I like Gaby wrote about the rescue on Mt. Marcy. I did not realize until I went to post, but feel it points to the fact it is a very relevant issue given the amount of hikers who experience distress in the park each year. I will give a brief description of the incident like Gaby did to provide background on how rescue missions are conducted.
At 5:25 pm on Saturday a family made a 9-11 call that they were lost somewhere near the peak of Mt. Marcy. The Essex county 9-11 transferred the call to DEC dispatch in Rai- Brook. The closest park ranger who was located at the Lake Colden Caretaker cabin began an ascent of the mountain. He was followed by four rangers on snowmobiles from the South Meadow Trailhead, and three who originated in Adirondack Loj Trailhead. The park rangers were able to make contact with the lost family. The original strategy was to locate the family using GPS in their phone. This was unsuccessful, and at 9:00 pm as the rangers reached the summit, contact was lost with the family. With no contact, the search was unsuccessful for three more hours. The freezing temperatures dropping as low as -10 degrees F and harsh winds reaching 40 mph made the rescue mission difficult. At 12 am the rangers were relieved by a new group. The temperature was expected to dip to -30 degrees F with wind chill and with the well being of the family at stake the search continued. The family was not located until 11 am when a State police aviation helicopter spotted the group which included Ning Cai, 39, and her two children. The search included a team of 26 forest rangers, New York State police aviation, State Police Special Operations Response team, and state police supervisory staff who all worked together for a favorable outcome. They emphasized the importance of hikers planning for and remaining alert to changing conditions.
The DEC Forest rangers were praised for their work. The rangers emphasized that they didn’t do it alone. They thanked the state and local agencies that made the rescue possible. DEC forest rangers are trained in multiple areas including first aid, land navigation, and technical rescue techniques. In March 2015 there have been nine rescue missions resolved by the DEC rangers. Hiking is not always thought of as a dangerous sport but when hikers do not possess the athletic ability to complete the trek, the adequate gear including water, maps, compasses, and clothing, things can quickly go wrong. Surprising to come New York State’s High Peaks region is notorious of lost and injured hikers. It points to the question- when hikes take a turn for the worst who is accountable?
The Rangers also mentioned that cost in these rescue missions can be as high as 160,000 dollars for a single rescue, which typically state departments are required to cover. The estimate for funds spent on rescue missions in New Hampshire is 200,000 dollars. New Hampshire unlike other states does not cover the entire expense of rescue missions for hikers lost due to negligence. Negligence can range from hiking without proper equipment or taking on challenging terrain outside one’s abilities. There is controversy with this bill. Some feel leaving massive expenses to rescued hikers to simply made a bad judgement call is unfair. I disagree, I think hiking responsibly is as important as driving responsibly. On the road negligence can injure other drivers. Doing the same thing on the trail can endanger your rescuers and cost the state financially. I think holding hikers responsible financially encourages safer hiking. You are certainly going to think twice if the fee is 100,000 dollars. It is essentially an extreme speeding ticket. However, I do think Gaby’s argument that defining exactly what negligence means and then proving hikers meet the qualifications specified would be extremely problematic. I am simply unsure what this kind of bill would look like. Money is always a coercive force, but enforcing negligent hiking seems tricky. New Hampshire has obviously had some success with financial responsibility of negligent hikers, but I imagine only in cases where hikers were in clearly marked restricted areas. I have to agree with Gaby’s thoughts on creating easy access to educational tools. I would not be as quick to eliminate the financial idea altogether, but also recognize her expertise in the area of hiking goes far beyond my own which gives her thoughts more credibility.
http://www.adirondack.net/whatsnew/2015/03/when-hikes-go-wrong.html
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