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Re: Man Missing on Mount Adams
Posted: October 18th, 2008, 4:32 pm
by weathercrazy
I agree baker...
I always go prepared, even on rather short hikes (Wahkeena Falls to Multnomah Falls) you never know...all it takes is a broken ankle (as in this case) to get you stuck up in the mountains for a night or several.
I've heard too many times where the people (not prepared) say "I wasn't planning on staying overnight."
Re: Man Missing on Mount Adams
Posted: October 18th, 2008, 10:30 pm
by Grannyhiker
Latest on the rescued climber:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ss ... would.html
He will be laid up for a while.
It seems he has decided to become a SAR professional. Now that's really giving back!
Re: Man Missing on Mount Adams
Posted: October 18th, 2008, 11:12 pm
by airdrum
Wow... wow. Seems like he had almost no clothing for the conditions he was in, granted there weren't any storms but it gets cold up there! He was above 6000' it sounds like the whole time, and wet from crawling on snow. This will certainly be a survival story in magazine or book soon enough.
I'd like to know a bit more about how bad the frostbite was and how he managed to stay warm. I'm also curious given he had 5 days and was mobile, how he stayed at that high an elevation. My inclination (I think) would simply be to keep on moving downhill, down down down.
Looking forward to learning more, great story!
Re: Man Missing on Mount Adams
Posted: October 19th, 2008, 2:49 pm
by Charley
Kudos to Derek Mamoyac! He did a couple of crucial things that saved his life:
1. He let people know where he was and when to expect him back.
2. He never gave up.
I'm real impressed. Maybe we could get someone here from PortlandHikers to interview him?
Charley
Re: Man Missing on Mount Adams
Posted: October 19th, 2008, 5:51 pm
by Grannyhiker
Post on nwhikers.net from someone who met this guy at the "Lunch Counter" on Mt. Adams.
Glad that someone opened up this "can of centipedes". We saw him as he passed us above lunch counter at 9400ft, he was under dressed, carrying a tiny day pack and was walking strangely on his crampons. He was aware that he was climbing into deteriorating weather and everyone on our team noted that he looked the least prepared for what he was getting into of the three single climbers we saw heading up as we descended. Our member who stayed at base camp even asked us if we had seen him because she wondered if he was actually going to climb or was just lookylooing. Where he fell was near where we made our navigational mistake, one that was rectified by comparing way points on the 2 gps units that we had on our team. I don't think you need to clean out the shelves at REI and carry all your gear up the mountain, but we had a stove with us in case our water froze or we got caught in a tough situation, on top of the layers (including goggles) that we ended up needing. Experienced means understanding your limits, reading the weather, listening to other climbers, being prepared for an injury if you choose to climb alone... I would not have classified him as any of those things, each individual on our team noticed him and discussed him long before he was reported missing. I'm glad he was found safely and I know the mountain can be a fickle beast, but you must respect it or you will pay handsomely... as will the tax payers of Washington & Oregon apparently.
http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopi ... 0&start=30
Repeating for emphasis:
Experienced means understanding your limits, reading the weather, listening to other climbers, being prepared for an injury if you choose to climb alone...
The same applies to hiking: If you're going to be more than 15 minutes from your car, you need to carry enough clothing and other emergency gear that you can stay warm, dry, lit (with light, not booze), fed and hydrated if caught out overnight. You never know when it's your turn to break an ankle or take the wrong fork at an unsigned junction!
Here
http://www.backpacking.net/ten-essl.html is a list of all fourteen "ten" essentials that every hiker should carry.