[pct-l] Rescued PCT hikers

Thu Oct 3 22:54:10 CDT 2013

For the past week I've been very worried about thru-hikers still on the
trail.  The conditions must have been/still are miserable, or worse -- life
threatening.  It seems my concern was valid.  I suspect we will hear in the
next few days more are in trouble.  I hope not.  

The quote copied from a post on this list serve yesterday disturbs me.  

"We finally made it to Trout Lake today and another huge storm is rolling
in," Arnold wrote. "Everyone says we can't make it because of the weather
situation, and to be honest it's quite terrifying, but I can't fathom coming
this far and giving up."  

For many years here in Washington I was involved in search and rescue.
Bringing back bodies in bags is disturbing, especially since I cannot
remember a case where the cause was an "accident".  Every time the people
involved ignored risks that should have been obvious, and were obvious to
the many others who avoided those risks.

Long ago I learned success in a climb is not making it to the summit, but
making it back down -- alive.  The same applies to a thru-hike.

For some there is a mindset that virtue is how much punishment one can take.
Please don't misunderstand me; I don't mean to criticize the person who
recently posted this story on the list serve.  Stories about hiking 200
miles in sandals because of gigantic blisters are entertaining and
educational, but the goal of a hike should not be how you persevered through
hardship, but how you wisely avoided hardship (and danger) in the pursuit of
joy.  I'm glad this person was capable of dealing with their blisters.  But,
shouldn't they have known enough to deal with this problem before it became
a calamity.  Stopping at the earliest signs of a blister and taping one's
feet is good practice -- it is not "giving in" to one's pain.

Many thru-hikers prepare carefully and are safety conscious.  Typically
those are the ones who are successful and enjoy their experience.  I'm
concerned, however, by the attitude of a few I read about in this list serve
that glorifies the achievement, but neglects to understand or acknowledge
the true character of the challenges.

Stopping one's thru-hike because the weather is life threatening is not
"giving up".  It is an honest recognition of the risk and challenge.  It
shows maturity, judgment and character.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Clark [mailto:rowriver at gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2013 1:52 PM
To: William Canavan
Cc: pct-l
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Rescued PCT hikers

2 hikers plucked from snowy Pacific Crest Trail

SEATTLE (AP) - A Coast Guard helicopter on Tuesday night rescued two of four
hikers who have been the subject of rescue efforts in remote parts of
southwest Washington, a sheriff's officer said.

Search officials planned to renew their efforts Wednesday to locate a man
and a woman missing in separate areas of Skamania County.

The helicopter hoisted Matt Margiotta and Kyla Arnold from deep snow on the
Pacific Crest Trail north of Trout Lake, Wash., Undersheriff Dave Cox said.

They apparently required no medical aid, he said.

They called for help Monday after snow obscured their route. They had walked
all the way from Mexico on the trail only to run into early season snowfall
in their attempt to reach the Canadian border.

Ground searchers who had the pair's GPS location got within three-quarters
of a mile of them on Tuesday before waist-deep snow and fading daylight
forced them to turn back.

Rescue officials are still trying to locate a third hiker on the Pacific
Crest Trail.

Alejandra Wilson was reported overdue on Monday after she failed to check in
with her father, Dane Wilson, of Portland, Ore., as expected. She was
believed to be about a day's hike ahead of the other pair, or about 20 miles
farther north.

Her father reported that he last heard from her Friday as she was leaving
Trout Lake, a tiny hamlet south of Mount Adams, for White Pass, Cox said.

More than 40 ground searchers and four dog teams searched Tuesday for
Kristopher Zitzewitz, 31, of Portland, who became separated from his partner
in the Big Lava Beds area of Gifford Pinchot National Forest on Saturday.

Cox said his office has requested that many ground searchers again for
Wednesday, as well as ATVs, 4-wheeled vehicles, and air support if weather
permits.

Margiotta, Arnold and Wilson all kept online journals of their travels.

Arnold last updated hers on Friday and described having recently encountered
Wilson.

Arnold also wrote of having nearly run out of food after storms forced her
and Margiotta to huddle under a tarp for four days - long delaying their
arrival in Trout Lake.

"We finally made it to Trout Lake today and another huge storm is rolling
in," Arnold wrote. "Everyone says we can't make it because of the weather
situation, and to be honest it's quite terrifying, but I can't fathom coming
this far and giving up."

Snow has been falling in the Washington mountains since the weekend, which
was likely the first snow to fall on Pacific Crest Trail hikers, Cox said.

Searchers had encountered two other hikers on the trail and persuaded them
to turn around.

"The problem with all the snow on the ground is you can't even tell where
the trail is," Cox said. "Some folks try to push on and wind up getting
lost."

The Pacific Crest Trail runs 2,650 miles from Mexico to the Canadian border.

*Video Link:*

<http://www.onenewspage.com/n/US/74w2qmo8s/Hikers-on-Pacific-Crest-Trail-in-
Washington-Rescued.htm>
http://www.onenewspage.com/n/US/74w2qmo8s/Hikers-on-Pacific-Crest-Trail-in-W
ashington-Rescued.htm

On Wed, Oct 2, 2013 at 11:40 AM, William Canavan <
<mailto:wecanavan at gmail.com> wecanavan at gmail.com>wrote:

> Two hikers rescued by helicopter north of Trout Lake, third hiker 

> still missing. News from The Oregonian.

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