This is the trail journal of Which Way and Next Step. I don't know them but their journal is the one that mentions the Crawford family being evacuated by the Forest Service. If you read through, it may give some a better idea of the conditions the hikers are facing up there right now. I personally think it sounds like a helluva adventure, as long as the only person I had to be accountable for was myself. I might have to go back and read their Journal from the beginning, as his storytelling really sucked me in. The last paragraph is where you will find the information about the Crawford's evacuation.
http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/584645
I literally wouldn’t take my dog out in that weather, in the High mountains, and she has a fleece coat, a windbreaker/ rain coat, fur coat, and is running around. When she is sagging from overwork I can easily read her body language and we hole up for snacks, or an early overnight. We eat well and hydrate. I don’t hit her for complaining.
What at is wrong with these people? This is the adult’s dream. Park the kids with grandparents and freeze your own asses off if you want, but don’t “suffer the little children”
i cant watch “mr whiner and his bad idea, episode nth...”. Gives me heart burn.
Their poor judgment and bad behavior may impact regulations for future hiking families. Hard to litigate common sense.
(FYI, my dog is 11, cold seems to be harder on her now)
Last edited by kestral; 03-22-2018 at 13:44. Reason: Additional info
No law against being stupid , unfortunately.
IMO, these guys are about on the same level as the mom in this story on our local news this morning.
http://www.wral.com/raleigh-police-a...ing-/17432881/
It's all good in the woods.
I haven't read this whole thread, but I've been following the Crawfords out of concern for the baby.
The issue is not the wisdom of bringing small children on a thru-hike. The Crawfords' specific issue is that they were neglecting the baby. Here are just a few highlights:
Here is what they considered appropriate rain and wind protection. Later on in the video they discovered that his socks had indeed stayed wet. https://youtu.be/muoIaCjqWsQ?t=3m33s
Some of them got vomiting and diarrhea and the family holed up in a cabin. Here the father describes the care the sick children are receiving (he doesn't know what they're going to eat but he's happy there's internet). https://youtu.be/RSmAh5xp2uU?t=7m48s
The father describes busting the baby's lip because he wouldn't stop screaming while they were walking on a ridge in cold and windy conditions. https://youtu.be/s7ymIT29i7g?t=6m57s
I thought the baby's hands looked frostbitten in this video, but I'm no expert. https://youtu.be/qTNynA2Cz9E?t=15m24s
I just spoke to GSMNP law enforcement. They contacted the Crawfords yesterday and they are okay. No further details.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
Please tell me the snow in the journal link you provided is unusual.
I live in Northern Canada...that’s normal for us, but I would never think that there’d be that much snow for the Smokies. Yikes! How does one deal/prepare for that in advance? Take multiple zeroes until the forecast looks better, or just put the blinders on and trudge on through.
We don’t stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking.
- Finis Mitchell
https://lighterpack.com/r/6yyu2j
Wait it out. People (Like the Crawfords), have to be rescued every year because the wrong person, the Crawfords of our world, didn't know when to pump the breaks and give it a break. The trail isn't going anywhere. I realize that not all rescues can be avoided obviously there are going to be the broken legs, heart attacks, even as we see in previous years bear attacks. But this was just pure ignorance to Smokies weather...high east coast altitude weather anywhere. Which IMO isn't acceptable at the risk of children. You wanna go stumble around in waist high snow drifts? have at it bud, but leave the children at home.
Trail Miles: 5,125.9
AT Map 1: Completed 13-21'
Sheltowee Trace: Completed 20-23'
Pinhoti Trail: Completed 23-24'
GSMNP900: 134.7(16.8%)
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
CDT: 210.9
BMT: 52.7
I'm not happy about being right on this one. Hoping the toddler has no serious damage.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
Perfectly normal for March.
On average March gets 2 plus feet of snow. That's average. It could range from 0 to 5.
Not Unusual and not a secret.
There are ski resorts in North Carolina ..... Okay they couldn't stay in Business Without snowmaking but neither could any skis area east of the Rockies. Including those in Vermont and and New York, etc. And of course there's Ober Gatlinburg. March is winter at 6000 feet in the Smokies.
climograph.jpg
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 03-22-2018 at 16:11.
They had to know this storm was coming. The way hikers talk, and as many as it seems are in the Smokys right now, it would have been all anyone talked about for the 48 hours leading up to the storm. And since they were uploading a video yesterday, you know they at access to weather forecast.
I would bet they uploaded from Gatlinburg, after their "rescue."
You know, you are probably right. I hadn't really thought about the timeline after reading the trail journal. They must have woke up and gotten out of their early before the drifts became too much. I wonder if the Forest Service was waiting for them.
One thing is for certain, is that if the timeline is right, they sure didn't wait long to post a video after getting their rescue. Priorities. Gotta get them clicks.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss