TRIP LISTINGS: 3 - 11 RUMBLINGS: 2, ARTICLE: 1 CharlesTHE River Mud APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB / BOSTON CHAPTER :: www.amcboston.org August 2010 / Vol. 35, No. 8 ARTICLE By Fruzsina Veress Accidents Happen: A Hiker Offers Thanks to Her Rescuers Watch out for the Leg! Lift the Leg! Pull the Leg to the right! the hut and ask for help. Indeed, we were happy when they The Leg was MY leg, hanging uselessly in its thick bandage called later to say that they had met the two valiant caretak- made from a foam mattress. Suspended by a rope, the Leg ers from Madison Hut on their way to reach us. After about was being handled by one of my heroic rescuers while its two hours of anxious waiting spent mostly hunting down rightful owner crept along behind on her remaining three mosquitoes, the two kind AMC-ers arrived. They splinted limbs (and butt) like a crab led on a leash. The scenery was my ankle, and to protect it from bumping into the boulders, beautiful, the rocky drops of King Ravine. they packaged it into the foam mattress. Earlier on this day, June 28, Nandi and Marton were pre- climbing happily over the pared to piggyback me down boulder field, hoping to reach the ravine, but most of the the ridge leading to Mount ‘trail’ simply consists of blaz- Adams in the White Moun- es painted on the rock, and it tains of New Hampshire, I is next to impossible for two took a wrong step. There was or more people to coordinate a pop, and suddenly my foot their steps. So I half crawled, was in the wrong place and half floated along thanks to a just wouldn’t go back where it lift from my four helpers. belonged. We went on for what seemed The slightest movement a long time, but we covered caused excruciating pain, and only a tiny distance. Soon Fruzsina Veress manages a brave smile, despite her injury more help would arrive, a siz- walking simply wasn’t an option. Photo Credit - Nandi Szotak able crew of workers and volun- Hiking in a party of eleven, two teers from the N.H. Department of Fish and Game. of my companions, Nandi Szotak and Marton Keszei (both young men from Hungary) stayed with me while the others A litter was discussed but did not seem possible; the King pushed on to the ridge, hut and trailhead. Nandi tried hard Ravine trail is so rough that every step needs to be carefully to fashion some kind of a splint of whatever was at hand, but planned, and even people with intact feet might have to use nothing would keep my foot in place, so we had no choice their hands for getting ahead. So there was more crab-like but to call for help. creeping with more people in charge of the Leg. After may- be three hours of agonizingly slow descent, we arrived to a Fortunately, one of our three cell phones did work. The place where the boulders were somewhat sparser. backup plan was for the party that had gone ahead to stop at CONT. – ON PAGE 11 IMPORTANT INFORMATION: BOSTON CHAPTER TRIPS Boston Chapter volunteers lead the following activities. Volunteer leaders do their best to facilitate safe, quality events. Your participa- tion in these trips, however, acknowledges that there are inherent risks in any outdoor activity that cannot be entirely eliminated. You will therefore be required to sign a liability waiver to participate in any AMC event other than social activities. To view the liability waiver and the AMC “Leadership Requirements and Guidelines” which all AMC leaders follow, go to www.outdoors.org/volunteers/leadership/. Organizers of activities are not paid, nor take any personal profit, for running a particular event. However, when funds are collected for food and/ or lodging, a portion of each participant’s trip fee could possibly be used to subsidize the organizers’ expenses. If the trip is being run at a facility 1owned LISTINGS by a leader,/ TRIPS it will AND be ACTIVITIESdesignated with the following code: LOF (Leader Owned Facility). Rumblings from the Editor You have probably seen headlines such as, “Hiker Rescued blameless. The only thing I can suggest is taking a future From Mountains.” Perhaps you read Appalachia and turn to Wilderness First Aid course, where participants learn to the Accident Report section to see what befell others. Sel- carry enough materials to improvise a splint and apply them dom do we think it will happen to us, and fortunately for the as the AMC’ers had done. By the way, all Hiking and Back- vast majority it does not. So it was with some curiosity that I packing trip leaders have to be so qualified, as are many co- started to read the email sent in by Furzsina Veress describ- leaders. Also, read the advice at www.hikesafe.com. ing her experience of a newspaper headline rescue. Should people get that close to nature in the first place? Our My first reaction was a series of questions, beginning with, second article by Sara Cleto on page 10 explores a direct ‘Was she on an AMC led hike and adequately equipped for link between up-close-an-personal contact with wilderness such a tough hike?’ Although not an AMC trip, two things areas and future conservation funding. Researchers predict became clear. One, Furzsina is a very experienced AMC a shortage of funding ahead as today’s younger demograph- member, properly attired for the conditions and two, she had ic foregoes the pleasures (and perils) of the wilderness. the good fortune to be hiking with a group of compassionate Tom Connors of Bay Colony Rail Trail (http://baycolonyrai and caring companions. Add a touch of skills from people ltrail.org) asked that I highlight a trip opportunity in part to described only as Madison Hut AMC’ers and the rescuers ‘get the AMC’s awareness or help in our effort to build the mentioned and all turned out as well as can be expected. Bay Colony Rail Trail, an 11 mile shared use path proposed Naturally my thoughts turned to lessons learned, since for Newton, Needham, Dover and Medfield.’ newspaper comments were particularly ‘strong’ about peo- Details for the ride on August 14, can be found at http://bcrt ple coming to N.H. from M.A. to hike in ‘our mountains’ at blackstone.eventbrite.com/ which describe the route along a cost to ‘our tax payers’. I am not going get into that, save the Blackstone River Canal and Bikeway. to say according to Furzsina, N.H. Fish and Game held her Geoff Moore ([email protected]) AMC Boston Chapter Executive Committee and Committee Chairs EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Regional Director Forty Plus Jeff (Packy) Pacuska Mike Barry Leslie Greer [email protected] Chair [email protected] [email protected] 617-388-4635 Paul Dale 617-257-2251 508-655-6509 [email protected] Skiing Hiking/Backpacking Peter Lindholm Past Chair Silvia Dubinsky [email protected] COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND [email protected] 617-876-7756 John Lisker CONTACTS [email protected] Intro Trails 617-244-1636 Andover Ed McManmon Mal Crawford Secretary Helen Palmer [email protected] malcolm_crawford@ John Geiss [email protected] raytheon.com [email protected] 978-657-9153 Local Walks/Hikes 781-862-3285 Mike McIlrath Treasurer Bicycling [email protected] Webmaster Steve Dennen Ingrid Shuttleworth 781-274-7881 Kevin Ferriter [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 781-942-4634 617-576-2542 Membership Kevin Ferriter Windsurfing Ombudsman Conservation Hannah Wells Bob Metcalf John Lisker Steve Connors [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 978-927-0148 617-244-1636 617-527-1925 Mountaineering Simon Kozin Jan Soma Members-at-Large Diversity Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] John Leslie Kate Chang 781-444-2735 [email protected] Music [email protected] Young Members 978-256-6516 617-623-5942 Nancy Miller [email protected] Dan Westerberg Gary Schwartz Family Outings 978-664-3786 [email protected] [email protected] Ken Anderson [email protected] Paddling Julia Khorana Brenda Conaway George Tibbo [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 978-897-5124 2 THE CHARLES RIVER MUD Backpacking is required. Meet in Concord Center at Monu- ment Square statue. No registration necessary. THE CHARLES RIVER MUD FRI-WED, AUG 20-25 BAXTER BACK- Rain cancels. No reg. L Dana Gray (danac PACK AND KNIFE EDGE AA3B, ME [email protected]; 978-501-3119). is published 12 times a year by the AMC’s (Hiking/Backpacking). See HIKING section Boston Chapter. We welcome feedback for description. FRI’s AUG 6 TO OCT 29, FRIDAY and contributions from members. Send MORNING SERIES: WESTON (Bicycling). articles, photos, trip SAT-SUN, AUG 21-22 TWO HEADS ARE (Intermediate) Meet at 10:00am in front of reports, letters, and book reviews to the BETTER THAN ONE (A3B), NH (Hik- Weston Town Hall. 13-16mph, 25-30 miles. MUD committee at MUD08@ ing/Backpacking). See HIKING section for Rolling terrain, maybe a few hills. Snow, rain, amcboston.org no later than the first description. or temp below 40 cancels. No reg. See http:// of the month preceding the month of amcboston.org/bicycle/calendar.php publication. FRI-SUN, AUG 6-8 COAST GUARD MUD Committee: Geoff Moore (Editor), Bicycling BEACH WEEKEND, EASTHAM (Intro). A Sara Cleto (Article Coordinator), Rebecca Classification of rides: great weekend at a former U.S. Coast Guard Rea (layout), Jean Sideris (trip listings) Easy: 10-13 mph average speed station in Eastham, right on the Outer Beach.