[at-l] Scott Mason [was: what i did today]

[Linda Patton]

Art C. wrote:
> ... None of the many articles that I have read have mentioned his 
> specific hiking plan.  

Here's a synopsis about what he did:
He planned a 17-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail, to the summits of Mount Washington and Mount Madison and planned to complete the hike in one day. [so...up from Pinkham, over to Madison, and then down 
which trail?  Or would 17 miles be a RT to Madison and back to Pinkham?--maybe that's it.]

He told rescuers that he ran into waist-high snow that made walking extremely difficult.  Figuring he would not be able to make the entire trek in one day, Mason diverted from his planned path and took what he thought would be a much shorter loop back to the lodge. (He decided against retracing his path because the steep inclines he had descended on his way out would be much tougher on the return trip.)  Mason then came upon a drainage brook, which in the summertime is easily manageable, but because of the snow melt run-off, had become impassable. The brook cut off the shorter loop, giving Mason no other option but to return the way he had set out.

He managed by relying on his training and his preparation -- even though he planned to return within a day, he had packed food and tools. 

If I were his Mom, I'd be proud of his abilities.  Suffering from the scare, but proud.

~~ eArThworm
Visit my website at http://booksforhikers.com
"Better to be lost in the woods than in a maze of cubicles…"