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First off, I know I should feel bad when someone is injured and requires rescue. However, I do not. This person was vividly warned by myself and my wife on the difficulty of the remaining route from the saddle. It was apparent they should have turned around. This is another example of people being ill-prepared, overestimating their abilities, and not listening to those trying to help them. Please do not be like them and waste the time and resources of mountain rescue (21 people & 265 hours). See below for news article link and description of my encounter with them. I post this not to shame them but to ask people to respect the mountain and do your research beforehand.
My wife and I were crossing the saddle at 12:15pm on our descent of Capitol on Friday July 15th, when we encountered a couple resting after reaching the saddle from the lake. Male was in 60's and female was in 50's. They asked if the remainder of the trail was harder than the beginning – they were referring to the Class 1 switchbacks from the lake to the saddle that they just completed. I directly told them: “What you just did was a 1 out of 10 in difficulty compared to rest. The rest is 10 out of 10. It took us ~8 hours round trip from the saddle”.
They did not believe the time it took and she responded, “I run 7.5-minute miles and I’ll be upset with myself if I do not try” and looked at us like we were either lying to them about the time and difficulty or just slow. After that, I let them know the group in front of us also took ~8ish hours RT to the saddle and that was a good pace for this route. I also took another attempt at convincing them how challenging the remainder of the route was and that it was not just a “hike”. At this, the man said he would wait at the saddle and wait for her to return. She responded again how upset she'd be if she did not attempt it. My wife also tried to warn them of the weather as it was past noon and clouds were forming. Again, they dismissed this warning. After a couple more minutes of discussion, we gave up and moved on as she was visibly getting annoyed with us and would not listen to our feedback on the remainder of the route.
From our encounter, it seems all they had was a day pack, no helmets, and did not understand the route at all or risk it posed. She assumed that being able to run 7.5 min/mile was the same as being able to do Class 4 route in under 5-hours round trip from the saddle. She was so focused on reaching the peak that she shut her ears to the feedback we provided on what we had just completed.
Knife Edge on our descent.Looking back on our descent from the saddle to lake
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Know your abilities and head advice 8/17/2025 11:03am
We were just in front of you. She was at the Saddle at 11:40 waiting on him. She had asked my partner how long it would take and he said it would depend on how fast a scrambler they were. One of them replied, "not that fast now" so he told them to expect at least 5 hrs to summit if they are slow and tired. Which they definitely seemed to be. When I got to her at the saddle she seemed to doubt that time. I then told her our splits and she still didn't seem to believe me or the young man with me who reinforced those times. And then you both warned her after us!!!
You are so right. She needlessly put a lot of rescuers in danger because she clearly didn't know what was ahead of her and didn't listen to 5 other hikers who just did it.
Do your research, know your abilities and be smart out there!! The mountain will always be there.
Sounds like they just wandered up there.
So it was her that had to be rescued? Did she fall? Does anyone know what happened after she decided to move forward with her 7:30 minute road pace? She should have to pay for her rescue. Period.
I think the biggest wow from this for me is, do they not have eyes? Do they even need to ask? Did they not see the mountain as they approached? Did they not see the terrain in front of them?
It is so confusing to so many of us because it just seems like some people are so dumb. And I am sorry if that is mean, accidents def. happen but this really does seem like a case of pure stupidity that consumed so many resources and put other people's lives at risk. And it makes me mad. At 50 you should be able to see past your own nose.
Sorry that you had this experience. Sounds like you did absolutely everything you could have to get them to reconsider. Personally I don’t get why anyone would ask for advice if they’re not going to listen to it. Just imagine what her partner / husband is going through right now. At this very moment he’s probably getting screamed at for not being there for her, and causing her the embarrassment of needing rescue. We can rest assured, in their relationship, “it’s all his fault”.
Obviously, summit fever is real. People just put their blinders on when they feel sure of their abilities. Just insane. I blame social media to some degree and stupidity for the rest! Goingup, I agree, they should have to pay a fee for rescue. Or at least, a generous "donation" to SAR! Bearburrito, love that username btw, "is the rest of the "hike" harder than the first section?" LOL. Pure insanity! 7.5 min mile on a treadmill is not a good marker to use! Wow! Know your limits, people! Hopefully no SAR personnel were injured in the effort!
Hi thanks for posting your report! Me and my friend camped below the wilderness permit area and were woken up by the chopper at 2am. Eventually headed up to the lake and I got them on video at 4:16am spotlighting the gulley. Not a great video but got it. We looked up towards k2 and the ridge and saw a spotlight, assume that was SAR. We went up to the saddle figuring that’s as far as we could make it without being stopped by SAR. Got a great video of the Blackhawk coming in at first light. I agree that this was insanely reckless. She should be liable for the cost of the operation, 5 different people warned her!
Summit fever, blind ambition, no contextual awareness of Capitol verses other peaks, and a disregard of the dangers ahead after being forewarned. Often times the excuse is youthful exuberance and naivety, but in this case it was intentional and deliberate insouciance. The distrust of others, and any information that doesn't fit ones beliefs has become the norm, and common sense reasoning is met skepticism and doubt. People have become untethered to reality caught in a vortex of suspicion, sadly this will continue to happen.
I’ve done Capitol three times, when I was younger, and both mentally and physically stronger. I’ve often told people if you could have an exact mold of the Knife Edge, 5 feet tall, in a park with padding underneath, kids would be playing all over it. There is a lot of humble brag online “It wasn’t that tough after all the hype”. There’s video of people walking across & pictures of people posing standing on the Knife Edge.
Then you get there. And there is all this exposure. Sure, it’s doable. Best if you’re with people who’ve done it before, and you talk each other across. Then the rest of the mountain. No one told you about the smaller knife edge to cross. Or how the rest of the mountain has multiple lines, and it’s easy to get drawn into harder exposed moves, maybe with some loose rock.
Yes, I think a sign at the saddle and just before K2 would be good. Maybe also down by the lake. Fuck Leave No Trace in this instance. A few years ago, a SAR member was injured attempting to recover a body on Capitol. We have a similar sign on Quandary warning not to get drawn down the sides into the cliffs where people have been rescued. In a case like this where somebody can’t be told, seeing something authoritative could save their life.
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