Accidents Analysis from the White Mountains of New Hampshire and occasionally elsewhere s last summer’s images of open trails and late light faded A into early December’s long nights, three of us, former and current edi- tors of this journal, gathered at Cardigan Lodge to teach “Writing from the Mountains,” an Appalachian Mountain Club workshop. We were joined there at road’s end by fifteen writers and by early-advent winter. For the second year in a row, we found significant snow and cold in the folds of the Shem Valley; on the second night the temperature dipped to zero. The work- shop seeks its words and sentences along the many trails that fan out from the lodge, and from the two parent mountains—Cardigan and Firescrew— that rise sharply above. On the second morning as I walked along the Man- ning Trail, I noticed that already we and others had shaped the beginning of a beaten ridge down the trail’s center, and that moment cast me both back and forward to one of hiking’s least-favored words, monorail. A monorail is a singular, raised track of old snow and ice that persists down the center of popular trails. The surging popularity of winter hiking, climbing, and skiing (not to mention their variants), aided by ever-better clothing and footwear, has put many more feet on the winter trails. Those feet beat the snow into a compact mass after every storm. It’s rare now to find a popular trail unbroken—uncompacted—more than 24 hours after the snow stops falling. So, by the time serious melt sets in, there has been a lot of traffic along any route. That traffic also often continues in the “mud season” that most once avoided. Hence, the monorail, a dense, icy, sometimes under- mined track that goes right up the trail’s center and slopes down to its edges. Especially on trails facing away from the day’s sun, a monorail may make it all the way to summer solstice. Which brings me to this column covering May 1 through October 31, 2019. Winter 2018–2019 still gripped many slopes in the White Mountains when the calendar paged forward into May. But warmth in the valleys and general spring euphoria suggested otherwise, especially to those who live 108 Appalachia south of the mountains. Spring’s hikers arrived geared for a season that hadn’t yet reached the high peaks and north slopes of the Whites. There followed a spate of early May rescues, a number of which had trailed our old friend “monorail” into trouble. In the spring of 2019, monorails were everywhere in the White Moun- tains. Their presence wasn’t new or news, but their prevalence was news of the quiet sort. May Days: 5/8–5/13, 5 Calls The Mount Washington Observatory’s weather archives record the following statistics for May 8 to 13, 2019: high temperatures: 27, 42, 44, 32, 31, 28 Fahr- enheit; lows: 18, 20, 27, 18, 17, 19 F; average wind speed: 38, 18, 50, 53, 20, 34 mph; precipitation: 0, 0.04, 0.85, 0.10, 0, 0.07 inch. The Mount Washington summit, where these were recorded, has its own extremes, but its proxim- ity to the sites of these five rescues at least gives us a sense of their weathers. These figures are not especially severe for Mount Washington. Still, it’s easy to see that if you are under-equipped, marooned, and wet in the snow and darkness, and in some cases, unshod, you are near deep trouble. Incident 1, Falling Waters Trail below Franconia Ridge: Monorails are hard walking and symbolize win- ter’s endurance. Not only do they slough off water and resist melting, they slough us off too, especially if we are wearing summer shoes. As New Hampshire Fish and Game’s Lt. Jim Kneeland put it in a press release about this May 8 incident, “Microspikes are still a necessity as the trails packed over the winter are last to thaw causing icy traveling.” In spring, after a season of foot-beating An 8:40 p.m. call on May 8 asked on popular White Mountain trails, a NHFG to go to the assistance of “monorail” of compacted snow and ice often Jevin M., a 22-year-old hiker from persists. ARI OFSEVIT Summer/Fall 2020 109 Florida, who reported that he had lost the Falling Waters Trail while descend- ing and was stuck. Once off trail, Jevin had come finally upon Dry Brook, and he had used the water course as a route to hike back up until he could get cell service to call for help. That brook-work had gotten Jevin wet, and the deep snow had stripped off his boots. Temperatures were forecast to drop into the low 30s overnight. Kneeland summoned and sent a team of two NHFG conservation officers to coordinates derived from Jevin’s cell phone call. The COs reached Jevin at 1 a.m. and supplied him with dry clothing, footwear, food, a headlamp, and—as Kneeland noted— “motivation.” After thrashing through thick cover and deep snow, the threesome reached the trail and, finally, the parking lot at 4:10 a.m. Jevin declined any further medical attention. In a press release, Kneeland outlined just how ill-prepared Jevin was for his hike: “He did not know he would encounter snow and ice on his hike. He also wore primarily cotton clothing, which is one of the worst fabrics to wear in cold, wet conditions.” Kneeland also said he carried only two of the hikeSafe program’s “ten essentials, ” a knife and a whistle, lacking map, com- pass, warm clothing, extra food and water, a light source, matches, first aid kit, and rain gear. Comment: This incident is common in many respects: an out-of-state hiker sets out to enjoy White Mountain spring and finds a different season. He persists, even as he is woefully underprepared. Climbing up over bad foot- ing is easier than descending. On the way down, he gets off trail and mired in snow, which, finally, keeps first one boot, then the other. By the time rescue arrives he is wet, cold, and shoeless on a night when hypothermia is a given. In short, he gets his life saved. Here’s the kicker: As of this writing, the detailed, official report has not been released because Jevin is contesting being charged as negligent for the cost of his rescue. That gets him included in this column. Incident 2, the Baldfaces: Less than 24 hours later, NHFG’s call-line rang again. It was late in the day, and the light was fading. The caller, Zachary S., age 26, said that he had lost the trail somewhere between North Baldface and South Baldface. Now, he was mired in knee-deep snow, out of food and water, without a headlamp or extra, dry clothing; he wanted help. Despite the poor phone connection, NHFG was able to receive coordinates that placed Zachary just over three miles from the trailhead. Lt. Brad Morse summoned two COs, and at 9:05 p.m., they climbed into the night. 110 Appalachia Just after 11:30 p.m., the COs reached Zachary, provided him with food, water, and a headlamp, and then guided him down, arriving at the trailhead at 1:50 a.m. Morse’s interview with Zachary found that he had left for the 9.6-mile circuit at 10 a.m. on the 9th, “carrying a small pack with only some extra water, food, and socks. He had no map, compass, added layers of clothing, traction devices, snowshoes, and headlamp.” Comment: Lt. Morse recommended that the state bill Zachary for the cost of the rescue, as he had acted “negligently in that he knowingly hiked a long and difficult trail while unprepared for the conditions.” I concur with this recommendation, even as billing for rescue continues to be a controver- sial subject. While I have written at some length in the past that the right to bill for rescue costs offers a false promise of helping fund NHFG’s growing search-and-rescue budget, I believe that in incidents where hiker negligence is clear, billing can act as a deterrent to others. That is trueif it is used judi- ciously and publicized. Morse, a veteran rescuer cited often by the rescue community for his skill, is a trusted voice in this respect. (See “End Note” in this column for a few further thoughts about billing.) The circuit Zachary attempted is a demanding one, even in warm, dry- rock conditions. On a cool, early May day with abundant snow and ice still in the shaded sections, it’s a route only the most capable and experienced should try. Incident 3, Falling Waters Trail: This short account could describe any of the region’s most common rescues. On May 10 at 8:42 p.m. NHFG got a call about a hiker benighted on the Falling Waters Trail. Jason R., age 49, had taken a wrong turn near the end of his loop hike, and, without a light, map, or rain gear, had called for help. A NHFG CO hiked in, provided Jason with a light, and the pair reached the trailhead at 10:30 p.m. Comment: I include this incident for its timing with the other four, its frequency, and because, as of this writing, Jason was contesting NHFG’s request that he pay rescue costs on the basis of his negligence. Really? Incident 4, Mount Moosilauke: May 11 began innocuously enough for an introductory hiking and camping class of Dartmouth College students, who set out to climb Mount Moosilauke as part of the culmination of a physical education course.