NH's division of Fish and Game is in charge of Search and Rescue and they post all rescues on their website: https://nhfishgame.com/ They give a good summation a few days after a rescue/recovery, usually.
NH's division of Fish and Game is in charge of Search and Rescue and they post all rescues on their website: https://nhfishgame.com/ They give a good summation a few days after a rescue/recovery, usually.
Yes, that is scary, especially hiking in a group that likely has different levels of experience and abilities. I'm not an expert on the Whites but I have learned enough through reading and questions and one previous trip to know that they need to be respected. And, knowledge and respect go a long way in easing some of the potential pitfalls and danger. Good luck.
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Schwad, you may want to read this post and pass it along to your "gung-ho" buddy.
"Because of his lack of essential items and poor choices throughout the entirety of Simpson’s hike, it has been recommended that he be billed for the expenses associated with the rescue."
https://nhfishgame.com/2021/08/05/hi...gulf-headwall/
Getting in over his head because he is a gung-ho machoist could not only be dangerous... it could also be expensive.
The other thing I learned (and did before our hike that didn't happen) was to buy a Hike Safe card from the NH Fish and Game Dept. Definitely something to look into in case there is a need for a S&R callout (if you didn’t already know about it. Sorry, I don't know how experienced you are in the Whites... I just learned that before our expected hike).
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Thanks sparky32. I have no experience in the Whites, just elsewhere; thanks for the reminder about the Hike Safe card.
I've been reading through the reports, and did note that one about the rescue from the Great Gulf Headwall.
I should clarify. (Sorry, this is getting a bit off-topic.) I expect my hiking buddy and I will be prepared. We're both moderately experienced backpackers. The question is just a matter of where I draw the line, when he says "let's press further" and I say "no, let's not." (So that he doesn't get me in over my head.) We went on a weekend backpacking trip earlier this summer in West Virginia where he hiked me slightly past my limits. We hit the trail on Saturday at 9:15am and planned to do 28 miles that day to get to a shelter. At 24 miles (~8:15pm) I wanted to stop to at least have dinner, but he wanted to continue. I acquiesced, and we hiked the rest of the way to the shelter, arriving at about 10:30pm. I was so zonked that I needed an infusion of Gatorade to think straight, to decide whether to sleep on a pad in the shelter or set up my hammock. If I'd insisted on dinner, I'd have been fine. We hiked 15 miles out the next day, no problems (I mean, aside from fields full of ticks, and having to bushwhack the last few miles because the trail on the map didn't exist).
For us, I think this rescue report is more relevant:
https://nhfishgame.com/2021/08/02/in...ulfside-trail/
"Due to Victor and Joseph’s overall preparedness, they were able to make it through the night even though the wind speeds reached 92 mph and the wind chill factor was in the teens."
Lesson: Know when to stop and take shelter. The weather is serious. Be prepared for it, and make good decisions.
Always good local mountain information here:
https://www.vftt.org/forums/
https://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/
Since I retired, some times I stay awake all day, some times all night.
sparky32, you may be interested to read my trip report here.
You'll be happy to know I hammocked successfully at both Valley Way and Naumann tentsite. ...Though at Valley Way I accidentally hung from a dead tree. (It was still sturdy.)
Naumann tentsite seemed to have a lot of potential overflow area that might be amenable to hammocks. I didn't go downhill to check because I got a spot over a tent platform. (There was no caretaker, so I don't know if a caretaker would have wanted me over the platform or not.)
Thanks for adding this post. Out of all the questions I had about this trip (that we had to cancel at the last minute), my question about using a hammock was the most frustrating and the one that was never completely answered in my mind. I just got to work and am anxious to read your trip report as soon as I get a break.
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Last edited by sparky32; 09-30-2021 at 06:13.
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