Seems like a topic we should discuss here, no? I'm sure we would be had they died, but because they didn't doesn't mean we shouldn't! No, they weren't skiing. However, while equipment may vary, any winter day in the High Peaks requires similar preparation, regardless of whether you plan to travel on snowshoes or skis.
I assume you've all seen the story? Two college kids, with previous ADK winter hiking experience, plan a hike to Algonquin a couple of weekends ago. Bluebird Sunday (Dec 11) with a decent forecast (?) turns to windy, cloudy, snowy whiteout conditions shortly after they summit at noon. Disoriented, they lose the trail, turn the wrong way, and fall 100 feet down the back side of Algonquin into deep snow. Realizing they can't climb back up through the deep snow they hunker down. Luckily, thankfully, after three days and two nights in snowy freezing temps and below zero windchills they are rescued by DEC and State Police personnel on Tuesday morning, who had upwards of two dozen people searching for a day and a half, including a sketchy helicopter evac.
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/33096/20161219/a-life-or-death-rescue-on-algonquin-we-had-to-get-them-that-dayWhile the story ends happy (he'll lose some parts of toes to frostbite, otherwise both were unscathed), it very easy could have ended differently. Things like this always provide an opportunity to discuss choices, planning, and preparedness for a day in beautiful, yet potentially hostile, winter environments. No judgement, just discussion to (maybe) help us a as we plan our own winter days in the ADK wilderness.
By all accounts they seemed kind of prepared, him more than her. Plenty of food and water. Fire starting kit (that proved useless). Micro-spikes. Snowshoes, although maybe just one pair (which would be a little useless). The weather was clear, the forecast may not have been bad, they signed in at the trail head, they checking in with family from the trail. They did a lot of correct things. Through their choices, with incredible effort by rescuers, they came out alive, which is great.
All that said, could they have been better prepared? Should they have? Were the choices they made the right ones? As they did come out alive one might assume everything went right....the preparation, the choices....but luck probably played a big role in their survival as well.
So, as I plan on day tours to ski ADK slides this winter, let's talk proper preparation. I have to say, my pack is always HEAVY, probably too heavy, and that carries its own risks, but let's talk about what should be in a pack for a day in the ADK High Peaks. My first comment here, and something this lucky to be alive young couple didn't consider, is that you should never plan for just a day in the wilderness, even if that is your goal. I'm not saying every trip needs to include full camping gear, but being prepared to spend a night on the mountain if things go wrong is something I think you absolutely have to be prepared for. So how do you do that? I'm interested to know what you'd pack. Would seem a bivy sack of some sort, or at a minimum an emergency heat/thermal/space blanket would be in order. A snow cave/fort can certainly be a lifesaver if you know to dig/make one, but the added weight of a proper bag/sack/blanket is most likely worth it. Would seem to me that hand and feet warmers are light enough that throwing a dozen in your pack seems like a good weight investment that could ward off some frostbite. Fire (along with water) is life, so enabling yourself to effectively make fire seems necessary, even though it can be difficult on a howling mountainside in the snow. However, a lighter isn't enough. I always like to include some newspaper (in a ziplock bag) in my pack, along with a good Zippo and extra fuel. What else am I not considering for potential overnight survival in extreme elements? Light could be good, some sort of head lamp maybe, or possibly a usb powered light of some sort. Cold saps phone batteries, so a thin 14,400 mAh power bank is now part of my backcountry gear. What else, at a minimum? An extra set of clothes is a good measure, but that really can add some weigh. Is all of that necessary? Prudent? Crazy?
This would be a good place to discuss the staples of a wilderness hiking/backcountry skiing pack. I'll just randomly list what routinely goes in my pack, along with beacon/shovel/probe/skins for skiing and spikes/crampons/ice axe for winter hiking. Food, water, whilstle, spare batteries, Leatherman, pocket knife, medical kit, extra gloves/glove liners/hat, phone/power bank, lighter/fuel/paper, sunglasses/goggles, balaclava. I feel like I'm leaving a couple things off, but I've rambled enough. All of that goes into a quality pack with proper straps and adjustments. I dress in multiple players, with hopefully enough room in the pack to stow a layer as it's shed. What else is typically in your pack?
Choices always fascinate me. You always have to look at the conditions and weather forecast before hand, with a morning assessment of same and a final go-no go decision. When everything says don't go....the mountains will be there, there's always another day. But usually it's a go. Hopefully everyone is making smart, conservative decisions during a day that goes as planned. The choices made when things don't go as planned are crucial, and looking at them fascinates me. In this case, after falling a hundred feet down into deep snow and krumholtz, this couple made a few decisions. They created a flat area out of the wind, tried to line it with branches to get themselves off the snow, and built a snow wall to block the elements. They got creative with what they had, using the backpack to wrap feet/legs, even though they lost provisions in the process. Much of that likely saved their lives. A huge choice they made, and I guess it saved their lives, was to hunker down and wait for rescue. Well, wait for rescue or death. Fortunately rescue came first, but can you count on that? Was it the right decision to hunker down and wait? I'm not sure I could do that, although trying to self rescue risks additional exposure which could be deadly. What would you have done?
I think that's enough rambling to spark some relevant non-political discussion!
We REALLY need a proper roll eyes emoji!!
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