Boulder Daily Camera Article

[CODave]

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/may/18/looking-at-accidents-in-the-internet-age/

[gsliva]

I wish I was twenty years younger I would join the SAR!

Thanks for the article. I ordered the book from Amazon!

I think the next step will be live video trip reports!

[USAKeller]

Thanks for the link- I liked it. What picture was used?

[BillMiddlebrook]

Here is Boulder Daily Camera article in case their site asks you to register...
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Looking at accidents in the Internet age
By Mark Scott-Nash
Friday, May 18, 2007

Early in the morning of May 6, mountain climber David Worthington lay among cold alpine rocks and snow, his body broken. He was at 13,000 feet on Humboldt Peak in the remote Sangre de Cristo range suffering from the results of a mountaineering accident. He and his unharmed partner, Caroline Moore, were alone in the rugged wilderness.

Caroline made David as comfortable as possible, and with a looming winter storm on the horizon, soloed down to Westcliffe to get help, which would not arrive until the following morning. That evening, he was helicoptered to a hospital, where he passed away. It was a tragic event with a sad outcome. It was uncommon, but certainly not unheard of in the unforgiving mountains. News of this kind usually results in a paragraph in a local paper, and is then forgotten. Not this time.

Worthington was a member of at least two online communities dedicated to discussion and information about Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks — 14ers.com and 14erworld.com. He posted there frequently under his screen name "Talus Monkey." He was well-known and liked, and at the first rumor of an accident on Humboldt last Sunday, there were several expressions of hope that it wasn't Worthington or Moore, also known as "USAKeller" on the Web sites.

Confirmation came on Sunday night (the day of the accident) that the victim was Talus Monkey, and he was alone on the mountain. Then the information firestorm began. All of it flowing notoriously freely as any on the Internet. The good, bad and ugly came out in an unimpeded geyser of speculation, rumors, hard facts, condolences and criticism.

Soon there was concern about the blizzard engulfing him, why the rescuers were not ascending that night, and just what happened. At 10:23 a.m. on May 7, a 14ers.com user reported that rescuers had found him in a near-whiteout. The time of the post was, incredibly, within minutes of when they actually found him.

The post reported the Custer County Sheriff's Office, which was in charge of the rescue, as saying "He is alive, he is well, they are with him."

But he was not well. At 9:29 p.m. that night, David's best friend posted the shocking news of his death. The hope over the previous 11 hours was upbeat as tidbits from the rescue progress came in. There was hope that he may have a speedy recovery, ready to join them on another 14er hike or swig down another Colt 45, his trademark beer.

Just one day later, Josh Friesema, a rescuer who struggled through the blizzard and was first on scene with David, posted a hastily written personal account of the rescue. This was unheard of in the mountain rescue world, where information is tightly controlled until all debriefing is completed.

In a span of three short days, almost all the information and commentary regarding this accident was out, and it's still there for all to see. That type of instant information was unimaginable twenty years ago. Unless you were related to or good friends with a victim, you might not hear for weeks or months that an incident happened, if ever.

In our current environment, it's not only the nicest or most sensitive comments that are posted. Everyone gets equal footing. It was ultimately the most honest and poetic expression of this tragedy. And this is the wave of the future.

Mark Scott-Nash's book, "Playing for Real: Stories from Rocky Mountain Rescue" is newly released by the CMC Press. E-mail Mark at: open.spaces@comcast.net.

[CODave]

What picture was used?

Looks like just a generic photo.

[JHopper]

great article.....shows how great the 14ers.com community is

[ghillie60]

gsliva-You don't have to be twenty years younger. I was on a SAR team for two years, and trust me, they need people of all ages, physical abilities, experiencies, etc. The person that takes care of the paperwork is just as important as the person hanging off a litter on the side of a cliff. Talk to your local team, I'd bet they'd be happy to have you. Good luck.

[OBX Fisherman]

Thanks for the link. One of my friends back here in NC said the local Fox station mentioned David earlier this week. I could not find mention of him on their web site however.

Gary

[mtnbikerskierchick]

That is an interesting article. It truly is mind boggling when you think about it-- we were all aware of David's condition within such a short amount of time. It's absolutely crazy when you think about it. Such is the internet age. This aspect of it is a good thing I think.

[mtnduck9]

tc69:
What a great quote in your sig line! How true it is. Where is it from?

[USAKeller]

I agree- it's definitely crazy how fast information travels. I think that within 1 hour of when I got back to Westcliffe and called 911, the news had already hit some radio station.... that's what we get for people scanning the radio waves!