missing woman April 4, Eagle Creek, anyone see her?

[drm]

They said she was new to the area

I think like just a few days. I seem to remember a TV report, when she was still just missing, saying that she literally had just arrived in-state. But I'm not seeing that reported now.

[Waffle Stomper]

They said she was new to the area, researched where to go, then went to Eagle Creek Trail. Found near trailhead. News reports are notorious for being incorrect so...

I wonder if she was led astray by anything she read here? Or if there's anything we should do different to not lead people to their death?

There are so many posts on social media of waterfalls, viewpoints etc. I think it gives people a false sense of security when attempting to access those places. Perhaps they have a feeling that because there are so many images of a particular location that it must be something anybody can do. That can be true with many locations, but weather and conditions at different time may prove that to be untrue.

At the end of day it is up to the hiker to make that decision. Sometimes, I believe, that the hiker and especially photographers will shut off that little voice in their heads that ask "Perhaps this is a bit risky and I should turn around?"

[Webfoot]

Sometimes, I believe, that the hiker and especially photographers will shut off that little voice in their heads that ask "Perhaps this is a bit risky and I should turn around?"

Certainly I have done this myself, but those those times can also lead to some of the best memories. I therefore have sympathy rather than rebuke for those who dare, even when the result is disastrous.

[Waffle Stomper]

Sometimes, I believe, that the hiker and especially photographers will shut off that little voice in their heads that ask "Perhaps this is a bit risky and I should turn around?"

Certainly I have done this myself, but those those times can also lead to some of the best memories. I therefore have sympathy rather than rebuke for those who dare, even when the result is disastrous.

Me too. It's easy to make a wrong decision.

[RobinB]

Really sad news. I guess it makes me think two things:

1. I'm often sort of blasé about the difficulty of hikes, because I'm worried about coming off as snobby or macho. But maybe it's possible to be too blasé, and thus mislead others?

2. I wonder where she was. It'd be sort of difficult to get a mile and a half off trail and still be near Eagle Creek proper. Maybe up Ruckel or Tanner? I wonder partly just out of curiosity, but also... I think it's important to hear about the specifics in incidents like this, so we can all learn from them.

[Bosterson]

Really sad news. I guess it makes me think two things:

1. I'm often sort of blasé about the difficulty of hikes, because I'm worried about coming off as snobby or macho. But maybe it's possible to be too blasé, and thus mislead others?

2. I wonder where she was. It'd be sort of difficult to get a mile and a half off trail and still be near Eagle Creek proper. Maybe up Ruckel or Tanner? I wonder partly just out of curiosity, but also... I think it's important to hear about the specifics in incidents like this, so we can all learn from them.

I don't think anyone should be second guessing whether they're "misleading" others by not trying to warn hypothetical readers about possible difficulties and safety issues. Everyone is responsible for making their own personal judgment about what they are personally competent to do. A hiking forum is not a guidebook; there is no business-liability, no implied guarantees, no implied curation of a collection of hikes people should do. You post here for the entertainment of yourself and others. But I think it's also pretty unrealistic to assume that people who have mishaps in the woods are being sent astray by anything we write here. If you put up a report about Eagle Creek and neglect to mention that the trail goes along a cliff, it's not like Eagle Creek is a secret or something - given the wide reach of FB and IG and Oregonian articles and guidebooks (including this site's Field Guide), the person who is unprepared for the cliff will get there with or without your help.

I would also contend that there is very little to learn from people's mishaps outdoors - at least in terms of information you didn't already know. Unlike climbing accidents (where complex chains of events lead to equipment failure, or the creation of new safety checks), it seems like most hiking accidents are the result of people being underprepared, being underinformed, not taking the right equipment, being careless with hazards (like cliffs), or being the unfortunate victim of random happenstance (which is tragic but also statistically very rare). I feel like we all want to find out what the person did wrong so that we can "avoid" their mistake, but it's a logical fallacy. Hone your own skills, be sure to take the 10 essentials and otherwise be prepared, always tell someone where you're going, and be wary of cliffs and raging rivers and other hazards. But beyond that, the drive to the trailhead is always the most dangerous part, and there's not much to be gained by trying to pore over the details of someone else's misfortune.

[Guy]

or being the unfortunate victim of random happenstance (which is tragic but also statistically very rare).

I'm always surprised about how rare it really is. Hiking Eagle Creek yesterday I was reminded of how the trail is technically very easy yet there are literally miles of trail where a simple slip, trip or momentary loss of balance could lead to death. I've certainly fallen over my own feet before!

Intuitively I would expect more people to be falling to their deaths off the side of the Eagle Creek Trail every year, the fact that they are not shows how rare such occurrences really are.

Actually the only accident I have witnessed on Eagle Creek did not involve a fall but a guy rock hoping over the Wy'East Creek. His foot slipped and he head butted another rock as he landed! Lots of blood but with the help of his two friends he was able to walk out. Happened in an instant!

[drm]

always tell someone where you're going

I believe that in this case she was reported missing and was believed hiking in the Gorge. Took a few days till they found her car at Eagle Creek and then started looking for her there. If they had known she was hiking there and had found her a couple days earlier . . .

For years this was one of the biggest recommendations that I ignored, and I do a lot of solo hiking. Only in recent years have I made it a point to let people know. But mainly for more serious hikes. If I'm going out on Catherine Creek for an hour, I don't always let people know. Only for major dayhikes and all backpacks.

[MarkInTheDark]

RobinB

My questions also...

[rsefstvltrsrhnt]

It was reported on Mountain Wave SAR's facebook that she was found at the base of Sorenson Falls. So she may have slipped while observing Metlako from the top of Sorenson as referenced in this thread: http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewt ... 0&start=10