because they are little mountains…
And very underestimated.
A friends father came from Colorado… Experienced in summer climbing in the Rockies he went up Mount Washington in summer gear. Before the Lakes of the Clouds hut ( in June) it started to rain. It was 38 degrees… He became hpothermic… Fortunately there were people on the trail that put up a tent gave him warm liquid and dry clothes and called for rescue.
He said : I thought the East Coast Mountains would be easy,.
Backpacker Magazine wants to enliven this discussion…
New Hampshire’s Bad Search and Rescue Policy May Be About to Get Even Worse - Backpacker
And they come out squarely against charging people for rescues.
Yup. Definitely a lively, ongoing debate in the “rescue community” and state departments for recreation, wildlife, conservation. It will continue and escalate as rescues increases across the country. There was a bunch of rescues last week in CA mountains, because folks went out in the height of the storms.
sing
So by the time I get to the end of this article…
Charging for rescue if deemed irresponsible is a bad idea because it does not essentially get to the right people.
Pulling drivers licenses for unpaid bills is a worse idea. (Though it is worth noting this is what can happen anyplace I have ever lived for a truly noteworthy job of ignoring parking tickets.)
SARS and rescue calls are increasing year by year and there is no apparent funding in sight to manage it properly. “and it’s past time to change how we fund SAR to reflect that.”
Would be better to end the article w a solution to the last part before discarding the earlier idea.
The amount of rescues seems to increasing by a lot. Maybe it is just that they are in the news all the time. Even with S&R volunteers the costs are high, especially air time. It puts people at risk, because a lot of rescues are during bad weather.
I see no alternative but to start charging people for rescue efforts.
Near the end of the article he mentions a solution that has been proposed by Backpacker in the past, “taxing outdoor gear”…
Media is not hyping the rescues… People are choosing to ignore the warning information given at trailheads in the White Mountains… " It won’t happen to me" " I am experienced" I have climbed all these in the summer… etc…
There are many more rescues than the news gets. In some ways the article is very tunnel visioned. NH F and G includes searches for dementia and missing persons. No one is charging them.
But the money has to come from somewhere… So far the income stream is limited
two words: Cell coverage. And dependence on “no worries, as it is someone’s job to rescue me, all I have to do is call”. Certainly I see a huge increase in rescues by NYSDEC forest rangers in the Adirondacks. Not so much from people becoming “lost”, though that is a small percentage. Mostly it is twisted ankle injuries, major or minor, or of not being prepared for conditions and time management. One of my favorite excuses I have heard more than once is “Hey, my phone battery also doubles as a flashlight”.
When I grew up it was up to me to plan and prepare, and to get myself out of difficult situations, to self-extract. My father taught me that if/when I get navigationally confused, or “turned around”, I should find a place to sit and relax, take out my map and compass, have a sandwich and a drink, and take the time to think and figure out where I am. Make the needed correction and continue on or go back. It has always worked for me. I think fewer and fewer people think that way these days.
There was a handbook put out by the Maine Warden Service regarding what to do to avoid getting lost and what to do if you find you are lost. Planning was part of the needed prep including communication via whistle.
One of the phrases I remember vividly is to Stop. Stay Put. Sit Down. Have a Smoke. The book was put out in the day…
Oops, missed it
Will this warning and better judgement prevail this weekend? Let’s hope so:
sing
Losing one’s shoe is evidently a thing for hikers without snowshoes:
sing
Unbelievable… Near superhuman strength and selflessness to perform an act of humanity!
Props to those angels that walk on earth.
sing
A case of borderline prep and lack of judgement (and/or inexperience).
sing
While living in the Adirondacks, I was always amazed at how many visitors had to be rescued because they thought they could leave late in the afternoon for a stroll up one of the high peaks with no food or water and wearing flip-flops and Bermudas. The lack of awareness of or appreciation for or experience with the forces of nature is mind-blowing. 
Not once in 20 years have I heard anyone being deemed neglient and having to pay for a water rescue.
Hiking is a completely different story and more controversial because, in the past, it was clear that negligence was being constructively declared due to fiscal reasons. That situation has diminished but NHFG should be more definitive about minimum required equipment.
NH Resident
AS a SAR team member,I get the weekly Forest Ranger reports. I love the ones who after being rescued from an unexpected overnight stay say “but my phone has a flashlight function. I did not know it used the same battery as the phone”.
I was fortunate, as new youth worker, to be sent by my organization to get AMC outdoor leadership training: Backcountry Skills Week: White Mountains - Appalachian Mountain Club - Event Listings. This was in 1981, before cell phones and handheld GPS. The training included 1/2 day of map and compass at Pinkham Notch headquarters; 1/2 day of group dynamics/awareness in leading a group; and then splitting into smaller groups of 8-20, and headed out for three days of actual hiking from Wild River Trail up to Carter Dome, and the ridge trail to Carter mtn hut and onto WildCat mtn peak, and then back down Rt 16, just south of Pinkham Notch. As it turned out, fortunately in terms of training, it rained the whole time we were out there. The little streams swelled. We had folks falling into the ice cold water (this was early June) and getting hypothermic. We had real world practice of stopping the hike, setting up tents and rewarming the “victims”. We learned the importance of having good (non-cotten) clothing, extra dry clothes and socks. Learned to have the lead and the sweeper in the group and being attuned to and dealing with folks showing signs of physical strain and other “gung ho” types that want to surge ahead.
That training not only got me to appreciate the outdoors but also recognition for the things that can and do go wrong out there. When became a manager for a community services agency, I made sure that the AMC outdoor leadership training was a part of the first year training of all new youth workers.
sing
Damn that weather demon… just always waiting to ambush people who can’t read a forecast.