Rescue Mission On Top Of Mount Washington
24 hours ago, the phone by my bed rings at 11:30pm and I don’t need to pick it up to know who’s calling. I grab the phone and listen: “This is the Mountain Rescue Service and we’ve been asked to search for a lost hiker on Mt. Washington…” Just two short weeks ago I was in the Caribbean, enjoying 85 degree sunshine, and tomorrow I’ll be spending the day above tree-line on Mt. Washington, home of the World’s Worst Weather for a rescue mission. I set my alarm, spend the next 30 minutes making a mental checklist of the gear I’ll need, and try to sleep.
In the morning, well before the sun rises, I’ve stuffed my pack with two pairs of gloves, an expedition down parka, insulated over pants, a light-weight sleeping bag, puffy jacket, thermos of tea, and some energy bars. This is in addition to the map, compass, GPS, headlamp, tool kit, climbing harness and shovel which I normally keep in my pack. On the outside of my pack I’ve got my crampons and one Ice ax which will allow me to safely travel on any terrain on the mountain. I don’t know exactly where on the mountain I’ll be, or even how long I’ll be out, so I need to be prepared for anything, yet can’t be encumbered by too much gear. With insulated mountaineering boots, and good gloves, I just need to keep my core warm and protect exposed skin from the wind. Everyone on my team has many years of experience in these conditions, so I don’t need to worry about my team mates, though we routinely check each other’s face for signs of frostbite. When patches of skin turn grey, a few minutes of protection from the wind under a hood or warm hand can reverse the freezing.
As expected it was cold! Temperatures on the summit hovered around 0ºF with an average wind speed of 40 m.p.h. and sunny, clear conditions. Clear weather on Mt. Washington is rare in the winter. My team searched the south west side of the mountain starting at the summit. We found a single set of tracks in the snow leading down into Oak’s Gulf which the helicopter confirmed continued down into an area called Dry River, a notoriously difficult area to travel due to water crossings, deep snow, and lack of a good trail. A team was dispatched into the area from the top, and also from the road, but in the end the lost hiker walked out of the woods on his own 36 hours after he started with no injuries. It’s a good day when everyone, including the lost hiker gets to go home and sleep in a warm bed.
Learn more about the Mountain Rescue Service: http://www.nhmrs.org/