What the heck is going on in the gorge?

[jaimito]

I guess another 2 have gone missing… I do hope this turns out OK as well.

http://www.kgw.com/news/2-hikers-lost-o ... 80857.html

[ElphabaNorthWest]

I don't know that this is much different from most years. The weather starts getting nice and people forget that there is still snow in the mountains and that it is difficult to navigate in snow. I know I was surprised how much snow I saw at 3 corners rock last weekend. It was well tracked and I always have a gps, compass and map (and extra batteries), but it would be easy to get lost if there were no tracks and you only had a map. Especially, if you don't have a good sense of direction.

[CherokeeDriver]

Snow levels are rolling up and down by the week -- one weekend there's more than a foot of snow on the Benson Plateau, the next weekend it's clear. People may be heading in expecting a short day-hike and not prepared to deal with the specific challenges that snow presents.

I'm trying to figure out how they start out at the Eagle Creek Trailhead and wind up at 4,200 feet on the north slope of Mt. Defiance. Ascend to the Benson Plateau, descend via PCT to Herman Creek, take Gorge Trail #400 east...

Hope they walk out soon.

-Robert

[Stevefromdodge]

This one should have a happy ending. It sounds like they're prepared and they've been talking to authorities by cell phone this morning.

Once again, though I have to wonder about the reporting. I suppose it's possible to hike from the Eagle Creek Trailhead to Mt Defiance, but I bet it's not very common.

[bcostley]

This one should have a happy ending. It sounds like they're prepared and they've been talking to authorities by cell phone this morning.

Once again, though I have to wonder about the reporting. I suppose it's possible to hike from the Eagle Creek Trailhead to Mt Defiance, but I bet it's not very common.

The Oregonian reports they were trying to get to Wahtam Lake.

[VanMarmot]

It's roughly 20 miles up Eagle Creek, past Wahtum Lake, to the upper slopes of Mt. Defiance. So, assuming the news reports aren't completely garbled, it's certainly a possible route. Sounds like they just weren't planning on going to Defiance and got caught off-guard. With a day of good weather ahead I'd say they'll get out OK.

So, what is going on in the Gorge? Some thoughts:

(1) The mild winter and frequent days of good weather have encouraged more folks to venture out sooner and farther than is normal this time of year. The local media, having been deprived of the chance for “snow-apocalypse” or “arctic blast” stories by this same mild winter, are just itching to substitute meteorological drama with that associated with a lost hiker.

(2) With the poor economy, low budget “stay-cations” are more popular, which means more folks going on local hikes. There folks are added to those for whom the Gorge is a hiker magnet even in good economic times.

(3) More people hiking is likely to mean more people new to hiking who have little experience, but have been told (or believe) that hiking is so totally easy that no preparation or forethought is necessary – it’s just walking! Without proper equipment or experience, the slightest little glitch can set in motion a cascade of problems leading to that big media event.

(3a) This same “You don’t need to know anything” problem also seems to carry on right up to mountaineering, which may explain why I’ve seen folks in jeans and tennis shoes on the summit of Hood in early Spring(!).

(4) Some folks visiting the Gorge may not, regardless of experience, appreciate that, even though it’s close to Portland and there’s a freeway running through it, much of it is a real wilderness where your cell (and GPS) may not work and in which it’s not all that hard to get disoriented and lost. And, even if your cell works, telling rescuers where you are when you don’t know where you are is its own special problem.

(5) There’s also the “hiker hubris” hypothesis which states that hikers with enough experience to feel like they can do anything, but not enough experience to really appreciate the possible consequences of what they’re getting into, just keep going past the point of prudent retreat until they’re really in it – at which point they discover that “Nature bats last.”

(6) Experienced folks probably screw-up a lot in the woods too but, unless the screw-up is a major one, they tend to self-rescue and hence not draw media attention. A lot of my training and planning and keeping up with the latest technology is motivated solely by not wanting to be the subject of a “lost hiker” media frenzy. Better to be eaten alive by rabid squirrels deep in the woods than be a “breaking” news item on KATU.

(7) And, since each hike is an independent stochastic event, sometimes your luck just runs out.

[Stevefromdodge]

I guess that makes more sense from Eagle Creek. I suppose they could have reached Wahtum Lake and then got lost looking for the Herman Creek Trail. It's been years since I've been on any of the upper trails that might connect Wahtum with the Mt Defiance area.

[ElphabaNorthWest]

A lot of my training and planning and keeping up with the latest technology is motivated solely by not wanting to be the subject of a “lost hiker” media frenzy. Better to be eaten alive by rabid squirrels deep in the woods than be a “breaking” news item on KATU.

Now you made me choke on my coffee. Too funny and so true! Thanks for the laugh. I needed some humour in my day.

[Stefrobrts]

The local media, having been deprived of the chance for “snow-apocalypse” or “arctic blast” stories by this same mild winter, are just itching to substitute meteorological drama with that associated with a
lost hiker.

Also once there is a hiker story, they will latch onto any other hiker story that comes along to build the frenzy. Unfortunately that's the sort of coverage that leads people to say stupid things like 'look at all these lost hikers, something ought to be done to stop them from going out there, I don't want my tax dollars paying to rescue them!'

Better to be eaten alive by rabid squirrels deep in the woods than be a “breaking” news item on KATU.

THAT is the best thing I've ever read on here

[Roy]

I guess another 2 have gone missing… I do hope this turns out OK as well.

http://www.kgw.com/news/2-hikers-lost-o ... 80857.html

Set me straight if am out of line, I have posted holed with 30lb packs for hours on end. well in to my mid forty's.
What happened to weather forecasts? I had none of this technology when young. Are we doing anything because we get help now?
What about personal responsibility?
I used to call the NOAA center at the PDX before I had a computer.
Again set me straight if I am out of line.
I just do not think people heading into the hills should rely on GPS and cell phones.
Maybe I am just an old fart! I have gotten my self out sometimes and took over twenty four hours in the process.
No offense to any one intended.
Roy