WA WA - Laura Macke, Hiking Alone @ Enchanted Valley, Camping at Pyrites Creek, 30. Oct 2022

[RickshawFan]

I would have stayed in my car, but I'm old and a lot of times I now know that I really do not like bad weather- after reading this, I have thought about what it is like for most people who plan trips with limited vacation time and money so they cannot afford the absolute best equipment and they have only X vacation days, and they have to get air fare in advance.

Snipped for focus....

There is plenty to see and do in WA if your trip gets rained out. Maybe you get disappointed, but that's the nature of trips that depend on weather. Like going to Cancun in hurricane season.

Any outdoor trip, you need gear that's up to the task. If you have a snorkeling vacation, you have to have a snorkel for it to be a viable trip. Same with backpacking. Same with hiking in snow. Same with a beach vacation: you gotta have a swimsuit or shorts and a tank top. If you go to a rainy place, you've got to have high quality rain gear, jacket and pants. If you can't afford them, go to the desert. All kinds of fun there, too.

Items that aren't a good match for your trip or you don't have could cost you your life. You can't scuba dive unless you have an oxygen tank with you. Items that are a good match will only cost your wallet, and you can minimize this with sales, coupons, etc. by RENTING or BORROWING, or going next year.

I once went on a backpack trip in the Columbia River Gorge. IIRC it was to be 2 nights. Lovely place with several waterfalls. I'd wanted to hike there a long time. 3 miles up the trail, I got hungry and sat down to have a picnic beside a beautiful waterfall. Fab. I ate my ENTIRE trip food supply lol. So, I had to hike straight back out. I couldn't do a backpack trip without food. That's realistic and responsible.

 

[RickshawFan]

Another time with a group, we were supposed to climb Mt. Washington on a given day and it was miserably rainy, so we did a part of it for exercise and turned back because it would have been miserable on top anyway.

Snipped for focus...

You might have saved your life. It could have been snowing on top. This happens every year. A man died of hypothermia on Mt W late this last June. Same deal as the LM case: cold rain. There were dozens of calls to SAR that day.

 

[ItalyReader]

Did LM wear glasses? Just hard to see.

This is a very important point. I don’t know if LM was very nearsighted but if, like me (7.5 and 5.5) she were, this could be a key factor.
I wear glasses or lenses every day to correct to 20/20.
If for any reason I lost my glasses - because I tripped and fell, or slipped, or bent over and they fell off, or glasses or I fell into the water, and I was separated from my glasses/eyesight, this would be catastrophic for me.
I can’t see clearly past my hand - how could I possibly fend for myself and find my way forward or out?

what it is like for most people who plan trips with limited vacation time and money so they cannot afford the absolute best equipment and they have only X vacation days, and they have to get air fare in advance

This is also such an important key point and stresses how much pressure people can feel to persevere and go forward.

 

[LadyL]

I would have stayed in my car, but I'm old and a lot of times I now know that I really do not like bad weather- after reading this, I have thought about what it is like for most people who plan trips with limited vacation time and money so they cannot afford the absolute best equipment and they have only X vacation days, and they have to get air fare in advance.

It took me two or three times(!) to climb Mt. Katahdin because of a partner's equipment failure (grr) - and we turned back- and it is not local- but I am alive, so I guess there is that. Another time with a group, we were supposed to climb Mt. Washington on a given day and it was miserably rainy, so we did a part of it for exercise and turned back because it would have been miserable on top anyway. I would mostly only hike in pouring rain now it it was for a limited time and I knew I was going back to a warm (indoor!) place shortly afterward. You cannot see a lot in pouring rain anyway. (Did LM wear glasses? Just hard to see.) Though I like xc skiing in snow, I must admit, and maybe that will be my downfall.

yes to glasses
both pictures I've seen of her she has glasses on
(see earlier posts for the pictures - I tried to upload and files were too large)

 

[ErinC]

Wrt glasses, it's so hard to know if it was a factor or not. I wear glasses but can see well enough (albeit slightly fuzzy) that I would be able to get myself out of a situation. My husband, otoh, would be completely done for without his. Said husband used to wear a strap on them when camping or hiking- I wonder if LM did the same or not.

 

[RickshawFan]

Great point with the glasses. On the missing poster, they don’t seem that thick, but maybe they don’t make coke bottle glasses these days?

FWIW Geraldine Largay left her hearing aids at home. Consider the implications of that one.

I have wondered in other cases whether there was some concealed impairment that family and friends didn’t know about or the missing person didn’t want to acknowledge that played a role in them not being found. Like hearing loss.

Geraldine Largay left her Spot (PLB) in a motel. Gotta go light!

Hiker who died on Appalachian Trail didn’t know how to use compass

The revelation about Geraldine Largay, contained in a report by the Maine Warden Service, was 'a recipe for disaster,' a retired warden says.

www.pressherald.com

 

[RickshawFan]

On the glasses thing…

A guy who glommed onto me at the beginning of the AT stepped on his (thick) glasses in the night. It was unsafe for him to be left by himself, so I had to hike him out and call for help. In the meantime, a drenching cold rain happened along, and he was unable to work his pack buckles by himself (I had to do them for him!) I got soaked and chilled in that rain doing up his pack buckles, but we finally got to a trailhead and stashed ourselves in the women’s restroom while we waited for the ride.

He also didn’t have a stove to “save weight”, but that’s a whole ‘nother story, and I forgave him for it.

So, yeah, losing the glasses when you're solo could be catastrophic.

 

[RickshawFan]

yes to glasses
both pictures I've seen of her she has glasses on
(see earlier posts for the pictures - I tried to upload and files were too large)

Convert photos to JPEG. Then they should work.

 

[spiritkiss]

Let me say something about whistles to keep everyone safe.

Check your pack. Look at the sternum (chest) strap. Look very closely at the buckle. It's very possible it has an integrated whistle. If you have an accident, it will be practically at your chin.

It looks like this:

View attachment 379207

I have a question for you. If you were in a situation like this lost in very cold and wet conditions, what would be something to carry that would start and burn wet wood. I would want a fire that produces alot of smoke to be found. As well as to keep warm. Is there something out there that would be small but powerful enough? Signal fire/smoke would be easily seen by searchers. Wet wood and enviroment is a real problem for fire starting.

 

[RickshawFan]

While I was looking at the 10 essentials list, I came across this story about hypothermia and dehydration. This is a good example of why you would never want to depend on a “ultralight” single-use water bottle because … well alot of reasons, but it might not be viable when you need it or what you need it for (like filling with boiling water and hugging). Lots of details in this story about what we could be looking at in this LM case. And look how fast it came on.

Know Before You Go: Dehydration and Hypothermia

Read Super Volunteer Regina Robinson's first-hand account of experiencing symptoms of hypothermia and dehydration on a snowshoe trip near Steven’s Pass, and learn how this medical emergency has informed how she now prepares for activities.

www.mountaineers.org

 

[ItalyReader]

Great point with the glasses. On the missing poster, they don’t seem that thick, but maybe they don’t make coke bottle glasses these days?

FWIW Geraldine Largay left her hearing aids at home. Consider the implications of that one.

I have wondered in other cases whether there was some concealed impairment that family and friends didn’t know about or the missing person didn’t want to acknowledge that played a role in them not being found. Like hearing loss.

Geraldine Largay left her Spot (PLB) in a motel. Gotta go light!

Hiker who died on Appalachian Trail didn’t know how to use compass

The revelation about Geraldine Largay, contained in a report by the Maine Warden Service, was 'a recipe for disaster,' a retired warden says.

www.pressherald.com

Yes they can make thinner lenses for people like me with terrible eyesight. It costs a tiny bit more but is worth it. So I wouldn’t gauge the severity of poor eyesight by the thinness of the lenses.

 

[RickshawFan]

I have a question for you. If you were in a situation like this lost in very cold and wet conditions, what would be something to carry that would start and burn wet wood. I would want a fire that produces alot of smoke to be found. As well as to keep warm. Is there something out there that would be small but powerful enough? Signal fire/smoke would be easily seen by searchers. Wet wood and enviroment is a real problem for fire starting.

In wet and cold conditions, I would take a stove with a piezo (push button lighter) and a back up lighter. At the very least, on a day trip, have a lighter and a backup.

@Tower gives the reasoning behind taking a stove ^^^^ .

I would dig up some cotton balls, douse them in vaseline, put them in a baggie, and always have them in your pack. They are fire-starter. Alternatively, you can carry trick birthday candles (they never blow out). Anything in your pack with alcohol in it could potentially be used as your back up to your vaseline balls. Try insect repellent.

To get the fire going, you’d have to find some fuel under a tree trunk or something. It’s gonna depend, and you gotta get lucky.

Here’s a story about 2 young people who got lost for five days. They were lucky enough to make a fire every night except the last. He brought the 10 Essentials. Oh dear, I had this yesterday…There’s a new book. I’ll find it.

Voilà!

Pipestone native authors book about son going missing in mountains - Pipestone County Star

In April of 2019, Eric DeSplinter went missing while hiking in the mountains in California, where he lives. His mother, former Pipestone resident Karen Ziebarth, wrote a book titled “Two Trails: A Hiker’s Story of Survival and His Mother’s Story of Hope” about the experience from her perspective...

www.pipestonestar.com

 

[ifindedout]

Snipped for focus...

You might have saved your life. It could have been snowing on top. This happens every year.

Fixed URL:

Severely hypothermic hiker dies after rescue in ‘treacherous’ conditions near Mt. Washington
"A hiker rescued from 'treacherous' conditions on a trail near Mt. Washington in New Hampshire’s Presidential Mountain Range died after suffering from severe hypothermia, state officials said Monday.

"Xi Chen, 53, of Andover, Massachusetts, was attempting to hike the Gulfside Trail in the Presidential Range when he was 'overcome by severe weather conditions,' according to a New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHFG) news release."

Same deal as the LM case: cold rain. There were dozens of calls to SAR that day.

 

[LadyL]

Convert photos to JPEG. Then they should work.

idk how to do that - I just opened in a new tab and copy & pasted but it's huge

Convert photos to JPEG. Then they should work.

 

[sleepingmonkey]

Angela Macke 8 hours ago (per facebook Laura Macke Search & Rescue (SAR) group)​

A piece of equipment belonging to Laura was recovered from the area of her expected hike. Focused drone searching in this area continues.

 

[Springrain]

Angela Macke 8 hours ago (per facebook Laura Macke Search & Rescue (SAR) group)​

A piece of equipment belonging to Laura was recovered from the area of her expected hike. Focused drone searching in this area continues.

I'm wondering if this is a situation like that one older woman, who wandered off from her route to pee and then died of exposure? (Can't find her name, but very sad situation).

 

[fridaybaker]

If they have found equipment, it seems they might not be far from finding Laura. Anyone here who is experienced with the area think it’s possible she could be found alive?

It just seems to me that she hasn’t been gone that long. Hoping she’s injured, hunkered down and been able to find enough shelter to keep her safe until rescue. Maybe I’m being unrealistic.

 

[annpats]

If you are experiencing Hurricane Nichole right now, that would be normal rain on the PNW coast this time of year. That's about how wet the Quinault trailhead would be on October 30. Would you follow through on a plan to step out of your car and into the woods on a trail along a river, hike 9 miles, and camp next to a creek?

Well, I wouldn't..... but I'm quite happy to change my mind and cancel my plans. I go with the flow.
Some people however, don't like doing that. They've made the effort to plans and arrange the trip, driven all the way to the location and don't want a bit of weather to ruin it.

Plus the thought of having to go home and wait another 8 months until the winter/spring has gone until you can do the hike again wouldn't appeal to some either.

MOO.

 

[annpats]

You can't scuba dive unless you have an oxygen tank with you.

No, not oxygen. Air. Just normal air.
(If you breathe pure 100% oxygen underwater it is toxic. You get CNS oxygen toxicity and will have convulsions.)

But yes, I've had all sorts of trips rained off, cancelled, adjusted etc. for all manner of reasons. But I just find something else to do. I'm flexible.

But if you're hiking by yourself, it's only you yourself that can call the trip off. And some people find that hard to do....or they may think the rain will stop, or it'll blow over and be OK.

 

[RickshawFan]

idk how to do that - I just opened in a new tab and copy & pasted but it's huge

View attachment 379415

Mac or PC? I only know Mac. Right click on it and download. Click on the downloaded file; it will launch in Preview. Use Export in the File menu. You want JPEG.