Danger On The Trail

I saw an article about a hiker who died on Mt Washington in New Hampshire over the weekend.  I climbed that mountain in the fall of 2019 and the weather was fairly mild. It was still and not too cold, but the fog was so thick I could barely see from one rock cairn marking the trail to the next. I would have to stop at the cairn and peer into the gloom until I spotted the next one to make sure I didn't wander off trail and got lost. This mountain is the tallest mountain in the northeast US (6288 ft/1916 m) and is world famous for its weather. A wind speed of 231 mph was recorded in 1934 and is still one of the highest wind speeds every recorded. A temperature of -50 F was recorded in 1885. The highest temperature ever recorded there is only 76 F. As a comparison, here at my home in Texas I'm measuring days this summer where it doesn't get that low during the night. With this kind of weather and size it's not surprising that people get killed or injured on it fairly regularly.  In fact, I read that Mt Washington has more fatalities per vertical foot than any other mountain in the world. Based on that, you'd think people are dropping like flies, but that isn't the case. As of 2019, there have been only 161 fatalities on Washington since 1849 and I can find references to only two others since then. One hundred sixty three total out of the estimated 250,000 people who hike it every year. 

As a relevant note, I found the comments in the above linked-article about the hiker to be interesting. I'm a solo-hiker, am 64-years old, and love being out there by myself or with only one or two others. It's a wonderful experience. My friends and family are at odds with this practice. It's too dangerous, in their opinion.

It seems as though anytime a hiker dies on the trail it makes the news. Based on the news coverage, you would guess it's very dangerous out on the trail. The reality is that it is extremely safe. I like to point out the reason it makes the news whenever someone dies is because it's news - it doesn't happen very often. If people were getting killed at the rate they are in the cities it wouldn't be reported anymore. "Ah! Just another dead hiker!" The reality is you are more at risk in your home than I am on the trail. 

Over two million people hike at least part of the Appalachian Trail ever year. As of 2019, there have been 13 murders on the AT since 1974. It is estimated that two or three people die per year on the trail, mostly from hypothermia and lightning. The last murder on the AT that I'm aware of occurred in the summer of 2019 when a guy attacked a couple in their tent during the night with a knife, killing one and seriously injuring the other. He was acquitted on the grounds he was mentally incompetent and sent to a psychiatric hospital. In other words, this guy was going to kill someone and it just happened to have occurred on the AT. Thirteen murders in 45 years with probably over 50 million people passing through. That is a phenomenally low murder rate.

But, this doesn't change the perception that people think you're taking your life in your hands ever time you go out there. I have people asking me to pack a weapon and have even volunteered to lend me one. That is the way they perceive it. 

Many, if not most, of the serious accidents occur because people don't take the minimum safety measures. People get killed in car accidents at a greater rate when they don't wear their seat belts. Is it worth your life to not take even the minimum safety measures? Same thing when you're out in nature. Have adequate provisions, gear, water (a big one!), do the smart things, and avoid the dumb ones. Just like anywhere else.

A woman was killed by a grizzly bear in Montana in 2021. They released the investigative report this summer. She was in an area known to have approximately 1000 grizzly bears but was still storing food in her tent and bike saddlebags. Apparently, the bear smelled the food and came looking for it. After being scared off once, it returned an hour later and killed the woman. It could still smell traces of the food even though she had removed it from her tent. 

This terrible event could have been prevented with simple safety measures. Animals will smell our food and come looking for it so you don't want to keep it in your tent. Bears are bad, but so are mice and other rodents. You don't want to wake up and find your food bags have been chewed through and there's a bunch of rodent feces in your food. The traditional way to keep your food away from animals is to hang a bear bag - putting your food in a bag and hanging it from a tree. There are two real problems with this. The first, obviously, is that you need something you can hang it from. Many places don't have anything like that. Also, bears are learning how to beat them and are teaching their cubs so future generations will know what to do. Bear-resistant canisters are popular. You put your food in one and bears (and other animals) can't open them. They're a little heavy, but they double as a camp seat. My approach is to put my food in scent-proof bags (making sure not to get any scent on the outside) and then put them in bear-bags that tie to a tree or something off the ground. I have never had anything get into my food. I can't actually vouch that this combo is keeping critters away, maybe they just haven't been around me. But, I did have a bear in my camp last summer while hiking the Colorado Trail. I awoke to the sound of it huffing in my camp and could hear it walking around. Eventually, it left - to my great relief. My food was tied to a tree nearby and it didn't even bother it. I shudder to think of what might have happened if I had kept my food in the tent with me.

And, you have to be prepared for the weather. It's hazardous and you don't get to go running to some building when things happen. I've been caught in some very bad weather and so has anyone who has spent time on the trail. If you're not prepared, you're going to get into trouble. A couple of hikers from Texas showed up in the Colorado Rockies this summer with no provisions, rain gear, or adequate clothing and had to be rescued. They complained they couldn't understand how it could be so cold in the Rockies when it had been so hot in Texas. Really? That is a total lack of homework on their part. They failed to do the minimal safety steps and someone had to rescue them as a result. Fortunately, they were okay because they definitely put themselves at risk of being killed.

But, even with tragic mistakes, the number of people who get seriously injured or killed on the trail is stunningly low. You are at much greater risk in the cities - even safe ones - than you are on the trail. Try convincing my friends and family of that, though.

So, I'm going to wrap up this article, go outside in the 100+ degree heat and climb a tall ladder to paint the side of my house. By myself. I'm doing this dangerous business so I can sell the house and return to the safety of the trail.