barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

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Chip Down
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barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by Chip Down » May 2nd, 2022, 8:07 pm

It's been a while since we had a Munra Point rescue, what with the Eagle Creek Fire and all.
Excerpt from KOIN:
Dispatchers received a call around 10:30 a.m. from a person at the Bonneville Dam who spotted smoke from a signal fire near the top of a cliffside. The call said that they used a scope to witness an apparent hiker in distress.

The man has early stages of hypothermia according to search and rescue crews. Crews also said they won’t be able to get down from the trail until 8 or 9 p.m., in part because the man had misplaced his footwear during the hike.
source and more details: https://www.koin.com/news/mult-co-searc ... nra-point/

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Bosterson
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by Bosterson » May 2nd, 2022, 9:00 pm

I heard about this earlier and have many questions about the "signal fire" scenario, but maybe his cell phone was in the shoes he apparently "misplaced"... :?
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squidvicious
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by squidvicious » May 2nd, 2022, 11:11 pm

Flip flops. That's what he started out in. Munra Point, closed trail, in the rain, alone, doesn't know the trail, literally in flip flops.
https://flashalert.net/id/MCSO/154234

Ed: ok, he started off Sunday, so I guess at least remove the "in the rain" strike

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Chip Down
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by Chip Down » May 3rd, 2022, 5:21 am

I don't care what the sheriff says, I prefer the KOIN narrative that he "misplaced" his footwear. :D

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dmthomas49
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by dmthomas49 » May 3rd, 2022, 6:16 am

Last time I hiked Munra Point before the closures, I almost misplaced my body coming down. Nearly took a tumble down the chute on the main trail. A handy root saved me. Swore I would not do that trail again! :?
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."
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squidvicious
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by squidvicious » May 3rd, 2022, 7:31 am

The second rescue sounds like a classic case of how an emergency beacon can actuallly encourage more dangerous behavior.

If whatever news report I read was accurate (always a big "if"), the person was not prepared for the snow they encountered, but instead of turning back once they started getting in to trouble pressed on to Sherrard Point anyway. Then decided they were too cold and wet to walk themselves out and pressed the PLB.

Which makes even less sense to me as I think about it. In the time it takes to muster SAR and get them out to you while you're sitting still and getting colder, you could be moving, warming up, and already back down to warmer climes.

In sum, (1) I don't understand any of this, and (2) places with "Point" in the name are apparently magnets for people who didn't really think this through.

rb76
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by rb76 » May 3rd, 2022, 8:24 am

Hey! I was the one involved in the other SAR call (not Munra point barefoot guy, but the one Squidvicious is referring to). The nature of the call was specifically due to developing frostnip on the feet with worsening sensory loss. Otherwise was plenty warm enough but having just moved from NH I did not want to risk frostbite having seen similar injury in the winter Whites a few times.

I made a moronic/ironic mistake of switching out my usual pack with gaiters/snowshoes etc. for a new day lite I had just gotten, and figured I’d spare the aforementioned. I’m not sure if they made that clear in the news report but there was nothing close to hypothermia involved, just a decision to not risk foot frostbite due to lack of proper pants/gaiter and having gotten my gtx boots and spare socks drenched with snow. There was no urgent need to be actively moving as I was otherwise in good shape and warm/comfortable at rest. This all occurred on Sunday a bit past noon into the afternoon, so the sun was out and no precipitation. I was an idiot for deciding to break trail in deep snow without gaiters and I fully acknowledge that.

Since I had my inreach I didn’t think it’d be worth it to descend another 2-3 miles of snow and mess up my feet further when I could just wait for dry footwear and gaiters. Was aware of a road that can still be driven >halfway up at this time, and the location was accessible. I believe that was a responsible decision given all factors involved, and the SAR folks were very responsive and provided the help I needed in a timely fashion. Once they arrived and provided dry socks/plastic bags/snowshoes, we hiked back to where they managed to get the vehicles to along the mountain road; Feet had warmed up after a few hours of staying dry enough to get sensation back.

Moreover I did not “press on to Sherrard point”, but stopped at the bathroom hut to assess/dry out feet and determine best course of action at that point. Once I decided I’d just call it I found an open clearing a short walk away to get a signal and posted up on a dry spot to elevate my feet. Again, the only issue was the questionable feet so being out/waiting in the open air was a non-issue.

On a bright note I did bring my usual snow stuff up Defiance and it was phenomenal :D
Definitely a case of me being a turd with planning on this one, as well as maybe some misinterpretations with regards to media etc.
I will use this message board to get better trip reporting going forward.
Lessons learned, impulsivity decreased. Won’t deny the haphazard thought and decisions that led to the situation but also stand by the decision to call for help when needed and everything that occurred after fully realizing the foot problem at hand.

I do appreciate acknowledgement of the “ifs” associated with reporting and fully agree with the above post if hypothermia was in fact the problem. Thankfully wasn’t remotely the case and actually shed a layer and hat to warm the feet without issue.

More than willing to discuss further!

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dirtman
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by dirtman » May 3rd, 2022, 12:48 pm

I wonder if the flip flops were crampon compatible.

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Limey
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by Limey » May 3rd, 2022, 7:29 pm

Okay, this is a little off topic but still related. Have I really been pronouncing Munra wrong all these years? All the media and even SAR were pronouncing it Moonra. I've always assumed it was Munra. No-one has ever corrected me. So, which is it?

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adamschneider
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Re: barefoot hypothermic hiker rescued from Munra Point

Post by adamschneider » May 3rd, 2022, 9:33 pm

Limey wrote:
May 3rd, 2022, 7:29 pm
Okay, this is a little off topic but still related. Have I really been pronouncing Munra wrong all these years? All the media and even SAR were pronouncing it Moonra. I've always assumed it was Munra. No-one has ever corrected me. So, which is it?
I've always said "Munn-ra." But who knows where I got that from.

Apparently it's named after Grandma Munra — ask one of her great-grandkids?

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