Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

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Wildernessjane
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by Wildernessjane »

painless4u2 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:48 am A good example of that technology not working, sadly:
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story ... 933476002/
We don’t know that this is an example of InReach technology not working. It only says she was unable to activate the device. This could be because she didn’t have it turned on or within reach and events played out quickly versus a technology failure. I’ll admit my InReach is often in my pack, turned off, unless I’m out solo and activate the tracking feature.
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painless4u2
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by painless4u2 »

That was my point. Technology is great, but it has to be on or accessible. If you suddenly slip and fall, incapacitating yourself, you can't reach for it to activate it. It may be a good backup if used properly, but not always reliable.
Bad decisions often make good stories.

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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by Bill G »

The searchers were injured recovering the body. It's amazing what SAR does for people they never met.

https://www.vaildaily.com/news/searcher ... ear-aspen/
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by nunns »

Prayers for Kelly's family.

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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by IntrepidXJ »

Here's a more detailed statement from the Pitkin Sheriff: https://bit.ly/2TSRmJC
Last edited by IntrepidXJ on Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by cottonmountaineering »

very sad situation for relatives of the deceased person, as well as the rescuers that got injured by the other climbers
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by HikesInGeologicTime »

What a tragic situation.
The fourth rescuer sustained major injuries after being struck by a rock which knocked the rescuer roughly twenty feet through the air in a “rag doll,” or somersault motion. ...the fourth rescuer was flown via helicopter to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado, for emergency surgery. [emphasis mine]
Having recently been in Aspen Valley Hospital’s care for a rag doll of my own off Pyramid (my own damn fault, no infamously loose Elk rock to blame) and having found it top-notch, the fact that they had to fly someone all the way out to Denver does not sound like it bodes well. I really, really, really hope the rescuer pulls through.
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by ltlFish99 »

Highly unfortunate and sad situation for all involved
Prayers and condolences to the friends and family of the gentleman.
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by HikerGuy »

The hikers above sending rocks down on the rescuers pisses me off. You should always treat terrain as if there might be someone below you. I don't remember sending any rocks down on Capitol/K2 and I don't remember it being particularly difficult to avoid doing so. Climb with care and it can be done. I'm not saying I have never dislodged a rock, but when I have it either could have been avoided by paying more attention or I could see the runout of any potential rockfall and therefore may have proceeded with less caution.
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by broncotw »

Horrible situation made even worse! Prayers and condolences for the Kelly family and prayers for the brave SAR members who were injured! I wish them all a complete and speedy recovery!
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by mtngoatwithstyle »

My deepest condolences to Kelly's family and loved ones. Also, I hope the SAR rescuers that were injured recover and know how much we appreciate and value all they do to keep us safe. I must say though, that I find it difficult to understand how someone who sees a Black Hawk making motions to them, does not understand or perceive that this big helicopter is trying to do tell them something. Black Hawks are not the type of plane you have in front of you when you are hiking a mountain, but I do understand that they may not have understood what was happening. Certainly, we need to continue helping educate hikers/climbers who do not know about situations like this on the mountain not related to weather or people, and how to properly motion forward. There is SO much I keep learning every day.
Never,never give up!.
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Re: Missing Hiker Capitol Peak 7/31

Post by derekpetrie »

It’s a tragedy made worse by another tragic event. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased, and hope for full recovery of the injured SAR team members.

I’m always reminded by these events how easy it is to jump to judgement - of the climber, of the rescuers, of the climbing party on the knife ridge. Some thoughts running through my head:

- We don’t yet know the circumstances or challenges in communication between the chopper and the party and the rescuers. Did the Blackhawk signal “down” or “climb down” or “danger down”? Is there universal hand signals for this stuff?

- Did the party on the knife ridge interpret that they should move with more urgency, thereby increasing the risk of a mistake and rockfall? Did an individual get wigged out by a military chopper trying to communicate with them in an already stressful situation and lose focus?

- could the rotor wash of the chopper has dislodged a rock that could have been hit by a climber triggering the slide?

- Is the location of the deceased climber in such a precarious location that someone should be managing traffic on the K2 - Capitol ridge line in a way that they can verbally communicate with hiking parties?

For me it’s best to not speculate on answers right now, but to instead express sympathy and wait for the teams on the ground to share lessons learned from this tragedy.
Last edited by derekpetrie on Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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