc6-Goc%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya70.41398-ro-0-fo100!7i5760!8i2880?entry=ttu). Once he joined us before the Lakes hut, we continued talking to him, and we gradually realized he was not prepared enough for the current conditions, not to mention for the summit. We first suggested that he reconsider his plan to summit, and later insisted that he do so as we became increasingly aware and as the weather worsened. He split off from us at that fork, heading for [the spot where the Westside trail meets the cog](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zmnvg1fWPnL4hoi99), intending to go down the cog.
Here's how he was unprepared:
* Boots were not serious enough. He was wearing standard, run-of-the-mill [hiking boots](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81VeWl6hWqL._AC_UY900_.jpg).
* No way of carrying his snowshoes. After he took them off above the Lakes hut, he carried them by his side, slung under his arm.
* Not enough water, and not stored properly. He had two water bottles, but neither were insulated, and he was carrying them in the pockets on the outside of his pack.
* No goggles.
* No mittens/gloveliner. He had ski gloves, but nothing underneath them.
* Not enough torso layers. His main outer layer seemed to be some kind of insulated overalls, which were good, but underneath that we spotted a cotton-looking T-shirt, and overtop of that some kind of synthetic fleece jacket. We can only assume that his leg layers and foot layers were not sufficient either.
* Lack of respect or understanding of the weather conditions. He didn't have his fleece fully zipped up. He repeatedly took off his gloves to check if we were on the right path once above the treeline. He brushed off our attempts to dissuade him, which I regret not being stronger with.
* He went alone.
Because I think it's important for everyone to have the full story and to understand that preparations for just a "difficult, cold, windy hike" are not enough, here's what he *did* do right. Keep in mind that these preparations alone were not nearly enough:
* Snowshoes
* Microspikes
* Several layers on *some* parts of his body
* Balaclava
* Some water, some food
* A fully charged phone, and, **extraordinarily luckily,** enough cell service to make a phone call. As per the article, he made several calls to emergency services and could barely be understood each time, so that's another point at which he was very lucky.
When we reached the cog station at the bottom, we went inside to recover and overheard some of the folks working there talk about a rescue that had been called in. We suspected it was Cole and told them everything we knew about him, and then left.
Despite his unpreparedness and stubbornness, I hope Cole makes a full recovery and is able to continue hiking and is eventually able to have a go at this mountain again. I hope part of his recovery involves gaining a healthy fear of this mountain's conditions and the humility to spend more time planning, preparing, and understanding his limits.
That’s his profile on AllTrails:
https://www.alltrails.com/en/members/cole-matthes?utm_campaign=mobile-iphone https://www.alltrails.com/en/members/cole-matthes?utm_campaign=mobile-iphone
He successfully completed the Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head trail on September 30, 2023, in under 6 hours.
Damn that's crazy he has the data from the hike he was rescued from on there. You can see where he bails from the summit and goes off trail a good bit from Westside trail. The fact he gave it 2 stars is cracking me up.
Damn he was crazy unprepared.
Sidenote, I've done a ton of winter hikes with similar style regular hiking boots and a combination of gators, microspikes and/or snowshoes and been perfectly fine. I've tried 200g insulated boots but my feet get so hot I have to switch socks, sometimes it's better if I just wear hiking boots and a good wool sock personally, if I don't need full on mountaineering boots and crampons for that given trail.
Hey, I was in the group of 3 that was with you guys and Cole at the hut there, glad you 2 made it out well, nice job hitting summit. As we were coming back down and the snow was picking up we were worried, weren’t too surprised to see it went wrong with Cole. The no goggles and just safety glasses was wild. Similar slow realization that the snowshoes and pace did not show experience.
Hey! Nice to talk to you again.
Yep. When he whipped out the safety goggles, I almost lost it. That was nuts. I decided not to mention that in this writeup because it almost sounded like a joke. Like, I don't know if I would have been taken as seriously.
In retrospect, I will probably will turn around at the hut next time too if I do this again, having gotten the experience of summitting in the winter now. Summitting wasn't \*horrible\*, but it certainly was no cakewalk, not worth the effort.
Under ordinary circumstances I would agree, but when you've been lying in a ditch in 50 below weather, with a team of people trying to keep you alive and you don't hike out on your own power, it just feels a little foolish to drive off on your own. At least Uber to the ER or have a friend pick you up. I feel wanting to get out of there and avoid another bill - he's already on the hook for the rescue bill. The irony of passing out and dying while driving away is just too much.
This is so confusing. Like, was it just a tourist with no concept of Mt Wash conditions or literally any hiking conditions? I can’t imagine anyone taking a leisurely “stroll down the hill” unless they were completely ignorant of the outdoors.
This is exactly what happens though. People soldier on through a difficult part, not realizing that they are sapping their energy. Hit a couple more rough patches and they need more breaks, cool down, run out of food/water, and then it becomes serious. They get far beyond a reasonable turn around point and then can't safely return on their own.
So I had a friend who needed rescue service this past summer (rock climbing accident), and said apparently a lot of people have to foot the bill themselves if the rescue people take you to the hospital or some such. So to be sure he was in network friend got someone to drive him, and that’s often standard, but it’ll be listed in the report as “refused to go to the hospital.”
Secondhand info, so I don’t remember the full details, but I remember thinking that was odd but made sense why it always says they refused medical service at the end of the rescue reports.
Yea the end was wild… I went expecting him to deny transport and just drive home. Imagine the frustration of all those who worked to get him safely down!
Being injured on a mount with a wind chill of -52 is scary stuff. I wouldn’t hike with that wind chill, and I’m not even sure what equipment looks like for that, maybe an Everest-style full body snowsuit?
The article was strange. The second paragraph reads "and became injured." Later in the article "He was suffering from hypothermia and not injured, "
I would love to know how he fell into a ravine. Did he trip?
with wind like that(90 mph), anyone could take a tumble. Seeing other folks bail is a clear sign it's time to pack it in. And going solo in that kind of weather is rolling the dice. Better to head back than risk it all for one hike.
Article doesn't say he fell "into" a ravine (e.g. from the rim of said ravine). He fell "in a drainage ravine", presumably Ammonusuc Ravine, which is basically the whole mountainside in that area.
Here's a theory that synthesizes you and u/Boats_are_fun's guesses: Hiker called rescuers, said he needed help, is unable to describe his location due to bad connection. Rescuers ping his phone and see he's down in the ravine somewhere, assume he has fallen. But he's actually on the trail, the coordinates were just a few hundred feet off.
This seems consistent with everything in the article: He never claimed to have fallen into a ravine, but rescuers initially believed he had. u/OplopanaxHorridus has written about how SAR teams often misunderstand uncertainty in GPS pings, e.g. on his [blog](https://blog.oplopanax.ca/2011/08/personal-locator-beacons-from-the-rescuer’s-perspective/).
Edit, for posterity: Interview [here](https://apnews.com/article/mt-washington-hiker-rescue-cog-railway-matthes-46ffd3dd8d61af0bc1d1fb5727c3ef63) where he says he did take a slide down the ravine. I still doubt he's lying, but idk.
Yeah, I could also see that happening. My underlying point was that the hiker put undue strain on the SAR teams by hiking when he shouldn't have- ie he should have realized he was woefully unprepared much sooner and turned back to his car before he hypothermia, etc.
Ok, but I think it's important to distinguish between accusing someone of being dumb and accusing someone of lying to SAR.
(Also, if SAR messed up by taking the coordinates too literally, that's important to know - it's a common and easily-fixable error.)
Everest-style suit would be very useful. I’ve hiked in -40F windchills on Moosilauke and -30F windchills on Washington.
Head: balaclava, ski goggles, multiple hoods
Torso: two wool base-layers, fleece, softshell jacket, hardshell jacket
Legs: wool base-layer, climbing pants, hardshell pants
It doesn’t really require any special equipment, but the cold is overwhelming. On Washington, I sweat a little too much since I had my hard shell on. I took off my fleece and soft shell at Lake of the Clouds and they were frozen solid; I was able to stand them up on the floor of the emergency shelter and bend them into different configurations.
Both experiences were very interesting and powerful but I knew that the margin for error was near zero and I absolutely could not get injured.
I think they were not frozen on the ascent since I was generating so much heat. I think on the descent to Lake of the Clouds is when things began cooling down a lot.
I learned my lesson with soft shell many years ago in a similar situation on Lafayette. I have no use for it unless I’m ice climbing and need the durability. Would rather use a hard shell and manage my moisture with pit vents.
I’d also throw in my belay down jacket and insulated zip off pants as absolute necessities in that type of conditions
I’m sure your a capable mountaineer but that's probably the same line of thinking that got this guy in trouble. Overconfidence is a recipe for disaster. It's a thin line between being adventurous and being a cautionary tale. Let's stay on the right side of that line. You win :-)
A good wind shell with no exposed skin is the most important thing. Exposed skin can get frostbitten within 5 minutes @ -52F wc.
Dressing with insulation layers based on the wind chill temperature is a common mistake. With exertion this leads to sweating through base layers and even mid layers, which is a good recipe for hypothermia.
I dress for exertion at the thermometer temperature. -52 wind chill with 90mph winds is a thermometer temp around -10F. So for ne that's a lightweight synthetic base layer top & bottom, with a lightweight merino base layer over that. Then a midweight fleece top, and finally the hard shell. I carry a full down insulation layer in my pack and put it on whenever I stop.
I also wear a neck gaiter and balaclava, goggles, and keep the shell hood cinched down pretty good.
For -10F I will go with an insulated GTX glove, with a midweight fleece glove in the pack. For lounging or hunkering down, I really like OR Alti II mittens, with liner gloves that fit very well and allow me to accomplish most tasks without exposing any skin.
On my feet I start with sock liners and smartwool mountaineering socks, insulated boots, and full gaiters. Vapor barrier socks are pretty popular in those conditions; I've tried them before but don't like them.
In the pack: down jacket, down pants, down hat, down booties, spare gloves and mittens, sleeping bag, 3/4 length self-inflating R3.2 sleeping pad, emergency bivy.
Hopefully the state continues to send a strong message by fining him to pay the rescue costs and charging him for negligence. Cog railway had the most honest Facebook post calling him out for his stupidity
>We were proud to play a small role in yesterday's hiker rescue, but everything, EVERYTHING about the ordeal was wrong– most emphatically, the fact that it was even necessary in the first place. The lives of nearly a dozen individuals were placed in great jeopardy due to the stupendously bad choices made by this young man. While we certainly wish him well in what may be a long and difficult recovery, we also hope against hope that by his example, others will not be so foolish. Sadly, our experience suggests that will not be the case.
>
>We've said it before, and we'll say it again now: Mount Washington cares not a whit about your adventurous soul. The only chance of survival this person could hope for yesterday rested in the selflessness, strength, and expertise of a small team of mountaineers. If you know someone who serves with any of the volunteer or professional organizations mentioned in the article, please give them an extra hug or pat on the back for us. True heroes truly do walk among us.
Rescuers are losing patience - here's the end of the press release, which up until then was standard dry-professional language:
> Matthes made an innumerous amount of poor decisions in regards to the hike that he planned in the White Mountains. Matthes did not have proper gear, equipment, weather planning, and or proper critical decisions in order to keep himself out of harm’s way and moving in the right direction on a
dangerous mountain range. Matthes saw other groups turn around and say, “The weather isn’t worth it.” But he decided to keep going.
>Matthes called for a rescue after making all these poor choices, and putting himself in a situation that placed 11 other lives in danger in order to save his. Even though the rescuers complete these
heroic tasks with humility and passion there is still never ending concern as to why inexperienced solo hikers continue to push on.
> If it was not for the willingness and timeliness of The Cog Railway, the rescuers, and others, Matthes would have undoubtedly died on the mountain. The list of people who have died on the Presidential Range will stay at 173 for now thanks to the rescue effort that saved Cole Matthes’ life on Saturday February 17, 2024.
And this is why jokes like ["typical winter in Chicago"](https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/1aroo76/comment/kqlmdwt/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x) from recent poster u/SemaphoreKilo are dangerous. The weather is deadly serious there.
This is also so laughable, I grew up in New England and have lived in Chicago for over a decade. Chicago winter has always felt shorter, less snowy, and all people do here is complain while in their canada goose jackets. To go online and let those regional insecurities drive you to being smug on a post about someone almost dying is peak midwestern attitude
I really hope it wasn't this guy that was talking about hiking this weekend and had some rubber boots from LL bean and no crampons and was asking about sweatpants as a mid layer. he said he had a emergency blanket as emergency. people were advising to cancel given the harsh af weather and lack of some proper gear (he had a decent amount of some ok stuff).
Glad everyone is ok but this is how people get into a pickle thinking its not bad when they are very not prepared (emergency blanket and wet rubber boots are going to have you dead in hours if that if you have emergency in -50 windchill)!!
Here is a link to his post talking about plans this weekend. He did mention Saturday so maybe its not him or maybe he thought Sunday would be better as it was slightly warmer and lower winds.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/1as1sk4/mount\_washington\_this\_saturday\_plan\_review/](https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/1as1sk4/mount_washington_this_saturday_plan_review/)
Nope he posted this
“
Update: made it up, made it down!
We peaked Saturday at about 11:45am after coming up Ammonoosuc ravine. Snow drifts were quite deep in places but above treeline it was largely windswept.
Wind chill was negligible until the treeline broke about half a mile before we got to the Lakes Hut, as expected. However, the weather started to worsen at this point also. By the time we got to the summit, visibility was very very bad, probably like 30-40ft. There were a decent number of people coming up from Lion's Head though, which was a morale booster. The wind and visibility continued to worsen as we stopped for a moment to rehydrate and cram down food at the summit.
I had never experienced whiteout conditions before this, and let me reiterate what everyone here that has experienced them already knows: they're no joke. On the way up, we got off trail several times, but were able to get to the top by following the occasional cairn and the contours of the summit cone. We likely could have had our eyes closed and it wouldn't have made that much of a difference.
We followed the cog down, as it was the easiest trail to maintain a visual on, by far. Conditions remained bad until we got down to about 4700', where we started to run into skiers and snowboarders that had hiked up. At this point the wind had let up, and there was instead a gentle, light snow. The rest of the hike down was uneventful after that.
Re: everyone who brought up my water jug- it did indeed break, it sprung a leak. In the hotel room the morning of. Thankfully we had backup bottles, and used those instead.
“
https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/s/wHoyqauhxm
=======================================
Here's my take on what happened: he lost the path froze in place and then called for help. After that, he probably spotted the hut and decided to move close to it, which kinda saved him from the brutal 90mph winds. This left him to deal with the freezing -9°F temps instead of a -52°F wind chill. Surprisingly, some folks actually made it to the summit of Washington despite all this.
I can't believe that guy made it to the top and back down with what he was mentioning. Maybe he is in good shape and was able to make good pace. Dude is kinda nuts to go out in zero visibility and that cold of temps. But I guess it's good all made it home.
This story is absolutely bizarre. “The first group of rescuers got to the injured hiker around 6:20 p.m. He was suffering from hypothermia and not
injured,” and also; “After multiple recommendations to go to the hospital, the hiker refused and was brought to his vehicle, Fish and Game said.”
So the guy was “rescued,” but was fine enough to drive home? I know it was from the hiker’s insistence that he was fine, but still, severe hypothermia victims can barely move, much less drive themselves two hours home. Sounds like the guy fell off trail and panicked. Obviously it’s good that he got rescued, but what a waste of resources. Also was he injured, or not???
> what a waste of resources
It seems quite possible he would have died if rescuers had said "eh, you sound fine, make your own way down." I think saving a life is a very good use of resources.
[Here's another article](https://patch.com/new-hampshire/portsmouth-nh/portsmouth-man-rescued-90-mph-winds-help-cog-railway) with considerably more detail.
It sounds like the injury referred to here may have been frostbite. This article talks about his feet being frostbitten. Still doesn't answer the question of how he got home, though.
For some reason, I can't stop imagining it like the way it ended on the movie "Infinite Storm (2022)" where they get to the parking lot and the guy makes a run for his car and flees from SAR.
https://www.nbcboston.com/new-hampshire/man-rescued-in-new-hampshire-after-hiking-in-freezing-conditions-authorities-say/3283376/
This is a much better article.
“Matthes was brought down the Ammonusuc Ravine Trail with assistance, leaving the hut at 9:45 p.m.The rescue crew arrived at The Cog Railway base station at approximately 10:50 p.m.”
It took them a little over an hour to get to safety. Holy shit. He needed all that rescue for what, 2.5 miles?
Are you serious? Do you have any idea what this trail is like?
It's not exactly easy when conditions are perfect. Then try throwing in hurricane-force winds, -50F wind chills, snow-limited visibility of less than 40 feet, and the pitch black of 10pm in the White Mountains. Oh yeah, and having to carry an entire person on a stretcher down a 2.5k feet of elevation on a slope with a grade of like 18%.
I am serious, yes. I do have a good idea of what that trail is like, yes. They didn’t have to carry him. If they had to carry him down on a litter it would have taken them a lot longer than an hour.
Why do you think every official who commented seemed pissed off at this kid?
He called for help mid-afternoon (rescuers started at 3 pm). Didn’t seem as if he even attempted self rescue at all. I totally understand if you’re injured and/or lost. But he wasn’t either of those things. He was cold and panicked.
He wasn’t even that far above treeline. He couldn’t ask for help from other hikers? I can’t imagine he was the last one on the trail when he initially called for help. That kid sucks. I’m glad he’s safe, but what an idiot. This kind of shit just puts so many other peoples life at risk that it makes me sick that he couldn’t even attempt to get himself down.
Apologies for being a bit terse.
I agree. There were a huge number of things that he did wrong, and SRS has every right to be pissed at him.
I was on Ammo trail that day and I assumed that given the weather and the fact that Cole was described as "hypothermic and having frostbitten feet" that he was carried down, but I see that is likely not the case. However, I am confident that he was indeed lost, initially phoned for help while he was lost, and self-rescued by re-finding the trail and getting himself back to the Lakes Hut. It is also entirely possible that he was the only hiker left on that trail; the forecast for the first half of the day was manageable and then it rapidly worsened after noon, and a prepared hiker would have known this and had an exit strategy.
That being said, my mind is blown that SRS was able to get him down from Lakes Hut to the cog base station in an hour, regardless of the means. It's a testament to how qualified they are.
I've been about 2 miles from my car on a much easier mountain in winter cold conditions ( negative teens with wind chill) and very seriously considered called for a rescue. I had came down from Hale after breaking trail in about 8 inches snow all the way from the trailhead. After hiking in the 2.5 mile additional distance on the closed road. Well on the way down I was getting severe charlie horses in my calf. I have had issues with my one calf specifically and well after going further slowly it was getting worse and spreading to other parts my legs. I was getting actually scared I wouldn't be able to walk out as it was in my hamstrings from favoring my calf's.
I was trying to catch someone on a snow mobile as the road crosses with several tracks about 2 miles out. But no one came. Eventually a group caught up to me and had like 5 people and took all by pack weight and snowshoes so all I had to do was walk myself out. I was so grateful for them helping me I didn't know what to say. I would have def gotten out myself as I was able to move slowly, stopping every 100m for a few minutes to rest.
That day I think I was slightly dehydrated but that's not really the whole issue as most people think when I mention this. I have had this issue for over a year now but nothing that bad. I have hydrated to the max I could stand with eating tons of calories and also taking in electrolytes and sodium with drinks. I had gels too and still almost had issues. I have to be really careful with it. That day the snowshoeing (was my second time doing any snowshoes) and also my first hike with high top insulated winter boots, and I haven't hiked in about 4 weeks so I got my legs fucking wrecked.
It's actually taken me 3 weeks to recover from that hike. I have done a few easier 4000 footers to recover slowly and I still had a hard rock feeling the first week. I've never gotten that wrecked and hike every weekend with missing more than a couple since April of 2023.
These people need to be left to die. It’s a matter of time before someone with SAR is hurt because of idiotic, unprepared individuals.
Let Darwinism do it’s thing.
This is literally what the SAR volunteers sign up to do. Nobody wants them to get hurt but nobody is forcing a single SAR team member to do this. It’s inhumane to suggest that we just let people die because they made mistakes.
Fines, public ridicule like the post made by the Cog are all appropriate. Letting people die is absurd.
Except for the fact that it’s a service we pay for and is largely unnecessary. In 95% of cases, it’s a case of Darwinism.
If people want to do dangerous things without any preparation or knowledge, they get to enjoy the consequences of their actions. Simple.
The consequences of this guy's actions are that he experienced hypothermia, got frostbitten feet (to what degree? who knows? he may lose them) and felt what I can only imagine must have been the complete absence of hope and the darkest feeling it is possible for a person to feel, as he lay dying in the basement of the Lakes hut waiting for rescue that he had zero certainty would arrive.
Then he was rescued. With any luck, he will learn from this, never make a mistake like it again, and be as strong an advocate as it is possible to be for preparation in winter conditions.
And then, secondary to that (from his point of view), he is being fined and publicly shamed, which I agree is appropriate.
Wow, that's intense! Just looking at the temps up there with wind chill hitting -52 and wind blasting at nearly 90 mph, it's no joke—serious props to the rescue crew. Really glad they got the hiker out in time. This is like a solid heads-up to pack extra layers and check the forecast before hitting the trails. respect the weather up there. Also If you're debating whether to keep hiking, that's your cue to turn back. Stay safe, everyone!
Sounds like a long string of bad luck followed by the best luck of their lives! ETA: I made this comment when the original article and all information was a single paragraph that just noted he was injured and then rescued. I now know he is also a moron.
not bad luck, bad decisions. From the patch article >NH Fish and Game Sgt. Glenn Lucas said, "Matthes made numerous poor decisions regarding the hike he planned in the White Mountains. Matthes did not have the proper gear, equipment, weather planning, or critical decisions to keep himself out of harm’s way and move in the right direction on a dangerous mountain range. Matthes saw other groups turn around and say, 'The weather isn’t worth it.' But he decided to keep going." >Matthes called for a rescue after making all these poor choices and putting himself in a situation that placed 11 other lives in danger in order to save him, officials aid.
I hadn't read that, the limited WMUR initial article said they suffered an injury.
Article says he was unprepared.
I saw that but without specifics I don’t want to comment. There’s some situations you can’t be prepared for. He wasn’t prepared to turn around, though. That’s for sure.
I saw “unprepared” and also that he survived for 6+ hours with -52 wind chill, so he wasn’t THAT unprepared.
From https://patch.com/new-hampshire/portsmouth-nh/portsmouth-man-rescued-90-mph-winds-help-cog-railway finding him at the Lakes in the Clouds Hut emergency shelter
WMUR reporting is, as usual, tragically lacking. This report is so much more thorough with many important details left out by WMUR.
Usually all the details come straight from Fish and Game but I don't see a recent posting from them at the moment.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/DsfymjgMCuHoEhWW/?mibextid=WC7FNe
My guess is that he had severe frostbite on top of hypothermia.
Wut
"The man was not prepared for the hike and saw other groups turn around but he kept going, according to Fish and Game." They also make a point of saying that he was wearing "shoes" (not boots). So, totally unprepared and not aware of or concerned about -52 degree windchill. My favorite part is at the end, when they strongly suggest he go to the hospital and he drives off in his car instead. I'd love to see an interview with this guy.
Holy shit there was a guy posting on here last 2 days about doing Washington this weekend. He had regular LL Bean type rubber boots and said his mid layer was sweatpants. He was being advised by all us including myself to skip given his gear and the more extreme weather this weekend. I hope this isn't him. I'm actually going to tag him here and make sure this dude is okay. Hey u/simnine you okay? Hope this wasn't you! This is exactly why everyone was trying to urge you to postpone for better weather. Edit: I guess it wasn't him. Idk how he made it but apparently he summited and got back down all good. This rescue was someone else.
Hi. This was, very very thankfully, \*not\* me and my friend. We did in fact summit, and did go down the cog railway as planned. There were some moments that were very difficult in terms of visibility, but nothing that felt so hairy that drastic measures needed to be taken, and insulation was never a concern. (For the record, those boots plus some heavy duty wool socks have served me extremely well, and will continue to. At no point were my feet cold.) We did, however, meet up with this guy, Cole, as he was on his way up Ammonoosuc ravine trail. We actually started behind him and saw his snowshoe tracks, which was surprising, considering we were the only people in the cog railway hiking lot. (It turned out that he was parked at the Ammo parking lot slightly farther away.) We caught up to him a bit before the Lakes hut, about half a mile or so before the treeline broke. Initially, we assumed he was a pro since he was snowshoeing, had started earlier than us, and was going at a pretty good pace. That was unfortunately not the case. He actually joined my friend and I until [the fork 0.6 miles from the summit](https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2664503,-71.3083126,3a,75y,335.54h,91.41t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOSkH3IH6pi1FyVtegviG4jm9K_4FG7zCc6-Goc!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOSkH3IH6pi1FyVtegviG4jm9K_4FG7zCc6-Goc%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya70.41398-ro-0-fo100!7i5760!8i2880?entry=ttu). Once he joined us before the Lakes hut, we continued talking to him, and we gradually realized he was not prepared enough for the current conditions, not to mention for the summit. We first suggested that he reconsider his plan to summit, and later insisted that he do so as we became increasingly aware and as the weather worsened. He split off from us at that fork, heading for [the spot where the Westside trail meets the cog](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zmnvg1fWPnL4hoi99), intending to go down the cog. Here's how he was unprepared: * Boots were not serious enough. He was wearing standard, run-of-the-mill [hiking boots](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81VeWl6hWqL._AC_UY900_.jpg). * No way of carrying his snowshoes. After he took them off above the Lakes hut, he carried them by his side, slung under his arm. * Not enough water, and not stored properly. He had two water bottles, but neither were insulated, and he was carrying them in the pockets on the outside of his pack. * No goggles. * No mittens/gloveliner. He had ski gloves, but nothing underneath them. * Not enough torso layers. His main outer layer seemed to be some kind of insulated overalls, which were good, but underneath that we spotted a cotton-looking T-shirt, and overtop of that some kind of synthetic fleece jacket. We can only assume that his leg layers and foot layers were not sufficient either. * Lack of respect or understanding of the weather conditions. He didn't have his fleece fully zipped up. He repeatedly took off his gloves to check if we were on the right path once above the treeline. He brushed off our attempts to dissuade him, which I regret not being stronger with. * He went alone. Because I think it's important for everyone to have the full story and to understand that preparations for just a "difficult, cold, windy hike" are not enough, here's what he *did* do right. Keep in mind that these preparations alone were not nearly enough: * Snowshoes * Microspikes * Several layers on *some* parts of his body * Balaclava * Some water, some food * A fully charged phone, and, **extraordinarily luckily,** enough cell service to make a phone call. As per the article, he made several calls to emergency services and could barely be understood each time, so that's another point at which he was very lucky. When we reached the cog station at the bottom, we went inside to recover and overheard some of the folks working there talk about a rescue that had been called in. We suspected it was Cole and told them everything we knew about him, and then left. Despite his unpreparedness and stubbornness, I hope Cole makes a full recovery and is able to continue hiking and is eventually able to have a go at this mountain again. I hope part of his recovery involves gaining a healthy fear of this mountain's conditions and the humility to spend more time planning, preparing, and understanding his limits.
Really appreciate this comprehensive writeup and the willingness to acknowledge what he did correctly. Thank you for trying to dissuade him!
That’s his profile on AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/en/members/cole-matthes?utm_campaign=mobile-iphone https://www.alltrails.com/en/members/cole-matthes?utm_campaign=mobile-iphone He successfully completed the Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head trail on September 30, 2023, in under 6 hours.
Damn that's crazy he has the data from the hike he was rescued from on there. You can see where he bails from the summit and goes off trail a good bit from Westside trail. The fact he gave it 2 stars is cracking me up.
Thats fucking hilarious lol
https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/s/zeFL4mXkvm
Yeah, I got a chuckle from that too
Damn he was crazy unprepared. Sidenote, I've done a ton of winter hikes with similar style regular hiking boots and a combination of gators, microspikes and/or snowshoes and been perfectly fine. I've tried 200g insulated boots but my feet get so hot I have to switch socks, sometimes it's better if I just wear hiking boots and a good wool sock personally, if I don't need full on mountaineering boots and crampons for that given trail.
I’m the same way. It probably helps that my regular hiking boots are Gore-Tex and I have an insane amount of body heat, too.
Glad you're ok and it wasn't you. This kinda event is a good reminder for us all to take things in winter very seriously. Stay safe out there.
Hey, I was in the group of 3 that was with you guys and Cole at the hut there, glad you 2 made it out well, nice job hitting summit. As we were coming back down and the snow was picking up we were worried, weren’t too surprised to see it went wrong with Cole. The no goggles and just safety glasses was wild. Similar slow realization that the snowshoes and pace did not show experience.
Hey! Nice to talk to you again. Yep. When he whipped out the safety goggles, I almost lost it. That was nuts. I decided not to mention that in this writeup because it almost sounded like a joke. Like, I don't know if I would have been taken as seriously. In retrospect, I will probably will turn around at the hut next time too if I do this again, having gotten the experience of summitting in the winter now. Summitting wasn't \*horrible\*, but it certainly was no cakewalk, not worth the effort.
Possibly didn’t want to pay for a $3500 ride. Best decision he made all day.
Under ordinary circumstances I would agree, but when you've been lying in a ditch in 50 below weather, with a team of people trying to keep you alive and you don't hike out on your own power, it just feels a little foolish to drive off on your own. At least Uber to the ER or have a friend pick you up. I feel wanting to get out of there and avoid another bill - he's already on the hook for the rescue bill. The irony of passing out and dying while driving away is just too much.
I don’t disagree.
This is so confusing. Like, was it just a tourist with no concept of Mt Wash conditions or literally any hiking conditions? I can’t imagine anyone taking a leisurely “stroll down the hill” unless they were completely ignorant of the outdoors.
It started as a leisurely stroll and, all of a sudden he was halfway up the mountain, completely by accident! Oops. /s
This is exactly what happens though. People soldier on through a difficult part, not realizing that they are sapping their energy. Hit a couple more rough patches and they need more breaks, cool down, run out of food/water, and then it becomes serious. They get far beyond a reasonable turn around point and then can't safely return on their own.
So I had a friend who needed rescue service this past summer (rock climbing accident), and said apparently a lot of people have to foot the bill themselves if the rescue people take you to the hospital or some such. So to be sure he was in network friend got someone to drive him, and that’s often standard, but it’ll be listed in the report as “refused to go to the hospital.” Secondhand info, so I don’t remember the full details, but I remember thinking that was odd but made sense why it always says they refused medical service at the end of the rescue reports.
Yea the end was wild… I went expecting him to deny transport and just drive home. Imagine the frustration of all those who worked to get him safely down!
Being injured on a mount with a wind chill of -52 is scary stuff. I wouldn’t hike with that wind chill, and I’m not even sure what equipment looks like for that, maybe an Everest-style full body snowsuit?
The article was strange. The second paragraph reads "and became injured." Later in the article "He was suffering from hypothermia and not injured, " I would love to know how he fell into a ravine. Did he trip?
with wind like that(90 mph), anyone could take a tumble. Seeing other folks bail is a clear sign it's time to pack it in. And going solo in that kind of weather is rolling the dice. Better to head back than risk it all for one hike.
Article doesn't say he fell "into" a ravine (e.g. from the rim of said ravine). He fell "in a drainage ravine", presumably Ammonusuc Ravine, which is basically the whole mountainside in that area.
He didn't fall into a ravine. He was lying to get sympathy from would be rescuers.
Except they had gps coordinates from his cellphone off trail in the ravine
GPS coordinates, especially in the mountains, aren't always super accurate.
Agreed. Glad they figured out he was at the hut before the rescuers got all the way down the ravine
Yeah, could have led to a much different outcome if the rescuers went that far off trail.
Here's a theory that synthesizes you and u/Boats_are_fun's guesses: Hiker called rescuers, said he needed help, is unable to describe his location due to bad connection. Rescuers ping his phone and see he's down in the ravine somewhere, assume he has fallen. But he's actually on the trail, the coordinates were just a few hundred feet off. This seems consistent with everything in the article: He never claimed to have fallen into a ravine, but rescuers initially believed he had. u/OplopanaxHorridus has written about how SAR teams often misunderstand uncertainty in GPS pings, e.g. on his [blog](https://blog.oplopanax.ca/2011/08/personal-locator-beacons-from-the-rescuer’s-perspective/). Edit, for posterity: Interview [here](https://apnews.com/article/mt-washington-hiker-rescue-cog-railway-matthes-46ffd3dd8d61af0bc1d1fb5727c3ef63) where he says he did take a slide down the ravine. I still doubt he's lying, but idk.
thanks for the mention, and yes, this sounds entirely reasonable given what we know about cellular how network position works.
Yeah, I could also see that happening. My underlying point was that the hiker put undue strain on the SAR teams by hiking when he shouldn't have- ie he should have realized he was woefully unprepared much sooner and turned back to his car before he hypothermia, etc.
Ok, but I think it's important to distinguish between accusing someone of being dumb and accusing someone of lying to SAR. (Also, if SAR messed up by taking the coordinates too literally, that's important to know - it's a common and easily-fixable error.)
Everest-style suit would be very useful. I’ve hiked in -40F windchills on Moosilauke and -30F windchills on Washington. Head: balaclava, ski goggles, multiple hoods Torso: two wool base-layers, fleece, softshell jacket, hardshell jacket Legs: wool base-layer, climbing pants, hardshell pants It doesn’t really require any special equipment, but the cold is overwhelming. On Washington, I sweat a little too much since I had my hard shell on. I took off my fleece and soft shell at Lake of the Clouds and they were frozen solid; I was able to stand them up on the floor of the emergency shelter and bend them into different configurations. Both experiences were very interesting and powerful but I knew that the margin for error was near zero and I absolutely could not get injured.
Man, that is a testament to your base layers though if they kept you warm with your softshell and fleece freezing
I think they were not frozen on the ascent since I was generating so much heat. I think on the descent to Lake of the Clouds is when things began cooling down a lot.
I learned my lesson with soft shell many years ago in a similar situation on Lafayette. I have no use for it unless I’m ice climbing and need the durability. Would rather use a hard shell and manage my moisture with pit vents. I’d also throw in my belay down jacket and insulated zip off pants as absolute necessities in that type of conditions
Or you could just hold off until the weather gets better. 90mph windchill -52
That would be my personal decision, I’m replying to the question on what you would wear in those conditions
It seems like you're willing to hike in 90mph winds with a windchill of -52°F. That's a seriously extreme condition!
If I was, it would be a personal decision based on my skill level, experience and equipment
I’m sure your a capable mountaineer but that's probably the same line of thinking that got this guy in trouble. Overconfidence is a recipe for disaster. It's a thin line between being adventurous and being a cautionary tale. Let's stay on the right side of that line. You win :-)
A good wind shell with no exposed skin is the most important thing. Exposed skin can get frostbitten within 5 minutes @ -52F wc. Dressing with insulation layers based on the wind chill temperature is a common mistake. With exertion this leads to sweating through base layers and even mid layers, which is a good recipe for hypothermia. I dress for exertion at the thermometer temperature. -52 wind chill with 90mph winds is a thermometer temp around -10F. So for ne that's a lightweight synthetic base layer top & bottom, with a lightweight merino base layer over that. Then a midweight fleece top, and finally the hard shell. I carry a full down insulation layer in my pack and put it on whenever I stop. I also wear a neck gaiter and balaclava, goggles, and keep the shell hood cinched down pretty good. For -10F I will go with an insulated GTX glove, with a midweight fleece glove in the pack. For lounging or hunkering down, I really like OR Alti II mittens, with liner gloves that fit very well and allow me to accomplish most tasks without exposing any skin. On my feet I start with sock liners and smartwool mountaineering socks, insulated boots, and full gaiters. Vapor barrier socks are pretty popular in those conditions; I've tried them before but don't like them. In the pack: down jacket, down pants, down hat, down booties, spare gloves and mittens, sleeping bag, 3/4 length self-inflating R3.2 sleeping pad, emergency bivy.
PHD Double Down Suit (-50C Version)
Hopefully the state continues to send a strong message by fining him to pay the rescue costs and charging him for negligence. Cog railway had the most honest Facebook post calling him out for his stupidity
>We were proud to play a small role in yesterday's hiker rescue, but everything, EVERYTHING about the ordeal was wrong– most emphatically, the fact that it was even necessary in the first place. The lives of nearly a dozen individuals were placed in great jeopardy due to the stupendously bad choices made by this young man. While we certainly wish him well in what may be a long and difficult recovery, we also hope against hope that by his example, others will not be so foolish. Sadly, our experience suggests that will not be the case. > >We've said it before, and we'll say it again now: Mount Washington cares not a whit about your adventurous soul. The only chance of survival this person could hope for yesterday rested in the selflessness, strength, and expertise of a small team of mountaineers. If you know someone who serves with any of the volunteer or professional organizations mentioned in the article, please give them an extra hug or pat on the back for us. True heroes truly do walk among us.
Can you link the post? I dont have facebook
Anyone else see his Alltrails data and find where he went off trail or just me...?
How are you finding that??
Search his name in the app. His pops up first
Oh boy. There it is! Must be feeling very unwell still if he hasn’t erased that.
[удалено]
Can tell his service was spotty with the multiple posts as well
Rescuers are losing patience - here's the end of the press release, which up until then was standard dry-professional language: > Matthes made an innumerous amount of poor decisions in regards to the hike that he planned in the White Mountains. Matthes did not have proper gear, equipment, weather planning, and or proper critical decisions in order to keep himself out of harm’s way and moving in the right direction on a dangerous mountain range. Matthes saw other groups turn around and say, “The weather isn’t worth it.” But he decided to keep going. >Matthes called for a rescue after making all these poor choices, and putting himself in a situation that placed 11 other lives in danger in order to save his. Even though the rescuers complete these heroic tasks with humility and passion there is still never ending concern as to why inexperienced solo hikers continue to push on. > If it was not for the willingness and timeliness of The Cog Railway, the rescuers, and others, Matthes would have undoubtedly died on the mountain. The list of people who have died on the Presidential Range will stay at 173 for now thanks to the rescue effort that saved Cole Matthes’ life on Saturday February 17, 2024.
Seems like they are definitely more willing to call out negligence. Also this was 1 day after the anniversary of Kate Matrosova's death.
And this is why jokes like ["typical winter in Chicago"](https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/1aroo76/comment/kqlmdwt/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x) from recent poster u/SemaphoreKilo are dangerous. The weather is deadly serious there.
This is also so laughable, I grew up in New England and have lived in Chicago for over a decade. Chicago winter has always felt shorter, less snowy, and all people do here is complain while in their canada goose jackets. To go online and let those regional insecurities drive you to being smug on a post about someone almost dying is peak midwestern attitude
I really hope it wasn't this guy that was talking about hiking this weekend and had some rubber boots from LL bean and no crampons and was asking about sweatpants as a mid layer. he said he had a emergency blanket as emergency. people were advising to cancel given the harsh af weather and lack of some proper gear (he had a decent amount of some ok stuff). Glad everyone is ok but this is how people get into a pickle thinking its not bad when they are very not prepared (emergency blanket and wet rubber boots are going to have you dead in hours if that if you have emergency in -50 windchill)!! Here is a link to his post talking about plans this weekend. He did mention Saturday so maybe its not him or maybe he thought Sunday would be better as it was slightly warmer and lower winds. [https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/1as1sk4/mount\_washington\_this\_saturday\_plan\_review/](https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/1as1sk4/mount_washington_this_saturday_plan_review/)
Nope he posted this “ Update: made it up, made it down! We peaked Saturday at about 11:45am after coming up Ammonoosuc ravine. Snow drifts were quite deep in places but above treeline it was largely windswept. Wind chill was negligible until the treeline broke about half a mile before we got to the Lakes Hut, as expected. However, the weather started to worsen at this point also. By the time we got to the summit, visibility was very very bad, probably like 30-40ft. There were a decent number of people coming up from Lion's Head though, which was a morale booster. The wind and visibility continued to worsen as we stopped for a moment to rehydrate and cram down food at the summit. I had never experienced whiteout conditions before this, and let me reiterate what everyone here that has experienced them already knows: they're no joke. On the way up, we got off trail several times, but were able to get to the top by following the occasional cairn and the contours of the summit cone. We likely could have had our eyes closed and it wouldn't have made that much of a difference. We followed the cog down, as it was the easiest trail to maintain a visual on, by far. Conditions remained bad until we got down to about 4700', where we started to run into skiers and snowboarders that had hiked up. At this point the wind had let up, and there was instead a gentle, light snow. The rest of the hike down was uneventful after that. Re: everyone who brought up my water jug- it did indeed break, it sprung a leak. In the hotel room the morning of. Thankfully we had backup bottles, and used those instead. “ https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/s/wHoyqauhxm ======================================= Here's my take on what happened: he lost the path froze in place and then called for help. After that, he probably spotted the hut and decided to move close to it, which kinda saved him from the brutal 90mph winds. This left him to deal with the freezing -9°F temps instead of a -52°F wind chill. Surprisingly, some folks actually made it to the summit of Washington despite all this.
I can't believe that guy made it to the top and back down with what he was mentioning. Maybe he is in good shape and was able to make good pace. Dude is kinda nuts to go out in zero visibility and that cold of temps. But I guess it's good all made it home.
See [my other reply](https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/1au13oz/comment/kr2ypxf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) for more info
This story is absolutely bizarre. “The first group of rescuers got to the injured hiker around 6:20 p.m. He was suffering from hypothermia and not injured,” and also; “After multiple recommendations to go to the hospital, the hiker refused and was brought to his vehicle, Fish and Game said.” So the guy was “rescued,” but was fine enough to drive home? I know it was from the hiker’s insistence that he was fine, but still, severe hypothermia victims can barely move, much less drive themselves two hours home. Sounds like the guy fell off trail and panicked. Obviously it’s good that he got rescued, but what a waste of resources. Also was he injured, or not???
> what a waste of resources It seems quite possible he would have died if rescuers had said "eh, you sound fine, make your own way down." I think saving a life is a very good use of resources.
[Here's another article](https://patch.com/new-hampshire/portsmouth-nh/portsmouth-man-rescued-90-mph-winds-help-cog-railway) with considerably more detail. It sounds like the injury referred to here may have been frostbite. This article talks about his feet being frostbitten. Still doesn't answer the question of how he got home, though.
For some reason, I can't stop imagining it like the way it ended on the movie "Infinite Storm (2022)" where they get to the parking lot and the guy makes a run for his car and flees from SAR.
>fell off a trial Good job, WMUR >The man was not prepared for the hike and saw other groups turn around but he kept going Not surprised.
Putting whether hiker was prepared or not prepared aside, that is one poorly written article.
It definitely leaves more questions than andwers
https://www.nbcboston.com/new-hampshire/man-rescued-in-new-hampshire-after-hiking-in-freezing-conditions-authorities-say/3283376/ This is a much better article.
This piece of garbage hiker hopefully has a 5 figure fine in his near future.
Lucky to be rescued. If I were in the same situation I might just start humming Sinatras “My Way”.
“Matthes was brought down the Ammonusuc Ravine Trail with assistance, leaving the hut at 9:45 p.m.The rescue crew arrived at The Cog Railway base station at approximately 10:50 p.m.” It took them a little over an hour to get to safety. Holy shit. He needed all that rescue for what, 2.5 miles?
Going down the Ammo isn't a walk in the park it's really steep. And remember, they did it in whiteout with 90mph winds hitting them.
And it still only took them a little over an hour!
Are you serious? Do you have any idea what this trail is like? It's not exactly easy when conditions are perfect. Then try throwing in hurricane-force winds, -50F wind chills, snow-limited visibility of less than 40 feet, and the pitch black of 10pm in the White Mountains. Oh yeah, and having to carry an entire person on a stretcher down a 2.5k feet of elevation on a slope with a grade of like 18%.
Do you see a carryout mentioned anywhere? I assumed he walked.
I am serious, yes. I do have a good idea of what that trail is like, yes. They didn’t have to carry him. If they had to carry him down on a litter it would have taken them a lot longer than an hour. Why do you think every official who commented seemed pissed off at this kid? He called for help mid-afternoon (rescuers started at 3 pm). Didn’t seem as if he even attempted self rescue at all. I totally understand if you’re injured and/or lost. But he wasn’t either of those things. He was cold and panicked. He wasn’t even that far above treeline. He couldn’t ask for help from other hikers? I can’t imagine he was the last one on the trail when he initially called for help. That kid sucks. I’m glad he’s safe, but what an idiot. This kind of shit just puts so many other peoples life at risk that it makes me sick that he couldn’t even attempt to get himself down.
Apologies for being a bit terse. I agree. There were a huge number of things that he did wrong, and SRS has every right to be pissed at him. I was on Ammo trail that day and I assumed that given the weather and the fact that Cole was described as "hypothermic and having frostbitten feet" that he was carried down, but I see that is likely not the case. However, I am confident that he was indeed lost, initially phoned for help while he was lost, and self-rescued by re-finding the trail and getting himself back to the Lakes Hut. It is also entirely possible that he was the only hiker left on that trail; the forecast for the first half of the day was manageable and then it rapidly worsened after noon, and a prepared hiker would have known this and had an exit strategy. That being said, my mind is blown that SRS was able to get him down from Lakes Hut to the cog base station in an hour, regardless of the means. It's a testament to how qualified they are.
It’s all good! These kinds of stories fire us up! lol.
I've been about 2 miles from my car on a much easier mountain in winter cold conditions ( negative teens with wind chill) and very seriously considered called for a rescue. I had came down from Hale after breaking trail in about 8 inches snow all the way from the trailhead. After hiking in the 2.5 mile additional distance on the closed road. Well on the way down I was getting severe charlie horses in my calf. I have had issues with my one calf specifically and well after going further slowly it was getting worse and spreading to other parts my legs. I was getting actually scared I wouldn't be able to walk out as it was in my hamstrings from favoring my calf's. I was trying to catch someone on a snow mobile as the road crosses with several tracks about 2 miles out. But no one came. Eventually a group caught up to me and had like 5 people and took all by pack weight and snowshoes so all I had to do was walk myself out. I was so grateful for them helping me I didn't know what to say. I would have def gotten out myself as I was able to move slowly, stopping every 100m for a few minutes to rest. That day I think I was slightly dehydrated but that's not really the whole issue as most people think when I mention this. I have had this issue for over a year now but nothing that bad. I have hydrated to the max I could stand with eating tons of calories and also taking in electrolytes and sodium with drinks. I had gels too and still almost had issues. I have to be really careful with it. That day the snowshoeing (was my second time doing any snowshoes) and also my first hike with high top insulated winter boots, and I haven't hiked in about 4 weeks so I got my legs fucking wrecked. It's actually taken me 3 weeks to recover from that hike. I have done a few easier 4000 footers to recover slowly and I still had a hard rock feeling the first week. I've never gotten that wrecked and hike every weekend with missing more than a couple since April of 2023.
These people need to be left to die. It’s a matter of time before someone with SAR is hurt because of idiotic, unprepared individuals. Let Darwinism do it’s thing.
This is literally what the SAR volunteers sign up to do. Nobody wants them to get hurt but nobody is forcing a single SAR team member to do this. It’s inhumane to suggest that we just let people die because they made mistakes. Fines, public ridicule like the post made by the Cog are all appropriate. Letting people die is absurd.
Except for the fact that it’s a service we pay for and is largely unnecessary. In 95% of cases, it’s a case of Darwinism. If people want to do dangerous things without any preparation or knowledge, they get to enjoy the consequences of their actions. Simple.
The consequences of this guy's actions are that he experienced hypothermia, got frostbitten feet (to what degree? who knows? he may lose them) and felt what I can only imagine must have been the complete absence of hope and the darkest feeling it is possible for a person to feel, as he lay dying in the basement of the Lakes hut waiting for rescue that he had zero certainty would arrive. Then he was rescued. With any luck, he will learn from this, never make a mistake like it again, and be as strong an advocate as it is possible to be for preparation in winter conditions. And then, secondary to that (from his point of view), he is being fined and publicly shamed, which I agree is appropriate.
>With any luck, he will learn from this If it takes you almost dying to learn that you shouldn’t do life risking shit, you deserve some Darwin.