Accident Reports

Appalachia, June 2001

By Gene Daniell

While summer 2000 produced few major incidents in the mountains of New Hampshire, at least six people died of heart attacks on the trails. All were men, and four of them were 50 or younger.

One other category of incident involved an 18-year-old male who flew in from Singapore, spent the night drinking with friends, then attempted to ascend the very steep Beaver Brook Trail on Moosilauke. Three-quarters of the way up, he collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration but was able to walk out after fluids and oxygen were administered.

Another unusual case involved a 50-year-old Massachusetts man with a long history of mental illness who became hypothermic on the Crawford Path on Oct. 18, 2000. He caught the attention of a staff member at the Crawford Notch Hostel, who observed him meticulously unpacking and repacking his car several times; it turned out that he had left the home of a friend in Vermont two days earlier with all his worldly possessions in his car. The staff member became concerned when he did not return to his car that evening and reported the situation.

However, he was first encountered the next day not by the search party but by two brothers on the Crawford Path near Mount Eisenhower. He was hypothermic and incoherent, but the appearance of incoherence was possibly exacerbated by his giving a false name and talking about his delusional relationship with the FBI. The brothers set up their tent, removed the victim's clothing, and put him in a sleeping bag with one of them while the other went for help. After talking with the victim's brother, authorities ascertained that the victim was the same person they were looking for due to the staff member's concern, and they evacuated him successfully. Without the fortunate arrival of the brothers on the scene and their quick and effective actions, this incident would probably have had a fatal result.

Unless otherwise noted, information concerning incidents reviewed here comes from the Search and Rescue files of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG). Readers are reminded that, while NHFG is responsible for all search-and-rescue operations throughout New Hampshire, it is completely funded by user sources, such as hunting and fishing licenses and a portion of boat, snowmobile, and ATV registration fees. It receives no revenue from the hikers it is required to rescue.

Heart Attack Fatalities
On June 23, 2000, Robert Boutelle, 66, of Petersham, Mass., died of a heart attack while hiking on the Lonesome Lake Trail with a Boy Scout group that was camping at Lafayette Campground. Boutelle was the group's "sweep," so when he collapsed with breathing problems the rest of the group was unaware of his condition until they were informed by a passing hiker. The incident was reported to authorities by a cell phone call from another passing hiker. Two physicians who happened to be hiking on the trail attempted CPR to no avail. Boutelle had no known record of cardiac problems.

On July 12, 2000, Richard Israel, 70, of Newton Center, Mass., died of a heart attack at Greenleaf Hut. He and his son, a physician, had started in the morning from Lonesome Lake Hut and climbed to the summit of Cannon Mountain, then ridden down on the tramway. They then ascended the Greenleaf Trail to the hut. Israel collapsed during dinner. CPR was performed, as well as an emergency tracheotomy, but to no avail.

On July 13, 2000, Bruce Dunton, 44, of Gilsum, N.H., died of a heart attack on Mount Monadnock. Dunton and a companion were about three-quarters of the way up the Dublin Trail when he complained of chest pains. The hikers rested for five minutes, then started hiking again. After a short time Dunton again complained of chest pains and then collapsed. His companion reported the incident on a cell phone, but the phone went dead, and for some time authorities could not get information about the victim's condition and exact location. According to his companion, Dunton had been climbing Monadnock about twice a week in order to prepare for a planned ascent of Mount Washington. The cause of death was listed as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

On Aug. 30, 2000, Jonathan Minifie, 50, of Groton, Mass., died of a heart attack on the Snapper Trail on Moosilauke. The incident was reported by a cell phone call from a passing hiker, who discovered the victim's body at the side of the trail. The cause of death was listed as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

On Sept. 24, 2000, Paul Moore, 48, of Tuftonboro, N.H., died of an apparent heart attack on the Bald Knob Trail in the Ossipee Range. His body was discovered by two passing hikers.

On Oct. 21, 2000, David Gorham, 48, of Chelmsford, Mass., died of a heart attack on Mount Cardigan. He was part of a group of five adults and seven young girls—all members of a girls' basketball team and mostly daughters of the adults—who were planning to spend the night at the AMC's Hi-Cabin. The group climbed to the summit of Cardigan via the steep, difficult Holt Trail. At the summit it was noted that the victim looked unwell. On the way down to Hi-Cabin, Gorham and another adult stopped at the spring near the cabin, where Gorham collapsed and died.

Analysis: On one level, this death toll might merely reflect the fact that the baby-boom generation has reached the age of significant cardiac risk. But perhaps our generally sedentary lifestyle and unhealthful eating habits contribute to our risk. Obviously many people have benefited from hiking; we will never know how many in proportion to the number of deaths, most of which probably would have occurred in any case from some other unaccustomed strenuous activity. But people do owe it to themselves and their families not to ignore the risks and to seek medical guidance where it is indicated.

Editor's Note: The preceding is a sample of the many accident reports author Gene Daniell provides in each issue of Appalachia.

—Gene Daniell has been the author of AMC's White Mountain Guide since 1982 and the secretary of the Four Thousand Footer Club since 1984.