WEBVTT 1 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:14.880 Hello, I'm Megan and I'm Danielle, and welcome to our 2 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:17.600 podcast Off the Trails, where we will be sharing stories 3 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:20.600 of mystery and misadventure that all take place in the outdoors. 4 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:22.800 In this week will Megan's turn to share a story 5 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:23.519 with us. 6 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:29.320 Good afternoon today. 7 00:00:27.559 --> 00:00:31.920 Good afternoon, it is a rainy Sunday. It is kind 8 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:35.600 of a nice day, though it looks pretty bad out. 9 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:40.439 I mean, I guess my good day is probably different 10 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:42.719 than a lot of other people's nice weather day. 11 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:48.280 You love the gloom the gloom day? All right. Well, 12 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:52.039 I don't think we really have any business other than 13 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:56.520 I know we posted it on Instagram, but just for 14 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:01.439 any listeners who don't follow us on there, this episode 15 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:05.120 is coming out on Monday, December eleventh, and then we 16 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:10.480 will have the last twenty twenty three episode coming out 17 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:13.840 on Monday December eighteenth, and then we will be taking 18 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:20.079 the week off for Christmas, and we'll be back on Monday, 19 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:21.079 January first. 20 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.799 That's right, twenty twenty four, right around the corner. 21 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:28.040 I know, it's crazy, it's crazy that we're already coming 22 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:30.480 to the end of twenty twenty three, but that's our schedule, 23 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:35.799 so everyone knows and Yeah. 24 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:37.319 All right, Well I am excited for today's story. 25 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:42.879 Yeah, this one, I will say this one was a 26 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:48.400 lot not that any of them aren't, but the sort 27 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:53.079 of the topic of this one is a bit heavy. Again, 28 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:56.840 not that many of them aren't, but I feel like 29 00:01:56.879 --> 00:02:01.439 you'll understand why as it unfolds. But I definitely found 30 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:05.840 myself tearing up sometimes just because it just kind of 31 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:08.919 hits you, right, Certain stories just sort of hit you, 32 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:11.039 and this and I got it a little emotional. 33 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:13.319 Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. I think sometimes 34 00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:18.919 obviously a lot of the topics and stories we read 35 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:23.840 and talk about and share, they're they're heavy, but for 36 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:29.840 whatever reason, certain ones just hit you harder than others, 37 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:33.400 for whatever reason. And I don't always know which ones 38 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:37.479 are going to be those super sad ones or the 39 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:42.000 ones that like stick with you longer than others exactly. 40 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:46.800 And you wouldn't really expect that because this one is 41 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.759 a survival so it's supposed to be everything is great, 42 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:50.719 everything's good. 43 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:57.199 But so it's interesting though, because other people have said 44 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:02.919 that the survival stories sometimes are harder for them to 45 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:09.360 listen to. I think because maybe in part we do 46 00:03:09.479 --> 00:03:15.319 go into some more details that usually with a death episode, 47 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:20.960 we discuss more high level, but with some of the 48 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:26.719 survival stories, obviously we have the gory details as told 49 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:32.759 by the person firsthand. So maybe that's in part why 50 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:36.120 they're sometimes a little bit harder to digest. 51 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:41.120 I don't know, Yeah, it's or you know, with survival ones, 52 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:44.199 we none of us who are listening can relate to 53 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:52.479 the death episodes or the disappearance episodes. However, with survival ones, 54 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:55.280 there's someone that's still able to tell a story, and 55 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:58.080 maybe sometimes parts of those stories are too relatable. 56 00:03:58.879 --> 00:03:59.639 Yeah, that's fair. 57 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:03.840 So I guess without further ado, are you ready? 58 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:04.919 I am ready? 59 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:09.919 Okay. I want to start this off with a disclaimer 60 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:15.319 because this story contains content about suicide, and if you're 61 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:18.920 thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, 62 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:22.240 or with like emotional support, The nine to eight to 63 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:25.959 eight Lifeline network is available twenty four to seven across 64 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:31.920 the United States. When Pam Bales, a volunteer with New 65 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.920 Hampshire's pemical was Wassit Search and Rescue Team, planned a 66 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:39.920 solo recreational hike up Mount Washington in twenty ten, she 67 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:43.519 had never suspected it would become the most unforgettable rescue 68 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:46.639 of her career, one that would cement her legacy and 69 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:50.800 search and rescue for years to come. And I just 70 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:53.800 want to ask, because I always do ask you, have 71 00:04:53.879 --> 00:04:56.079 you does this sound familiar to you? Yet? 72 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:57.600 Not yet? 73 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:02.519 Okay? At the time of the event we're covering today, 74 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:05.639 Pam was living in Thornton, a town in the White 75 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:09.240 Mountains of New Hampshire. Here, she was a volunteer with 76 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:12.839 the local Search and Rescue agency for thirteen years. But 77 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.319 Pam hadn't always lived in New Hampshire. Pam's mother was 78 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:19.800 from Newton, Massachusetts, where she would take excursions up to 79 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:23.639 the White Mountains to go hiking. When Pam was born, 80 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:27.519 they were living in California, but relocated to New Hampshire 81 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:30.240 while Pam was still a child. Her mother was a 82 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:34.399 secretary for the Appalachian Mountain Club, and Pam followed in 83 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:37.160 her mother's footsteps with an abiding love for the mountains. 84 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:40.560 She would spend as much time there as possible. It 85 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:42.879 was later in life when a friend suggested that with 86 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:46.360 her nursing background, which we don't really have a lot 87 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:50.920 of detail about her nursing background, just that she had 88 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:55.879 it so, combining that and her love for hiking, that 89 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:58.759 she should consider volunteering with the Search and Rescue Team 90 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:02.399 in the White Mountains. And Pam thought it was a 91 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:07.240 great idea and she found her calling. But it was 92 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:11.560 on the fateful day of October seventeenth, twenty ten, when 93 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:14.439 Pam would unexpectedly put all her skills to the test. 94 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:18.120 Pam had been looking for a weather window to practice 95 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.079 a training hike in the area her SAR team operated in. 96 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.800 She wanted them to practice with heavier packs on a 97 00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:27.800 more steep and challenging route, and she thought Mount Washington 98 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:30.759 would be a great way to engage and refine these skills. 99 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.000 So she was sort of doing a dry run of 100 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.199 this so that she could come back to her team 101 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:37.240 and be like, guys, let's do this. This would be great, 102 00:06:37.240 --> 00:06:38.920 a great training exercise for Okay. 103 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:44.000 So, so Pam was going to take the route herself 104 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:48.839 and then, assuming that made sense, to take the full 105 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:50.120 team another time. 106 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:57.519 Yeah, And it certainly implied that and even clearly stated 107 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:00.439 I should say that she was familiar with this mountain 108 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:05.279 and this hiking route. Okay, but she just wanted to 109 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:08.600 do it again and essentially just come back to her 110 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:10.439 team and be like, Yeah, let's do this. I think 111 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:14.360 this would be really beneficial for us. Okay, So a 112 00:07:14.360 --> 00:07:16.720 little bit about Mount Washington, and I know we've already 113 00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:21.439 discussed it in an earlier episode, but just some bare 114 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:26.399 bones facts about it. Standing at six thousand, two hundred 115 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:29.079 and eighty eight feet, it is the highest peak in 116 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.360 the northeastern United States and is located in the Presidential 117 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:35.319 Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is 118 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:37.920 considered to have the world's worst weather as a result 119 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:40.839 of three separate weather systems that converge over the top 120 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:45.360 of it. The lowest temperature ever recorded is negative fifty 121 00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:49.000 degrees fahrenheit and the strongest wind reported is two hundred 122 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:52.360 and thirty one miles per hour on April twelfth, nineteen 123 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:56.759 thirty four. Mount Washington sees approximately two hundred and eighty 124 00:07:56.839 --> 00:07:59.600 thousand visitors per year, and there have been one hundred 125 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:04.439 and six one reported deaths since eighteen forty nine. Back 126 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:08.160 to October seventeenth. The forecast for the higher elevation that 127 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:12.120 day was as follows. In the clouds with a slight 128 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:16.399 chance of showers, highs in the upper twenties, wind chills 129 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:21.360 zero to ten wins northwest at fifty to seventy miles 130 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:25.120 an hour, increasing to sixty to eighty with higher gusts, 131 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:28.480 and it was described as full on winter at the 132 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:31.680 summit by the Mount Washington Observatory. 133 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:35.360 Yeah, I would also classify that as full on winter. 134 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:36.679 That's no joke. 135 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:45.279 Yeah, And obviously one of the big misconceptions about this mountain, 136 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:49.320 if you're not familiar with it, is that at the 137 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:52.720 base where we're all just living about here, at the 138 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:56.519 same elevation as the base, it seems pretty mild, and 139 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:01.879 the higher us end it, that weather can change drastically 140 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.320 and you can very quickly find yourself unprepared. 141 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:11.559 Oh yeah, absolutely. The weather is it's almost like a 142 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:16.159 different a different continent. Like you start making your way 143 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:19.879 up the mountain and the weather is completely different. And 144 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:26.279 I think even driving through the mountains on either side, 145 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:29.480 the weather can be completely different. And then you're getting 146 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:33.240 through like Franconia Notch or one of the other notches 147 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:40.399 up in the mountains and it's completely different. So you 148 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:43.559 really have to take that into consideration that, yeah, this 149 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:48.120 is what the forecast is, but it's probably not accurate 150 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:52.879 for the top of Mount Washington or along the along 151 00:09:52.919 --> 00:09:53.799 the route. 152 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:57.799 Yeah, exactly like you know, you could be local to 153 00:09:57.879 --> 00:09:59.480 it and be like, oh, this looks like a great 154 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:03.360 day for a and sure it is at the base right. 155 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:07.120 Pam parked at the trail head that morning and set 156 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:09.399 out on what she planned to be a nine mile 157 00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:12.840 loop that would take approximately six hours. Her root would 158 00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:15.480 take her up the Jewel Trail, which runs along the 159 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:18.320 west side of the mountain, and that would bring her 160 00:10:18.360 --> 00:10:21.279 to Gulf Side Trail, which would take her up to 161 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:24.240 the summit. On her way back down, she would take 162 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:27.080 Crawford Path down to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, 163 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.399 down Amanusic Ravine Trail, and back to the parking lot, 164 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:34.159 which would make it a loop instead of going out 165 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:38.559 and back on just the Jewel Trail. Okay, And given 166 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:41.519 her experience and knowledge of the mountains and knowing the 167 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:44.799 erratic weather of Mount Washington, she had a backup plan, 168 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:49.519 as everyone should. If the conditions become too risky. She 169 00:10:49.559 --> 00:10:51.960 would either turn around on the Jewel Trail and get 170 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:54.600 back to her car from there, or she would cross 171 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:57.480 west Side Trail, which was at about fifty six hundred 172 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:00.279 feet elevation, and that would bring her own over to 173 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:04.279 Crawford Path, which would then bring her to Aminusik Ravine 174 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:08.559 Trail and back to the parking lot. So essentially, instead 175 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:10.440 of getting all the way up to the summit, she'd 176 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:13.639 be able to cut across a little bit lower on 177 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:18.879 the west side trail. And her practice was always to 178 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.200 leave a detailed itinerary on her dashboard as well as 179 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:25.919 a copy with two of her teammates from the Pemica 180 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:27.720 Wasset Valley Search and Rescue Team. 181 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:33.120 So that's actually really smart to leave her itinerary in her. 182 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:35.679 Car, right, I thought of that too. I thought that 183 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:38.039 was a really good takeaway. 184 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:43.799 Because obviously, you know, she told people where she was going, 185 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:50.559 and ideally, if somebody doesn't return, your person, whoever you're told, 186 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:54.679 is going to report you missing. But if your car 187 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:58.399 is there overnight or for a couple of days, having 188 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:01.320 that information on your dashboard for someone who's just peeking 189 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:03.600 inside your car, that's really helpful. 190 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:08.039 Yeah, because of course there's going to be a little 191 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:11.240 bit of a lag from what you're doing in real 192 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:16.000 time to someone off site figuring out where you're at 193 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:18.759 in relation to where you're supposed to be at, Like 194 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:22.240 based on your itinerary, but someone like who is also 195 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:25.120 in the parking lot, you know, someone goes up and 196 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.279 comes down and says that car is still here. And 197 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:31.639 I didn't see anyone, and they could just walk over 198 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:33.639 to it. And if they saw the itinerary and there 199 00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:36.440 was a red flag just as a result of it 200 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.960 being like I'm supposed to be back at four pm 201 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:41.879 and it's six pm and you know they're not back, 202 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:45.879 that might be enough to tip them off to contact 203 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:49.159 you know, local police or local rangers or anyone who 204 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:50.440 could look further into it. 205 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:52.039 Yeah, that's smart. 206 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:55.440 So though there was snow at the trailhead, the sun 207 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:58.519 was shining and the air was mild. Pam made a 208 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:01.480 point to bring extra layers of clith, knowing how drastically 209 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:03.840 different the weather at the base is from the summit. 210 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.279 At this point, she was wearing a sports spra and 211 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:11.159 hiking pants, and she had noticed pretty early on that 212 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:14.360 the Cog Railway, which usually brings passengers all the way 213 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:17.200 up to the summit, was stopping and turning around at 214 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:20.480 an area called Jacob's Ladder, which is at about forty 215 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:22.000 seven hundred feet elevation. 216 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:25.720 I'm sorry, can I enter it for a second go 217 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:29.639 for it. What timer year was this October? I can't remember. 218 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:35.720 October seventeenth, Okay, So them turning around at Jacob's ladder 219 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:38.480 as opposed to going to the summit was most likely 220 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:41.960 a result of limited visibility and inclement weather higher up. 221 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:46.320 So the beginning of the hike was overall pretty pleasant 222 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.679 and uneventful, as she suspected it would be. Her first 223 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:52.600 selfie representing this stage of the hike was taken at 224 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:57.039 around eight thirty am. And there are a few selfies 225 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:00.039 that she takes along the way, and I'll be posting 226 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:02.840 those with the episode. Ok And it's really kind of 227 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:06.559 interesting to see how she starts based on her attire 228 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:11.480 and the sky and you know, the background and foreground, 229 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:15.480 and how it changes in you know, what appears to 230 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:21.919 be pretty quickly. About thirty minutes later, around nine am, 231 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:25.080 she was getting at the mile and a half mark 232 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:28.200 up the trail and into the colder weather. She added 233 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:31.279 a quarter zip, long sleeve and gloves and took another selfie. 234 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.799 There doesn't seem to be the same sunlight as seen 235 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:37.399 in the first photo lower on the trail, and there's 236 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:39.720 more snow on the ground and piled on the trees 237 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:44.120 around her. She was heading into temperatures about twenty four 238 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:47.519 degrees fahrenheit and fog with fifty mile an hour winds. 239 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.840 But Pam wasn't deterred quite yet, as she was familiar 240 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:54.120 with this trail and was comfortable proceeding. So long as 241 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:56.080 she could still see her own hands in front of 242 00:14:56.120 --> 00:14:58.919 her face, she'd be able to safely navigate the route. 243 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:02.799 Swap that word, I don't know why I do that? 244 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:07.480 Why do I change how I say it? She'd be 245 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:11.360 able to safely navigate the root in inclement weather, but 246 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:13.519 she also knew when to call it quits and turn 247 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:17.759 around if the conditions became too risky, which she really 248 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:23.519 seemed to stress that and wanted to reiterate that the 249 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:26.840 summit can wait, Your height can wait. If there is 250 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:30.840 anything that's making you uncomfortable about it, or it's starting 251 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:33.480 to seem sketchy, or you're looking higher off the mountain 252 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:36.679 and that weather is not looking great, just turn around, 253 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:38.879 turn around, come back another day. 254 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:43.039 It's not worth it, absolutely, it's literally not worth your life. 255 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:47.200 And maybe someday we can get my friend Britt to 256 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:51.720 share her Mount Washington story, because she did end up 257 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:54.200 turning around on a day that the weather was just 258 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:59.080 not safe. So she did have to make that decision 259 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:02.000 that she's like, you know what, I'm not gonna sum 260 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:04.159 it today and it's gonna have to be another day. 261 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:07.679 Yeah, And of course it sucks because you plan for it. 262 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:11.279 You there's a lot of preparation that goes into it. 263 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:13.440 You know, even if you have to go as far 264 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:17.559 as to take a day off work or or whatever 265 00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:20.919 you're you're rearranging to make this happen, it's still not 266 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:25.000 worth the risk if anything is telling you not to 267 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.639 go forward with it. And I would actually be very 268 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:31.240 interested having Britt on for an episode because I know 269 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:34.639 she's an avid hiker and she's done like I know, 270 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.480 she's done all the four thousand footers right mm hm 271 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:41.200 she has, So I bet she'd have a lot of 272 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:46.240 really good stories and some you know, helpful tips for 273 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:48.960 people hiking. And she's very familiar with the White Mountain, 274 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:51.720 so you know, I think that'd be a great idea. Absolutely, 275 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:56.200 are you listening, Britt, we're volunteering. 276 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:59.080 You right when you hear this, let me know. 277 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:05.279 Yeah. Ten thirty am, Pam had gotten above tree line 278 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:08.079 and was closing in on the junction of Jewel Trail 279 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.000 and Gulf Side Trail, and I'm going to be mentioning 280 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:13.480 a few trails and their relation to each other and 281 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:15.960 on the mountain, and I know, listening to it it 282 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:21.160 might not make sense, But I do have a visual 283 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:25.759 that I'll be posting with the episode. Like visual aids 284 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:28.000 helped me a lot, Like you could explain something to 285 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:30.839 me all day and I can't figure it out, but 286 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:34.160 we will have like a map that kind of helps 287 00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:38.079 lay out these areas that we'll be talking about. So 288 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:40.920 at ten thirty am, Pam had gotten above tree line 289 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:43.279 and was closing in on the junction of Jewel Trail 290 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:46.880 and Gulf Side Trail. At this point, she had added 291 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:50.359 a jacket, goggles, and heavier mittens to protect herself from 292 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:54.000 the harsher weather, which included dense fog and high winds. 293 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:58.599 She was contemplating ending her hike early and following her 294 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.000 Plan B to get back down on the mountain safely 295 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:05.720 for going the summit. On this hike. The extreme weather 296 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:08.960 and limited visibility told Pam that pushing for the summit 297 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:12.160 was not worth the risk. But it was also around 298 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:14.359 this time that she noticed a set of footprints in 299 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:18.400 the snow, and though she had seen them along her hike, 300 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:21.839 she hadn't previously thought much of them, given this was 301 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:24.920 a public trail on a popular mountain, so it's not 302 00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:29.240 unreasonable to see other tracks. But as she took a 303 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:32.519 closer look at them, she realized that these ones were different. 304 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:38.279 They weren't hiking boots, but they looked like sneaker prints 305 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:42.440 with no signs of traction, and that someone wildly unprepared 306 00:18:42.440 --> 00:18:45.400 for this mountain was on this mountain and in this weather. 307 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:51.559 And I think that just goes to show her search 308 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:56.400 and rescue brain always being on, because just looking at footprints, 309 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:00.359 she's like assessing them. She's like, Okay, hold on, I've 310 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:03.640 seen the singular set of prints. I haven't seen any 311 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:07.519 coming back down. Haven't come across this person. And wait 312 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:11.240 a second, there's no traction, there's no tread, there's sneakers. 313 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:15.039 I mean, just think about when you're if you're wearing 314 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:18.319 sneakers in a couple inches of snow, your feet get 315 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:19.920 wet almost immediately. 316 00:19:20.359 --> 00:19:25.119 Yeah, and this is not like easy terrain either. No, 317 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:30.599 So that immediately raised a unalarm for her. She's like, Okay, 318 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:34.559 that's not good. That's not someone's being very irresponsible here. 319 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:40.599 So it was now around eleven am and Pam, even 320 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:43.599 with all the proper gear and layers, was getting cold 321 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:47.440 and knew that attempting to summit just wouldn't be safe. 322 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:52.039 And it was at this point that I believe Pam 323 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:55.119 is along the Gulf Side Trail, which runs parallel with 324 00:19:55.240 --> 00:19:59.440 Mount Clay Loop. She's above the Jewel and Gulf Side junction, 325 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:03.400 but she's below the Gulf Side and West Side junction. 326 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:07.880 She decided to add even more layers, putting an additional 327 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:10.759 shirt on under her jacket and adding a face mask. 328 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:13.720 She was sitting by a cairn, which is a stack 329 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:17.119 of rocks, and she decided to make her way back 330 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:21.119 down the mountain via west Side Trail. The clouds and 331 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:24.839 fog created a zero visibility scenario, and now she was 332 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:28.559 dealing with sleep too. The only thing keeping her on 333 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:32.640 the trail though, was the footprints, like something just wasn't 334 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:34.920 right about them, and she just couldn't let it go, 335 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:39.240 and she was focusing on trying to get to the 336 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:42.480 next cairn so that she knew that she was still 337 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:46.480 on trail and headed in the right direction. When she 338 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:50.440 noticed the tracks took a hard left off trail, and 339 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:54.759 concerned with this person's misdirection, the harsh weather conditions, the 340 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:59.079 impending darkness, and heading toward an area called the Great Gulf, 341 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:04.680 Pam started yelling for the person and continuing to yell 342 00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:07.440 and blow her whistle. Pam was hoping to hear someone 343 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:10.960 call back out to her, but she didn't. She was 344 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.559 about point three miles from the Jeweling Gulf Side junction 345 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:16.839 and one mile from the Gulf Side and West Side junction, 346 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:19.960 either of which would take her back to safety. But 347 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:23.160 someone was out here and she wasn't letting that go. 348 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:27.440 She shifted her direction and started walking toward the uncertainty 349 00:21:27.480 --> 00:21:29.920 of the tracks ahead, which were heading in the direction 350 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:35.519 of an exposed ridge line overlooking the Great Gulf. Winds 351 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:39.680 were fifty miles an hour at this point, and she 352 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:45.880 had on micro spikes, but unpacked wind swept snow between 353 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:50.119 boulders created a risk for stepping too hard and sustaining 354 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:53.119 a foot injury, an injury she could not afford if 355 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:56.960 she wanted to get back down the mountain safely. Pam 356 00:21:57.039 --> 00:21:59.720 followed the tracks for about twenty to thirty more yards 357 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:03.039 when she saw a man sitting between some boulders off 358 00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:08.799 Clay Loop Trail. Pam approached and greeted him, caught off 359 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:12.440 guard by what she had stumbled upon. A man wearing 360 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:16.880 tennis shoes. Shorts I did see, someone said shorts. One 361 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:20.440 article said shorts, and one said like light pants either way, 362 00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:24.559 not mountain attire, not the right pants, not the right pants, 363 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:26.880 not the right bottoms, regardless of which one. It was 364 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:32.599 a light jacket and fingerless gloves, because fingerless gloves are 365 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:36.559 you know, as long as your palms are warm, you're 366 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:38.680 no worries about your fingers. 367 00:22:39.079 --> 00:22:43.240 The fingerless gloves are so strange to me because when 368 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:48.279 I'm outside, it's not my palms that are ever getting cold. 369 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:54.359 Really, yeah, your palms are fine. Your little fingers that 370 00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:54.920 are cold. 371 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:58.839 Yeah, I don't get it. Even right now as we're talking, 372 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:02.680 I'm now like holding my like my faux cold fingers. 373 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.680 Yeah. I can see you just like clutching them and 374 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:09.680 like warming them up, rubbing them against each other. Though 375 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:13.039 he looked at her, he didn't speak to her, and 376 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:15.920 there was like a sheen to his face indicating a 377 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.799 lack of blood circulation, and his clothes were frozen. The 378 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:25.319 jacket like the windbreaker he had on was crunching because 379 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:27.359 it had a layer of ice on it, and so 380 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:32.200 anytime he moved any small movement, it was just crunching 381 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:36.400 because it was just frozen over. He was severely hypothermic, 382 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:38.880 and it was at this moment that Pam knew this 383 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:43.759 had just become a rescue mission. Pam recalled that her 384 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:47.160 chief had always told her Star Team, never put yourself 385 00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:51.839 in a situation that you could also become a victim. Luckily, 386 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:54.920 though she had extra clothes in her pack, she kept 387 00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:57.200 her own layers on, but she was able to remove 388 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:00.519 his cold and wet clothing and dress him in her 389 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:03.119 extra clothes that were dry and more suitable for the 390 00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:07.480 cold weather. And although he wasn't helping her, he wasn't 391 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:11.039 resisting her efforts either. She had tried talking to him, 392 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:14.160 finding out who he was and what he was doing there, 393 00:24:14.200 --> 00:24:17.519 but he just like wouldn't respond to her. And the 394 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:20.119 first person that sort of came to mind was her friend, 395 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:23.799 and I believe also one of her fellow volunteers, this 396 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:26.480 man named John, And so she just started calling this 397 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:30.680 man John, and so she just started addressing him. She's like, John, 398 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:33.480 what are we doing? Here, we gotta go like you 399 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:37.359 are hypothermic. This is very dangerous. We need to get 400 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:38.240 back down the mountain. 401 00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:43.160