"[S]he had granola bars, a banana and water that likely froze very early on.... She wore long underwear but only light pants and a jacket. She had heated gloves and a neck warmer but no hat. Her shoes were for trail running.... She had planned to hike alone for three days, have her mother join her on the Wednesday and celebrate [climbing all 48 peaks] with a dinner at the grand Mount Washington Hotel. She told her mom she had checked the weather, as did her mother, but only saw the forecast for where they were staying in Franconia. 'It was cold, but ... I didn't know anything about the mountains or anything else. It did not look bad,' [the mother] said. The pair shopped for food that afternoon, and Emily did some school work before setting an alarm for 4am. The following morning her mother dropped her off at a trailhead at 4:30am, with plans to pick her up eight hours later....."
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"She had no map, compass, or matches. No flashlight or headlamp, though her parents said she used her phone as a light...."
132 Comments on Althouse: "She had no map, compass, or matches. No flashlight or headlamp, though her parents said she used her phone as a light...."
on December 28,
2022 | 07:12 Bitter Clingersaid :
"Bruce Hayden: "As a native Coloradoan, how can you have 4,000 ft peaks? Seems like an oxymoron. 4,000 meter peaks? Sure."
Comment #1 
on December 27,
2022 | 16:26 Jim atsaid :
"Next, Groomer Howard will relate the story about how only he had the guts to have sex with a wild boar.
Comment #2 
on December 27,
2022 | 13:24 KellyMsaid :
"The Appalachian Mountain Club used to publish their annual trails report (in book form) in the early summer, and it logged all of the rescues/deaths that had occurred the previous year. Many of the stories were like this: people lost due to lack of preparation.
Comment #3 
on December 27,
2022 | 10:18 Rustysaid :
"Nothing in nature is your friend. Everything in nature is at full survival mode all the time. You are at all times, wandering in the wilderness, prey. Comment #4 
on December 27,
2022 | 10:01 Left Bank of the Charlessaid :
"“Why didn’t she simply turn around when the temp dropped or she first saw snow, when she could still find her way out?”
Comment #5 
on December 27,
2022 | 09:19 TaeJohnDosaid :
"We live at the base of a 10,600' mountain. Albuquerque nestles right up to it and there is a tram that goes to the top. Lots and lots of people get in trouble on the mountain - they think since the mountain is right next to a city, it is friendly and inviting and will be kind. The mountain doesn't care and will let you die just as easily as if it was in the most remote corner of the state. " Comment #6 
on December 27,
2022 | 04:55 Wilbursaid :
""The "Whoops" error used to often mean the comment didn't go through, but it has been a while (over a year now) where that was the case for a comment of mine."
Comment #7 
on December 27,
2022 | 04:49 Wilbursaid :
"Ha. Yancey, you're right ... Howard and Inga are sad because it happened to their Leftist comrades.
Comment #8 
on December 26,
2022 | 22:39 Rocketeersaid :
"This comment has been removed by the author." Comment #9 
on December 26,
2022 | 22:29 PMsaid :
"This comment has been removed by the author." Comment #10 
on December 26,
2022 | 22:13 Ritsaid :
"I don't even understand why it would be someone's goal Comment #11 
on December 26,
2022 | 22:12 Ritsaid :
"I don't even understand why it would be someone's goal Comment #12 
on December 26,
2022 | 21:49 James Ksaid :
"I hiked in the White Mountains one late summer and that was scary enough. It took a bit longer to come down the mountain than we'd anticipated, it started to get dark very quickly, and we were not the least prepared for getting lost. We made it down just fine, and it wasn't really a close call, but it was just enough to learn a lesson about how quickly conditions change in the mountains, even in seemingly benign circumstances.
Comment #13 
on December 26,
2022 | 21:37 Yancey Wardsaid :
"Steven Wilson asked:
Comment #14 
on December 26,
2022 | 20:47 Narayanansaid :
"rich parents like these are probably why their kids grow up believing global warming and electric vehicles powered by XYZ
Comment #15 
on December 26,
2022 | 20:24 ~ Gordon Pashasaid :
"I duck hunt in very cold conditions. My ideal party size is 3-4, that way if someone is injured there are 1-2 to go summon help. Garmin has a number of devices to help you summon help. This is my favorite
Comment #16 
on December 26,
2022 | 20:03 Richard Aubreysaid :
"I did a lot of hiking, usually under load, while working for the government (Infantry). Never alone so none of the alone things happened. Comment #17 
on December 26,
2022 | 20:00 Bruce Haydensaid :
"As a native Coloradoan, how can you have 4,000 ft peaks? Seems like an oxymoron. 4,000 meter peaks? Sure. " Comment #18 
on December 26,
2022 | 19:47 Mason Gsaid :
""But you absolutely have to respect the possibilities. My level of care and awareness went way up when I was alone. Part of the reward emanated from that."
Comment #19 
on December 26,
2022 | 19:38 Big Mikesaid :
"Howard said …
Comment #20 
on December 26,
2022 | 19:21 Assistant Village Idiotsaid :
"I have most of the 4k's completed, but none in winter, and I'm not going to. Bad weather, hell. How about bad footing? Less and worse daylight? Fewer hikers to give you recent info? Though you can just go on any of several sites to get fairly recent conditions - which she must not have done. She had a cell phone - how was the reception on that half a mile up the trail?
Comment #21 
on December 26,
2022 | 19:09 Yancey Wardsaid :
"Brave, Brave Groomer Howard is going to beat the shit out of all us for not showing the proper compassion.
Comment #22 
on December 26,
2022 | 19:00 Yancey Wardsaid :
"Next, Groomer Howard will relate the story about how only he had the guts to have sex with a wild boar." Comment #23 
on December 26,
2022 | 18:57 Rorysaid :
"This comment has been removed by the author." Comment #24 
on December 26,
2022 | 18:48 mongosaid :
"Years ago my wife and I took our youngsters, ages 2 1/2 and 6 mos, to Denali NP for a weekend. One afternoon the wife went rafting. I decided to take the little ones for a hike. We got ready and took off. About 100 yards from the lodge I thought, what the bleep are you doing? There are grizzlies, wolves, and God only knows what other carnivores around here. Turn your butt around NOW. So, we did. Never got to hike in the park, but my kids got to grow up, so it was a fair trade." Comment #25 
on December 26,
2022 | 18:21 Rorysaid :
"Local paper clarified details:
Comment #26 
on December 26,
2022 | 18:18 Original Mikesaid :
""About 30 years ago, I planned a four day/three night backpacking trip on my own out of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. I had all the typical stuff you'd think to bring- tent, sleeping bag, bad weather clothing, compass, map, matches, etc. Several hours into the hike while stopped for a rest it occurred to me that if something happened, I was on my own. I turned around and hiked back to my truck at the trailhead."
Comment #27 
on December 26,
2022 | 18:03 boatbuildersaid :
"In my late 20's on a trip with my wife and in-laws I hiked Mt. Wrightson (just south of Tucson--10,000 feet) alone, in July. Had a backpack with a bottle of water, a sandwich and a windbreaker. Started at about 5000 feet. Took all day, of course. Ice and snow--and a Spotted Owl--at the summit. Coming down was harder than going up.
Comment #28 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:59 Gojuplyr831@gmail.comsaid :
" Breezy said...
Comment #29 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:51 Paulsaid :
"Come to think of it... she would make a great demotivational poster...
Comment #30 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:31 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"7 duplicates. Do I have the record. Insert frowny face here." Comment #31 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:23 Andrewsaid :
"@farmgirl,
Comment #32 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:23 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"Badly written and edited. One sentence implies she went on a three day hike. Three sentences later it seems as though she was hiking for three consecutive days. The second sentence speaks of her mother dropping her off on the same day she was to pick her up at the close of the day and go to the Mount Washington Hotel that evening.
Comment #33 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:23 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"Badly written and edited. One sentence implies she went on a three day hike. Three sentences later it seems as though she was hiking for three consecutive days. The second sentence speaks of her mother dropping her off on the same day she was to pick her up at the close of the day and go to the Mount Washington Hotel that evening.
Comment #34 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:22 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"Badly written and edited. One sentence implies she went on a three day hike. Three sentences later it seems as though she was hiking for three consecutive days. The second sentence speaks of her mother dropping her off on the same day she was to pick her up at the close of the day and go to the Mount Washington Hotel that evening.
Comment #35 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:22 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"Badly written and edited. One sentence implies she went on a three day hike. Three sentences later it seems as though she was hiking for three consecutive days. The second sentence speaks of her mother dropping her off on the same day she was to pick her up at the close of the day and go to the Mount Washington Hotel that evening.
Comment #36 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:22 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"Badly written and edited. One sentence implies she went on a three day hike. Three sentences later it seems as though she was hiking for three consecutive days. The second sentence speaks of her mother dropping her off on the same day she was to pick her up at the close of the day and go to the Mount Washington Hotel that evening.
Comment #37 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:22 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"Badly written and edited. One sentence implies she went on a three day hike. Three sentences later it seems as though she was hiking for three consecutive days. The second sentence speaks of her mother dropping her off on the same day she was to pick her up at the close of the day and go to the Mount Washington Hotel that evening.
Comment #38 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:21 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"Badly written and edited. One sentence implies she went on a three day hike. Three sentences later it seems as though she was hiking for three consecutive days. The second sentence speaks of her mother dropping her off on the same day she was to pick her up at the close of the day and go to the Mount Washington Hotel that evening.
Comment #39 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:19 Rustysaid :
" Howard said... Comment #40 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:07 Yancey Wardsaid :
"Howard thinks it takes guts to do stupid things. Explains a lot about Howard, doesn't it?" Comment #41 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:04 Mason Gsaid :
"About 30 years ago, I planned a four day/three night backpacking trip on my own out of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. I had all the typical stuff you'd think to bring- tent, sleeping bag, bad weather clothing, compass, map, matches, etc. Several hours into the hike while stopped for a rest it occurred to me that if something happened, I was on my own. I turned around and hiked back to my truck at the trailhead." Comment #42 
on December 26,
2022 | 17:02 Steven Wilsonsaid :
"There's some bad writing here. First sentence indicates three days of hiking but not necessarily a three day hike. Sounds as though she may have been returning to a quarters each day. The first sentence below gives the former meaning. The second sentence, which in the actual article comes three sentences later, would indicate the latter reading.
Comment #43 
on December 26,
2022 | 16:55 Fredricksaid :
""The following morning her mother dropped her off at a trailhead at 4:30am, with plans to pick her up eight hours later.
Comment #44 
on December 26,
2022 | 16:43 Howardsaid :
"Blogger Dave Begley said...
Comment #45 
on December 26,
2022 | 16:38 Rorysaid :
"White Mountains Forest reddit page, as the search was in progress:
Comment #46 
on December 26,
2022 | 16:27 Big Mikesaid :
"It must look really, really easy. Walk up a well-marked trail and call it hiking.
Comment #47 
on December 26,
2022 | 15:59 typingtalkersaid :
"Grieving doctor couple's daughter, 19, died ...
Comment #48 
on December 26,
2022 | 15:58 Robert Marshallsaid :
"When I was law-schooling about 50 years ago, we used to drive up to the White Mountains on a fall weekend, and ascend Mt. Washington. In the fall, it was usually pretty much okay; cool at the start, cold and windy at the top, but not too much below freezing most of the time. There were usually 3-4 of us. Tuckerman's Ravine is a great trail.
Comment #49 
on December 26,
2022 | 15:55 Ingasaid :
"How terribly awfully sad, no matter the circumstances, their daughter is gone and I’m sure they are heartbroken. When a person is missing and found, the day they are found is the legal date of their death. My son was found on his birthday also. My son’s death certificate had to be re-written because the coroner accidentally used the year of his birth on the day of his death. I’m sure his birth day and death day being the same threw him off. So it looked as if my son had been born and died on the same day and year, as if he had died as a newborn.
Comment #50 
on December 26,
2022 | 15:52 n.nsaid :
"Be prepared is a strict sentiment and lesson that is often perceived, presented as congruous with transgenerational angst." Comment #51 
on December 26,
2022 | 15:50 Ingasaid :
"This comment has been removed by the author." Comment #52 
on December 26,
2022 | 15:32 Dude1394said :
" No map or compass. It’s like a how-to to get lost." Comment #53 
on December 26,
2022 | 15:13 Dave Begleysaid :
"Why are the girl's parents talking to the Press at all? Aren't they embarrassed by their own stupidity and culpability? " Comment #54 
on December 26,
2022 | 14:53 Zevsaid :
"climbing 48 peaks Comment #55 
on December 26,
2022 | 14:44 JPSsaid :
"Oh, that’s so sad.
Comment #56 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:55 ~ Gordon Pashasaid :
"Mother Nature doesn't care if you're having fun ~ Larry Niven" Comment #57 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:42 ALPsaid :
"Stories like this chill me to the bone (pun intended). I was stupid enough to go on a solo hike in the Mt. Ranier area of Washington, Eagle Peak if I remember correctly (1816 elevation). It was early June. Was supposed to go with a friend but she cancelled. I'll spare the experienced hikers reading this any trauma by listing what I did or did not take with me - don't want to be the cause of soiled underwear.
Comment #58 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:35 Laslo Spatulasaid :
"Climbing the 47 peaks successfully imbues you with the sense that God is looking after you.
Comment #59 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:24 farmgirlsaid :
"Andrew- pretty sure we were read that or read it ourselves in the 6th grade. Comment #60 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:16 madAsHellsaid :
"Every teenager should read Jack London's To Build a Fire.
Comment #61 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:12 madAsHellsaid :
"My mother stopped eating at 95 years of age. The physician called it self-death." Comment #62 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:12 Alu Toloasaid :
"Hubris, as one commentator noted, is just the overt expression of narcissism. If you "know everything", as our 3 and a half year old grandson proudly exclaimed when complemented on his assured identification of "pineapple" bushes at 6,000' in the Marble Mountains, just shy of the Oregon border,you need not trouble yourself with the most fundamental knowledge of White Mountain weather patterns or the 10 essentials." Comment #63 
on December 26,
2022 | 13:01 Michaelsaid :
"It is not s though the family was from Florida. They live in NH. How incurious can you be to live in that state, long to climb all its peaks and not know the basics and dangers of the range? There are guide books. There is the freaking internet. There are blogs galore. But nope. Put on your running shoes, grab a bar and take off. At the end of fall. " Comment #64 
on December 26,
2022 | 12:57 boatbuildersaid :
"She was going to hike for 3 days and had her cell phone for a light. What? How was she planning on charging it? (the flashlight feature uses power very quickly).
Comment #65 
on December 26,
2022 | 12:52 Yancey Wardsaid :
"More advice for Sir Drill Sgt. Groomer Howard to bravely, bravely not follow:
Comment #66 
on December 26,
2022 | 12:52 n.nsaid :
"The audacity of [unqualified] progress." Comment #67 
on December 26,
2022 | 12:45 Yancey Wardsaid :
"Howard, I heard it is a bad idea to play Russian Roulette. Tell us all how your experience works out." Comment #68 
on December 26,
2022 | 12:44 Yancey Wardsaid :
"Howard once got his head stuck up his own ass because someone once told him it was a bad idea." Comment #69 
on December 26,
2022 | 12:37 kcl766said :
"Lived in NH 40 years ago. Drove to the top of Mt. Washington in late August. 76 degrees at the base, 31 degrees after reaching the top and the wind felt like it was going to rip off my car door. Learned a lesson from Mother Nature that day." Comment #70
Load more comments (71 - 132)What is the elevation at the base of those Colorado peaks? Given that Denver is the "Mile High City", the actual elevation gain on a 10,000 ft peak in Colorado isn't much more than the elevation gain on east coast 4,000 ft peaks. It is the elevation gain that causes the change in conditions.
Granted, you don't have to worry about altitude sickness back east."
No chance. There are some things even a wild boar won't do."
This is so sad, but having hiked a good deal of the Presidentials, you don't screw around up there. As others have said, this poor girl was woefully ill prepared. Four season gear at any time of the year is a must. I've had to strip down and change clothes while trying to shelter on the lee side of a large boulder on top of Haystack with windblown fog swirling from every direction. It doesn't take much to get chilled."
And by wilderness I mean outside you're front door."
The trail map is telling, assuming her plan was as described to hike up Mt. Lafayette, down to Mt. Flume, and then back to a different trailhead for pickup.
The key decision in many of these survival ordeals is whether to go forward, go back, or stay put and make the best shelter you can where your are. Emily would have passed Greenleaf Hut on the way up, and her body was found off the trail to northwest of Mt. Lafayette, suggesting she got lost while trying to make it back to the hut, likely less than a mile or two from potential shelter when she got off trail.
If she had gone past the summit of Mt. Lafayette before turning back, the trail follows the ridge line where exposure to the wind and blowing snow would have been the worst. That may be why she didn’t make it."
I get the Whoops message on about 70% of my comments. I just hit refresh on the Whoops page and the message goes through. Of course you won't know it until it is actually posted. Trust the process."
If it had been one of Howard's corpulent Trump cucks (obvious projection, of course) they would all over this about how stupid deplorables are.
If you're that sad, Inga, make a big contribution to the parents' new foundation. Give till it hurts."
While mission hiking isn't my thing, I understand and respect it. I've probably done just shy of half of those 48, many of them more than once, over the past 30 years. I know two avid hikers that own a tracker board for the White Mountains that is just like this.
https://whakestudios.com/product/nh48/"
While mission hiking isn't my thing, I understand and respect it. I've probably done just shy of half of those 48, many of them more than once, over the past 30 years. I know two avid hikers that own a tracker board for the White Mountains that is just like this.
https://whakestudios.com/product/nh48/"
About 10 years ago we lost a beloved cousin who decided on a whim to go hiking alone for a few hours on Mt Ranier in December. He was an experienced hiker in the northeast, but was obviously and tragically unprepared for that environment. His body was found the next day."
"7 duplicates. Do I have the record. Insert frowny face here."
Most I have seen. The "Whoops" error used to often mean the comment didn't go through, but it has been a while (over a year now) where that was the case for a comment of mine. One thing you can do is simply go back a page, and then hit refresh- if the comment didn't go through, you will get an alert that you will lose the text- if the comment did go through, you won't get that message."
howard can probably provide support evidence"
https://www.factoryoutletstoreonline.com/product/Garmin-inReach-Explorer-Handheld-Satellite-Communicator-with-GPS-Navigation/GARM-010-01735-10"
What is true is that it is not at all unlikely that you could lose or reduce mobility between one step and the next. And then, if alone, you're screwed.
Hiking in the Smokies and Blue Ridge. Beautiful. But, what with roots and rocks, you walk differently . Usually, each step implies the next step which is how you trip. You're moving forward and the relevant foot doesn't show up. Down you go.
Some terrain, you place your foot and scan for the next step. And the next.
Near Blowing Rock, between wet, slippery leaves, roots, steep trails, it was dangerous just to move.
Point of all of the above is...you don't need a blizzard or lightning or hungry bears to totally ruin your afternoon and if you're alone....you lose a lot of body heat with wet denim between you and the rain-drenched soil. And even at forty degrees, you could be in trouble."
The possibilities are what turned me around, but the reward is certainly enticing. Ten or fifteen years later, I made a daytrip to the Colorado/Green River confluence in Canyonlands NP. It's about 10 or 11 miles roundtrip from the trailhead and I didn't see a single person the entire way. If something happened then, who's to say how that would have turned out?"
Embarrassment? Are you fucking kidding? Their daughter is dead. Just try and rap [sic] you’re [sic] narrow minded corn-fed pea-brain around that for a minute.
Howard, my infantile co-commentator, sad as this episode is for the couple who lost their child and the young woman who froze to death alone in the deep woods, the only useful thing Ms. Sotelo can contribute at this point is for her actions and preparations to be analyzed carefully, objectively, and unemotionally to see what lessons can be drawn,
Her mother would probably have talked her out of the trek had they known how to exploit Dark Sky, or accuweather, or weather.com online. She’d probably still be alive had she packed more food, a fire starter, spare warm clothes, and either shelter or knowledge of how to create shelter in freezing weather. She probably would still be alive if she had a headlamp, spare batteries, a map (proving she knew how to read a topo map), and a compass (provided she knew how to use one). She’d certainly be alive if she’d had a personal locator beacon."
I've been on Lafayette in mid-October supposedly supervising sons and nephews, when a snowsquall came up near the summit. I knew immediately it was time to turn around, and had a helluva time convincing one teenager not to keep going that last 200 yards, though I understood the temptation all too well. I know Westford, MA, too - farm country that my Dad grew up in. Rich suburb now. I hate to generalise but..."
And, just imagine this were the child of, let's say, Tucker Carlson who died this way. Does anyone really think Howard would be berating the rest of us for pointing that the death occurred because this particular hiking trip was an act of stupidity? Of course he wouldn't be- in fact, Howard would surely be the most avid in pointing it out."
"Sotelo’s mother dropped her off at the trailhead on Sunday morning around 5 a.m. The goal: to solo hike three peaks including Lafayette, Mount Haystack and Mount Flume. There was snow on the ground and the high temperature for that day was just 24 degrees Fahrenheit. The low temperature was 9 degrees. Despite the conditions, Sotelo expected she would complete the 13.7-mile loop in a day."
https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news/local/how-to-stay-safe-outdoors-in-the-winter/article_52b2e9ee-6f5f-11ed-b837-a3893d9ddac2.html"
I did a lot extended, solo backcountry trips when I was younger. Typically out for 2-weeks at a time. I don't consider solo tripping to be reckless, though it certainly raises the risk compared to traveling with a buddy. You are carrying survival gear on such a trip, after all. And nowadays with PLBs, the risk is further reduced. But you absolutely have to respect the possibilities. My level of care and awareness went way up when I was alone. Part of the reward emanated from that."
I would never even consider hiking in the White Mountains--even in July--alone and/or without some serious plan in case of weather. Not even when I was young and even more foolish than I am now.
And the question about turning around once it starts snowing--once it starts snowing its probably too late.
Very sad. "
Sad story. Why didn’t she simply turn around when the temp dropped or she first saw snow, when she could still find her way out?
You have to be guided by conditions as they are, not as you wish they are.
One of the first effects of hypothermia is the loss of reasoning. Two brothers died elk hunting in deep woods full of downed, dead, timber. They froze to death. Last thing both of them did was to smoke a cigarette. "
Something about being an example of what not to do.
They could post it along the highways around that mountain with a before and after photo of her (that is when she was found.)
Might even save some lives."
"Andrew- pretty sure we were read that or read it ourselves in the 6th grade.
Put the fear of God in me very early."
For me it was 9th grade. But yes, that story made an impression that stuck with me. A vivid description of mistakes compounding on each other. Man versus nature means that nature wins, or shows mercy.
I was glad the dog survived at the end. Don't listen to your heart. Listen to your dog."
There's no indication of camping equipment, so I suspect she was hiking during the day, returning to her apartment/home for the night and setting out the next day.
Under any circumstances a sad story, and one that should serve as a cautionary fable. "
There's no indication of camping equipment, so I suspect she was hiking during the day, returning to her apartment/home for the night and setting out the next day.
Under any circumstances a sad story, and one that should serve as a cautionary fable."
There's no indication of camping equipment, so I suspect she was hiking during the day, returning to her apartment/home for the night and setting out the next day.
Under any circumstances a sad story, and one that should serve as a cautionary fable."
There's no indication of camping equipment, so I suspect she was hiking during the day, returning to her apartment/home for the night and setting out the next day.
Under any circumstances a sad story, and one that should serve as a cautionary fable."
There's no indication of camping equipment, so I suspect she was hiking during the day, returning to her apartment/home for the night and setting out the next day.
Under any circumstances a sad story, and one that should serve as a cautionary fable. "
There's no indication of camping equipment, so I suspect she was hiking during the day, returning to her apartment/home for the night and setting out the next day.
Under any circumstances a sad story, and one that should serve as a cautionary fable. "
There's no indication of camping equipment, so I suspect she was hiking during the day, returning to her apartment/home for the night and setting out the next day.
Under any circumstances a sad story, and one that should serve as a cautionary fable. "
"Sure she was stupid, but she didn't lack guts."
Everybody that ventures out into the wilderness and dies has those two traits. Sometimes without the stupidity, but I doubt you'd last very long. It doesn't take testosterone either. So that let's you off the hook.
She wasn't prepared."
"Her hike had begun on Sunday, November 20. She had planned to hike alone for three days, have her mother join her on the Wednesday and celebrate with a dinner at the grand Mount Washington Hotel.
The pair shopped for food that afternoon, and Emily did some school work before setting an alarm for 4am. The following morning her mother dropped her off at a trailhead at 4:30am, with plans to pick her up eight hours later."
At 5am, Emily sent a text listing what she wanted for lunch: quinoa, chicken, papaya, coffee and water. By 11am it was snowing lightly, and Olivera sent a text asking how the hike was going. There was no response.
This article could have used some serious editing, just as the young lady would have benefited from adult advice.
I think the second reading that she was hiking during the day and returning to base camp is the only one that makes sense as there is no mention of camping equipment.
A damned shame under any circumstances, but it is certainly a cautionary fable."
At 5am, Emily sent a text listing what she wanted for lunch: quinoa, chicken, papaya, coffee and water. By 11am it was snowing lightly, and Olivera sent a text asking how the hike was going. There was no response."
Well she was alive before dawn as she started her trek to check off the bucket list. Mom waited another 6 hours before texting her daughter. Now just where was she going to meet her daughter for lunch if mom was at home and her daughter were on the mountain trail? Lots missing from that story but the hubris and lack of self awareness."
Why are the girl's parents talking to the Press at all? Aren't they embarrassed by their own stupidity and culpability?
Embarrassment? Are you fucking kidding? Their daughter is dead. Just try and rap you're narrow minded corn-fed pea-brain around that for a minute. Maybe your not a parent and cannot fathom the absolute sense of loss. Do you think that embarrassment should be the grieving parents primary motivation at this moment so that they are not sneered at by cowardly pussies such as yourself and other hateful Trumpers? Your just another fake christian who worships money, status and power while operating on fear, guilt and shame. It most certainly sucks to be you. Have a grand time at the Governor's Ball, sport."
https://www.reddit.com/r/wmnf/comments/z15vad/updated_information_on_emily_sotelo_was_dropped/
Just chilling to read."
It would have been immaterial on this outing, but I don't understand why women go solo hiking or solo jogging without a firearm. The woods have four-legged predators that regard humans as being below them on the food chain, plus women may have to deal with two-legged predators -- and I don't mean Sasquatch. Eliza Fletcher, a teacher and mother, could comment except she was abducted, raped, and murdered while jogging alone in Memphis last September. Out in the woods only your abductor(s) will hear you scream. One also needs training, preferably from a qualified woman who will teach her to aim at a potential rapists crotch. A lot of women seem to balk at shooting a male attacker in the face or center mass. I never heard of any woman who wouldn't shoot a potential rapist in the groin.
Also immaterial on this outing, but she didn't have bear spray. Yes, black bears are mostly hibernating in November, even down here in Virginia. But the ones that are still out will generally still be out because they haven't eaten enough to let them settle in to hibernate.
She didn't pack extra clothes.
She didn't have a personal locator beacon. A PLB sends out a signal at 406 MHz that is picked up by search and rescue satellites to alert authorities that someone is in trouble, and what their GPS coordinates are. Would have helped. They're very light weight and the hiker will barely notice that he or she is carrying it. A really good one costs north of $300, but her parents will spend a lot more than that on her funeral.
She didn't have a map and GPS, or even a compass. Did she even know how to read a topographic map if she had one? If you're going to go off trail and not know how to get back to the trail, you really need to have some navigation support. Some of the better PLBs have a GPS built in.
She didn't bring a shelter, nor did she know how to build one in winter from tree branches and snow. Nor did she have matches in a waterproof container, nor any sort of firestarter.
She was hiking in darkness without a source of light. Are the hiking trails in New Hampshire so smooth that one won't trip over rocks or tree roots and injure oneself?
If she had been injured hiking in the dark, she had no first aid kit.
She did have a cell phone, fat lot of good that did out where there are no cell towers. Did she even think to carry a solar recharger (which admittedly wouldn't have helped much with very cloudy conditions).
I am sorry that she died freezing alone in the deep woods, and I feel sorry for her parents, who will spend the rest of their lives wondering why they didn't try harder to talk her out of the trek. But Mother Nature is a callous bitch who will kill even the knowledgeable and well-prepared if she can. Unprepared newbies are risking more than they know."
Awkward and reads as if the story will be about the "doctor couple."
How about, "19 year old woman died ... ""
Once I went up with a guy who had a good bit of experience, in January. We got equipped at the EMS store in Boston, including crampons, and hiked up the auto road (because you can't easily get lost.) Probably 2/3ds the way up, I had to take off a mitten to adjust a strap on a crampon, and my hand got very stiff in just a few seconds. Took that as a sign, and we started back down. Later saw weather report that conditions at the top were -20 degrees, 60 to 80 mph wind. Heading down was definitely the right choice.
Just because it's not super high for a mountain, doesn't mean it can't kill you."
I’m so sad for these parents, whether they were partially responsible or not."
what a dumb goal
I don't even understand why it would be someone's goal
People need better aspirations"
I have the same feeling I always do, reading the comments after some adventurer dies in a way that looks awfully foreseeable and avoidable: I pushed my luck when I was younger. If I’d made the headlines, you would have said what a fool I was and how I ought to have known better. And you’d have had a point.
I understand why she would set a goal like that, and I think it’s neat. I wish someone had impressed on her the need to prepare for contingencies. I can’t reproach her parents because it hurts too much to think how I’d blame myself for the rest of my life if that were my kid. I hope they can find peace.
Like William at 9:58 I’m a little surprised she’d hiked so many, and not come to grief earlier.
Rest In Peace."
I consider it one of the dumbest things I've ever done and one of the luckiest days in my life that the weather didn't turn on me. "
Atheists and believers can write their own addendums to this.
I am Laslo.
"
Put the fear of God in me very early."
.....or be a Boy Scout. "
Very strange. Maybe the Daily Mail has things wrong. My experience with the press is that even when they are trying hard to get it right, they get things wrong. "
(1) Don't stick a fork into an outlet;
(2) Don't use the blowdryer in the tub;
(3) Don't shoot up heroin you bought from a guy named Jose;
(4) Don't try to cross I-95 at night;
(5) Don't try to pet the tiger at the zoo."