University Press of New England
Peak Experiences
Danger, Death, and Daring in the Mountains of the Northeast
9781611683684
Distributed for University Press of New England
Peak Experiences
Danger, Death, and Daring in the Mountains of the Northeast
In the mountains, the difference between a pleasant day of hiking and a life-threatening disaster is as simple as a loose rock, a turned ankle, or a misjudged patch of ice. In an instant, even the most experienced and prepared of outdoorspersons can find themselves at the mercy of the elements (and their own choices) — and suddenly, sometimes tragically, the situation slips out their control. In this collection of over fifty tales of day hikes and long treks gone awry, the seasoned climber and writer Carol Stone White brings together some of her favorite tales of outdoor misadventure written by colleagues and fellow enthusiasts who have experienced the harsher side of climbing the peaks of New England and the Adirondacks. From freak falls to outrunning storms, from life-threatening hypothermia to the excitement of unlikely rescues, these tales inform as much as they entertain, teaching even the experienced climber that accidents can happen to anyone and that preparation and the ability to make split-second decisions can often mean the difference between life and death. Like sitting around the campfire sharing tales of terror and near death with your hiking buddies, this collection will appeal to the true outdoorsperson as well as the armchair adventurer.
Table of Contents
Contents • Preface • Acknowledgments • PART I. WEATHERWISE OR OTHERWISE? PRESIDENTIAL RANGE PERILS AND OTHER TALES ABOVE TREE LINE • Nature Is Unforgiving: Case Studies – Peter Crane • Winter above Tree Line – Guy Waterman • Poking the Dragon – Benjamin David Potter • Porky Gulch and Above – Landon G. Rockwell • Skiing Mount Washington – Landon G. Rockwell • A Wild Day in the Presidentials – Alan Via • Haunted – Matt Harris • The Great Gulf – Ellen McDowell Ruggles • Tragedy among the Clouds – Carol Stone White • Green in the Whites – Michael N. Kelsey • Extremes at the Top of Maine – Johnathan A. Esper • PART II. RESCUES IN THE MOUNTAINS • A Leg Up: Challenges of a Self-Rescue – Doug Mayer • Sub-Zero Weather Incapacitates – Todd Bogardus • Fall from Saddleback Cliff – Marian Zimmerman • Injury Miles from Nowhere – Arlene Heer Stefanko • A Mount Marcy Helicopter Rescue – Kimberly J. LaPorte • A Fall from Grace – Melinda Broman • Midnight Rescue – Roy R. Schweiker • Two Lives Saved by Search and Rescue Teams – Edith Tucker • Life-Threatening Conditions Cause Fatality – Todd Bogardus • One Man Dead, One Rescued on Blackhead Mountain – Susan Campriello • Break on Panther Mountain – John Swanson • A Case of the Umbles – John C. Goding • Katahdin Ice Climber Meets Lady Luck – Susan P. Kirk • PART III. A TREACHEROUS PLACE IN THE PEAKS • The Day “Hal’s Slide” Got Its Name – Keith P. Sullivan • Rescue on Hal’s Slide – Marjorie LaPan Drake • Hiker and Dog Fall on Wildcat Slide – Douglas W. Hunt • Wild Days on the Wildcats – David Scott White • PART IV. DANGERS OF WATER IN THE MOUNTAINS • Waterfilled: In Which We Nearly Drown – Laura Waterman • Broken Compass – Rebecca Chapin • A Bridge to Safety? – Leonard H. Grubbs • Icy Passage through Iroquois Pass – Carol Stone White and David Scott White • A Nice Day Becomes an Ice Day – Marta Bolton Quilliam • Frostbite! – Carol Stone White and David Scott White • PART V. ANIMAL AND AVIAN BEHAVIOR • On the Horns of a Dilemma – John Hartford • Beware Bear Appetites – Carol Stone White • Dog Days in the High Peaks – Leonard H. Grubbs • The Ravens of Bondcliff – Alan Via • PART VI. ODYSSEYS: IN PURSUIT OF THE POSSIBLE • Hiking the Appalachian Trail with a Tuba – Scott “Tuba Man” Rimm-Hewitt • Curses, Excursus: Hut-to-Hut Musings – Timothy Muskat • Descending into the Maelstrom – Teddy “Cave Dog” Keizer • Never Underestimate the Power of Pudding – Donna Brigley • Going Long with Fat Packs – Mary Ellen BaRoss • The White Mountain 4,000-Footers Direttissima – Mats Roing • Enjoying a Frozen World – Diane Duggento Sawyer • PART VII. LOST, UNPREPARED, LEADER LAPSES, AND BUSHWHACKED • Bivouac at Twenty Below – Marta Bolton Quilliam • Whiteout and Bivouac on Algonquin Peak – Dot Myer • Most Difficult of the Winter 111 – Betty Maury Heald • Well, Hale Fellow Not Met – Aaron Schoenberg • A Chocorua Curse? – Anne Norton and Steve Boheim • Democracy in Action – Steve Boheim • Don’t Shoot – Marc Howes • A Well-Guarded Fort—Escape Not Guaranteed – Donna W. Dearborn • Coming Home – Martha Leb Molnar • Appendix A: Clubs and Organizations • Appendix B: Safety Guidelines • Notes • Glossary • Suggestions for Further Reading • Contributors • About the Editor • Credits