Mt Madison (NH) Rescue

[peakbagger]

Local paper reported someone set off a PLB on Madison on Sunday evening. The winds currently are 120 MPH plus this morning and -17 degrees F at the summit of Washington and conditions were worse last night, Madison would have similar conditions. Hopefully the hiker dug down in snowbank as even rescue folks will have a tough time even getting up there. Its bright blue skys but looking at the summit cam, there it may be whiteout conditions above treeline due to blowing snow.

[Feral Bill]

Hopefully they're prepared to hunker down and the searchers stay safe. Very scary sounding.

[imscotty]

Those are frightening conditions. I wonder how close they are to the Madison Hut. If they survived the night perhaps they can make it there.

[Thinspace]

I just heard that on the local news. They are searching for a 32 year old woman but had to call off the search due to extreme conditions. Hopefully the story will have a miraculous ending.

[Feral Bill]

Those are frightening conditions. I wonder how close they are to the Madison Hut. If they survived the night perhaps they can make it there.

Come to think of it, I once spent a stormy night under the old Madison Hut. I doubt that's still possible. Hopefully they're burrowed into a snowbank, waiting for better weather.

[Slo-go'en]

I have a clear view of the summit of Madison from my front window and don't see any snow blowing up there at the moment, but there's a good breeze down here in the valley and that means it's howling up high.

Madison hut is locked up tight right now. At best you could use it as a wind break. I won't want to be up there right now but I bet the view is awesome. Yesterday was worse. As soon as she broke tree line she should have turned back. Visibility was probably about 2 feet and snow drifts insane.

[One Half]

latest update

http://www.wmur.com/news/rescuers-se...adams/31294362

Still looking

[Slo-go'en]

This just in, she was found dead. No other details yet as to exactly where she was found.

It also appears several were injured in an avalanche on Mt Washington. All this wind packed powder on top of the crusty ice we had earlier in the season makes for perfect conditions for that.

[Feral Bill]

Are the searchers all okay?

[peakbagger]

To close this out, the hiker was reported by WMUR to be found deceased.

Madison Hut was renovated a few years ago, prior to the renovation there was three sided step in the building wall on the lee side of the prevailing wind. It was quite effective at blocking a lot of the wind. The renovation filled in this spot and since then there is only one spot on the SE corner that is marginal at being a good spot to get out of the wind. All openings under the hut are covered over and locked tight with an underlying metal grate underneath.

[Slo-go'en]

Apparently she was climbing Mt Adams, but the prevailing winds tend to blow you towards Madison and when the wind is gale force, it's really hard to walk into it, especially when combined with blowing snow creating white out conditions. It's easy to end up where you don't want to be or not knowing where you are at all. You have to know that mountain really well under those conditions.

The AMC had a lot of trouble with people breaking into the huts so they make them pretty impregnable these days.

[fiddlehead]

The AMC had a lot of trouble with people breaking into the huts so they make them pretty impregnable these days.

I've got to wonder, whoever made that decision: I wonder how they will sleep tonight?

[Feral Bill]

I've got to wonder, whoever made that decision: I wonder how they will sleep tonight?

I expect they will sleep just fine. They did not make the decision for her to be out there.

[Thinspace]

I expect they will sleep just fine. They did not make the decision for her to be out there.

I agree with Feral Bill, This was a tragedy that should not have happened. Decisions like that not only endanger the person making the decision but ultimately endanger the lives of the rescuerers as well.

[peakbagger]

They will sleep fine, the decision to lock up the huts and eliminate emergency shelters was a rational decision made years ago as the FS and other groups proved that folks were planning on using these emergency refuges as part of normal trips thus exposing more folks to potential danger. The shelter at Edmond Col was intentionally designed to be uncomfortable as possible and folks still were trying to use it.

There were additional details in the news, her husband dropped her off for her planned hike over Madison, Adams, Jefferson and Washington. Heading south from Madison the exposure only gets worse and the bail out options are far worse. Had she made it past Adams, the conditions would have gotten progressively worse.

[Slo-go'en]

There were additional details in the news, her husband dropped her off for her planned hike over Madison, Adams, Jefferson and Washington. Heading south from Madison the exposure only gets worse and the bail out options are far worse. Had she made it past Adams, the conditions would have gotten progressively worse.

In that case, she would have been going face first into the wind. Winds that were equal to those of hurricane Irene and with Mt Washington the second coldest place on Earth last night - without the wind chill. Not a good night to have been up there. Not a good day to try a traverse.

Impossible to second guess, but she should have headed straight back down once she saw the conditions above tree line. Or tried to make it to Gray Knob, which has a wood stove.

[rickb]

The TV report I saw said that her body was found near Star Lake.

[Del Q]

I really hate to pass judgment here but with the current weather patterns in the Northeast, she made a really dumb decision to go out there..............and if so, you should have some serious gear to deal with what might hit you.

Would bet money that her husband discussed her NOT going.

Really sad.

[DavidNH]

Hiking alone on the open ridges of the northern Presidentials in the conditions we are experiencing now .. this is stupid beyond words. I don't care what she had for gear. The truly sad part is her husband actually let her do this, dropped her off! Will the flat landers ever learn??

[imscotty]

Clearly a bad decision, those conditions were horrific. This must have been so difficult for her rescuers in every way. Sounds like they have all returned safely.

Sounds like she was close to the hut, not that it would have helped her much. Perhaps she already had turned around and was trying to make it back to the Valley Way. The news report said her husband dropped her off at 5 AM and the beacon was activated at 3:30 PM. She had already been out there some time before calling for help.

Sad story.