Re: [pct-l] Ice axe, Was: Poles

At 10:34 PM 12/28/00 , Slyatpct@aol.com wrote:
>I talked to some of the hikers John was traveling with immediately prior to
>his accident and he elected to leave the group and bail out during a storm,
>for whatever reason I'm not exactly sure, but if I'm not mistaken, I believe
>he was short on food and thought his chances where better trying to reach
>town.  That fact also, contributed to his death.  Needless to say, the
>others, a year later were still devastated.

Have a read of
http://www.trektheplanet.com/journals/journal_990621.html
http://209.35.43.156/thruhikers/pct/nathansoca.cfm

===================

Like most accidents several things contributed to it. Remove any one link 
and it wouldn't have happened.

Several hikers turned back at Forester Pass due to the conditions. One got 
stuck trying to cross the pass and had to get rescued. John Lowder took a 
more prudent course, and elected to descend to Lone pine.

Looking at the map, New Army pass is a shorter route to the trailhead at 
Horseshoe lake, but that pass is difficult in the best conditions. A much 
more prudent (and probably faster, though longer) route is Cottonwood or 
Trial Pass. The journals indicated that he was encouraged to go to 
Cottonwood, if he had gone that way, he might be alive.

If he had been with a partner he may have been rescued: He was in a 
sleeping bag when his body was found in the rocks, so he lived for a while 
after the fall. He might have been rescued if someone was there to summon 
help (a fisherman saw the body from below a few days later and notified 
authorities)

If he had an ice axe, he might have been able to self arrest before he hit 
the rocks, and this might have saved his life.

He was a smart, experienced, and capable man

What does all this tell us?

Be careful. Don't push things, and just because you know what you are 
doing, doesn't mean it "can't happen to you." It can.

Use an ice axe.
Travel with a partner.
Take the safe route.
If it looks bad, turn around.

The one ironic thing about this accident was a heated debate on this list 
before the 1999 hiking season where an ice axe vs trekking pole debate 
raged. -- I think this accident showed that an ice axe is a must for this 
section.

-Brick

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