Found Deceased NH - Hiker Emily Sotelo, from MA, dropped off in Franconia, Lafayette trailhead, Hiking Mounts Lafayette, Haystack & Flume, 20 Nov 2022

[caradana]

@White_Mountains so helpful, thanks. Was that in the opposite direction of where the expectation was regarding her route? And where did she get dropped off?

 

[Bostongirl]

@White_Mountains so helpful, thanks. Was that in the opposite direction of where the expectation was regarding her route? And where did she get dropped off?

I believe she was dropped at Lafayette campground, across highway down towards left. Then she would have gone old bridle path to Lafayette, haystack and eventually flume. She was probably a couple hours in before she either got hurt, realized she was in trouble, or tried to create/find shelter. All Moo since we don’t truly know her planned route.

I’m sorry this happened, Emily. Prayers with you and your family. Thank you to all who searched tirelessly for her.

 

[Skigirl]

They think she died of exposure possibly "...blown off the mountain by high winds"

Missing 20-Year-Old Hiker Found Dead Days After Disappearing in New Hampshire Mountains

Emily Sotelo was found around 11 a.m. by Fish and Game conservation officers on Mount Lafayette.

www.nbcboston.com

 

[ForesterJake]

View attachment 382178

Keep in mind that I am not a geologist but I believe the headwaters would be in the approximate area of the red dot. NW of Mt Lafayette, North of Old Bridle Path.

Emily would have been found in the Lafayette headwater ravine in the above left of this photo that I had posted earlier. Some extreme terrain in there... wonder if she tried to bail or had lost the trail in the open above the hut and inadvertently wandered down into there.. such a tragic loss! A hearty thank you to the unrelenting efforts of the SAR and condolences to the family.

 

[MsMarple]

They think she died of exposure possibly "...blown off the mountain by high winds"

Missing 20-Year-Old Hiker Found Dead Days After Disappearing in New Hampshire Mountains

Emily Sotelo was found around 11 a.m. by Fish and Game conservation officers on Mount Lafayette.

www.nbcboston.com

From your link:

"It looks like she had been blown off the top of the mountain in the high winds and cold temperatures," Eastman said.

She appears to have died of exposure to the elements, he added.

Eastman had said earlier Wednesday that the search had switched to a recovery effort, as it was unlikely she could have survived the zero degree temperatures and 40 mph wind gusts for multiple days.
===== end

Do they mean literally blown off the mountain?

 

[Skigirl]

From your link:

"It looks like she had been blown off the top of the mountain in the high winds and cold temperatures," Eastman said.

She appears to have died of exposure to the elements, he added.

Eastman had said earlier Wednesday that the search had switched to a recovery effort, as it was unlikely she could have survived the zero degree temperatures and 40 mph wind gusts for multiple days.
===== end

Do they mean literally blown off the mountain?

I presume they mean she was blown down, maybe they found skid marks. So horribly sad.

 

[Coppertop15]

I'm not denying that the photo is beautiful, but it is also pant peeing terrifying.

 

[ForesterJake]

From your link:

"It looks like she had been blown off the top of the mountain in the high winds and cold temperatures," Eastman said.

She appears to have died of exposure to the elements, he added.

Eastman had said earlier Wednesday that the search had switched to a recovery effort, as it was unlikely she could have survived the zero degree temperatures and 40 mph wind gusts for multiple days.
===== end

Do they mean literally blown off the mountain?

Probably not literally picked up and blown off the mountain but I can personally attest to the ferocity of the winds and cold up there.. it's no joke. If you're unprepared for it, the only thought is to get out asap! It's hard to know what pre hypothermic thoughts might have been going through her mind, perhaps even sheer panic, but thoughts like these often lead to irrational decisions that unfortunately lead to disaster. Such a tragic loss

 

[White_Mountains]

@White_Mountains so helpful, thanks. Was that in the opposite direction of where the expectation was regarding her route? And where did she get dropped off?

I was thinking that once Emily made it to the summit of Lafayette, she would head south toward Lincoln and Little Haystack if her goal was to get to Mt Flume. To me, it looks like she was slightly north of Old Bridle Path and NW of Mt Lafayette summit instead of heading south along the ridge.

The comment about being blown off the mountain is terrifying.

 

[RickshawFan]

This has come up in a few posts this morning. I can only speak to my experience as a 40+ year hiker who has hiked 88 of the highest 100 peaks in New England including a number that are bushwhacks (i.e. no established trails) and has hiked the northern 1/3 of Vermont's Long Trail which is generally considered the most gnarly part of the LT. I have not done overnight hikes that include camping, most of my day hikes are in the 3.5-6 hour range but I have done day hikes up to 20+/- miles. I consider myself well above average as a hiker. I'm fit and I move quickly (not as quickly as I used to!!), and I am able to get out to hike about 20-25 times a year. I have only hiked in hiking boots a couple times, and it was decades ago. I prefer trail runners such as the Brooks Cascadia or the Hoka Speedgoat, as do many hikers these days. These kinds of shoes have evolved far beyond the running shoes that would be more suitable for runs on the local rec path. I would say around 40% of the hikers I see on trails similar to this the last few years are wearing trail runners, 45% hiking boots, 15% "other" (traditional running shoes, tennis shoes or sneakers, Crocs/Tevas, barefoot).

We really need to get past thinking that there is a right way and a wrong way to hike because what's right and wrong is completely dependent on the terrain one will be in and the weather one will encounter. The equipment I use would not be appropriate for most winter hiking in the mountains. In Ms. Sotelo's case, although we're starting to get more details about her attire and what she had in her pack, I'm still finding the details pretty thin so although it appears based on what we've been told so far that she was not prepared for the hike she planned, without more facts we're just speculating.

For example, in the last 24 hours it has emerged that she had a pack with a water bladder and some food items. How do we know she didn't have a headlamp in that pack? It hasn't been reported that she did, but unless her Mom packed her pack we don't know for a fact what was in that pack. Was a compass in there? Map? Lighter? Battery pack to recharge her phone? Knife? Any first aid supplies? Only the person who packed that pack, which I assume was Emily, would know for sure.

The points about sneakers being inappropriate footwear, not having a headlamp, frozen water bladder, little food, inadequate clothing all came directly from NH Fish and Game, the SAR lead. Their interviews are inserted several times in this thread.

 

[Countem]

Body of Vanderbilt student found in New Hampshire

Emily Sotelo, 20, was reported missing on Sunday, Nov. 20 after failing to return from her solo hike.

www.wsmv.com

BBM

A medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death, but there has been no evidence of foulplay, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department confirmed.

Days into search 20-year-old hiker is found dead in New Hampshire

Emily Sotelo, 20, was found dead on the northwest side of Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire after leaving for a solo hike on Saturday.

abcnews.go.com

BBM

Searchers spent two days looking for Sotelo before finding tracks and some of her belongings at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook on Tuesday. Her body was found Wednesday morning.

 

[joeconn4]

The points about sneakers being inappropriate footwear, not having a headlamp, frozen water bladder, little food, inadequate clothing all came directly from NH Fish and Game, the SAR lead. Their interviews are inserted several times in this thread.

Yes, I've read those. I can't understand how NHF&G would have known those things since they didn't pack her pack. Perhaps her Mom packed her pack so they found out those specifics from her Mom, but I haven't read anything that stated that her Mom had any hiking experience or had packed her daughter's pack. I guess I just project to thinking about "what if it was me" out for that hike. I do a lot of solo hiking, occasionally hike with a partner or small group. There are people who I communicate my plan to, sometimes friends drop me off at trailheads. Or if I've gone alone I'll text a picture to a friend when I'm at the trailhead ready to roll. My friends might speculate what's in my pack, based on having hiked with me before or based on something I've said to them, but they really don't know for sure if I have a headlamp (or two) or how much food or what extra clothing I'm carrying or if I brought microspikes. They might look at the picture I sent and say "he was wearing black exercise pants and an orange jacket" without knowing that I had a hat & gloves in the pack and tights under my pants and 2 layers under my jacket.

Perhaps NHF&G had a good source to know more reliable facts about what was in her pack, or perhaps the media reports simplified what NHF&G said. Really sad to see the outcome, I was hoping she got off the mountain and just missed the connection with her Mom.

 

[Hap]

Or perhaps they had found her pack Tuesday afternoon, and knew what was in it.

"Searchers spent two days looking for Sotelo before finding tracks and some of her belongings at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook on Tuesday."

 

[ItalyReader]

I can't understand how NHF&G would have known those things since they didn't pack her pack.

Good points - also because at the beginning they said she only had exercise pants and then it came out that she had another pants layer underneath. We can’t assume. I want to believe she brought more supplies with her. And I also have a bad feeling she didn’t, especially considering the outcome. All MOO.

Or perhaps they had found her pack Tuesday afternoon, and knew what was in it.

Could be, but she also may have lost items along the way especially if she was in crisis and had a fall, “blown off the mountain etc.” Items could have fallen away from her. Maybe they were recovered and maybe they weren’t. In that case looking in the pack wouldn’t tell us what she brought with her.

 

[Elana619]

Probably not literally picked up and blown off the mountain but I can personally attest to the ferocity of the winds and cold up there.. it's no joke. If you're unprepared for it, the only thought is to get out asap! It's hard to know what pre hypothermic thoughts might have been going through her mind, perhaps even sheer panic, but thoughts like these often lead to irrational decisions that unfortunately lead to disaster. Such a tragic loss

I had an experience once where I was indeed blown over by wind while backpacking along a ridge. It was so scary. The next day my face was swollen from the winds.

 

[Hexe]

Probably not literally picked up and blown off the mountain but I can personally attest to the ferocity of the winds and cold up there.. it's no joke. If you're unprepared for it, the only thought is to get out asap! It's hard to know what pre hypothermic thoughts might have been going through her mind, perhaps even sheer panic, but thoughts like these often lead to irrational decisions that unfortunately lead to disaster. Such a tragic loss

A strong gust of wind can also make you loose your balance, which can be fatal if it happens high up the mountain, i.e. on a ridge.

 

[MissSuzie]

Such a tragedy for the young woman, and also for her family who must be experiencing a wrenching regret. The description of her being found NW of Lafayette’s summit has some resemblance to the misfortune of Russell and Brenda Cox from almost 20 years ago, which can be read at below link. Sadly, however, unlike Brenda Cox, Emily Sotelo was alone at her end. This is an excerpt from the story at the link:
(“They were on the Old Bridle Path by about 8:30 a.m. By about 11 a.m., they reached a hut part way up and met hikers who said the weather was turning sour. They decided to hike to the summit of Mt. Lafayette, then turn around, Russell Cox said.
After they reached the top, they turned around and began back down. But in the worsening weather, they chose the wrong trail, heading north. They strained to see the rock piles marking the trail through the whirling snow and wind. The realized they had gone the wrong way when they reached a junction slightly less than a mile down the trail. By then, they could see almost nothing, their ski goggles frosted over and the 75 mph winds tearing at them.”) Mount Lafayette : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

 

[arielilane]

My sincere condolences to Emily's loved ones. Glad she was found. I really didn’t think she would be found until spring. Glad I was wrong. Remarkable efforts made by SAR.

 

[azure]

Mount Lafayette : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

From your link: "Winter is an especially enjoyable to climb this peak as it is often overrun with hikers during the summer months."

This sentence made me rather nauseous. I suppose it is "especially enjoyable" to hike the mountain when it's quiet in the winter, if you have the skills and survival gear to withstand subzero temperatures and dangerous winds. Natural spaces are choked with people post-pandemic, and so woefully unprepared people are going to keep heading out during extreme heat and cold to "skip the crowds". Unfortunately, some of those people won't come back.

 

[RickshawFan]

That obsession of going light is literally killing people and the most important thing should be to go SAFE.

Snipped for focus....

Yes! We just had a "presumed deceased" Vermonter going light on a solo backpack in the Olympics, not 3 weeks ago. She started out from the trailhead, in a rainforest, in pouring cold rain. Unclear if she owned rain pants, since "going light" hikers don't like to carry those, saving weight and all.
And we had the two "fast and light" thru hikers who would have died on Lafayette in mid-summer if another thru hiker with a tent, a map, snacks, sleeping bag, and some basic common sense hadn't come along. 2017 IIRC.