Accident Reports

Appalachia, Winter/Spring 2006

There were no fatalities reported in the White Mountains during the past winter hiking season, welcome news after the five fatalities observed last winter. In spite of the very icy conditions on all trails during the first half of winter, there was only one fall requiring rescue; I presume that the severity of the icing persuaded most hikers to use some kind of traction device.

Two of the accidents, both involving climbers, illustrate the classic result of bad decisions. On the other hand, the accident on Wildcat Slide is a rare example of a winter accident in which errors of judgment played no role. Nevertheless, as the second potentially fatal accident on that slide in less than a decade, it forces winter hikers to give serious thought to how to deal with that slide. Keith Sullivan was kind enough to send me details of his approach to crossing that slide safely. Others may prefer to use another route, but I fear that many will continue to cross it unprotected.

Reports of accidents on the east slopes of Mount Washington (Cutler River Drainage) are taken from the website (www.tuckerman.org) maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, which is responsible for rescues in that area. I thank Brad Ray for bringing that excellent site to my attention. Most of the other reports are from the files of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the state agency charged with responsibility for overseeing searches and rescues within the rest of the state. When other sources are used they are explicitly named. It is important to note that www.tuckerman.org website does not use names, which is why you will find them missing from those accounts.

The Fish and Game Department and the White Mountain National Forest have jointly developed an excellent web site with safety information for hikers at www.hikesafe.com, and I recommend you visit it if you have not already done so.

A full listing of Accident Reports may be found in the Winter/Spring 2006 issue of Appalachia.

- Mohamed Ellozy, "Accidents" Editor