lost hikers in maine??

“I just caught the end of something about lost hikers in maine over the weekend....

do you know about it? I guess 10 or more kids with 2 leaders...”

“I hope they're cozy somewhere if snowed in.”

“I just read about stranded hikers at Tumbledown, and did hear something about a person at Evan's Notch, but nothing (yet) about a group of that size.”

“heard it on good morning america on abc. it was noted only short, like I said; a group of kids with 2 leaders. they are worried because it snowed over 2 feet in the area.

Tried to search the internet, but can't find anything.

Hope they are safe.”

“Is the snow butt-deep yet?”

“found it:
lost hikers”

“Huh?”

“oops...
lost hikers”

“stranded on Tumbledown

If people were ever to have to pay for expenses incurred during a rescue, this would be one of those times. Like the warden said, we all knew we were gonna get hit with a ton of snow, plus the access road to Tumbledown is posted as not maintained after November 1, i.e., NOT PLOWED. And it's several miles to the trailhead in either direction to a plowed road.”

“twigeater, yes, that's a different story. I didn't hear about taht one.”

“Twelve reported missing in western Maine
Monday,December8,2003,7:28 AM

By Sharon Deveau
News 8 WMTW

PORTLAND -- A search for 10 missing Oxford Hills High School students and their two leaders will resume at daybreak Monday.

Maine Warden Service spokesman Mark Latti says the 12 left Friday to go winter camping in the area near Evans Notch. Latti says the group was prepared but he has no idea of the extent of their supplies.

When the group failed to show up at 4 o'clock Sunday night, members of Mahoosuc rescue went looking for them. The rescue members walked three miles on snowshoes and saw no sign of the group. Latti says it took the rescue members five hours to walk the three miles.

The students are 9th to 12th graders at Oxford Hills High School.

Latti says at first light a plane will fly over the area looking for the group. Latti says there isn't much more wardens can do.

"We have to rely on our pilots," he said.

Snowmobiles aren't an option according to Latti because the area is extremely mountainous and the snow too deep. Latti says there's between two and three feet of snow.

The group entered the trail in Bethel off the Flat Road. Latti says they did not have snow shoes.

Meanwhile, in the Byron area, two wardens are looking for three Unity College students who are lost after going winter camping. One warden is using a snowmobile to check the trail used by the
students. No further details are available at this hour.”

“Thanks Gem!

The last part that mentions the Byron area is the Tumbledown guys.

I am SO damn glad I had the sense to cancel my trip this weekend.”

“I can't believe they went out there, knowing that a big snowstorm is coming and not bring snowshoes. I hope all make it out ok.”

“I hope they find them soon and everyone gets home safely.

I agree they shoulda had snowshoes, but then again I question them being out there in the first place. The leaders for taking them and the parents for letting them go.

Another story of people at Sugarloaf getting a free nights lodging because they were snowed in with 44" of snow. Course they probably didn't mind that, LOL.”

“Geez twigeater, ya cancelled?

No three hour tour?”

“Damn.. that's crazy. Hope they're all okay.”

“Not this time! One thing I fear is being read about in the paper, haha - never mind it might be my obituary - if I had to be rescued, even if it was my dead body, I'd be mortified.

I was planning on going to the Bigelow Preserve where you can normally drive to. (car camping thing as I haven't started bping again yet) I wanted to try out my new sleeping bag and stove. But the road isn't plowed for several miles, so even though I figured I could get in, I doubted I'd get out. Most places I could camp at would be the same situation, 'less it was my backyard, LOL.
o(=D”

“Have been on one of those three hour tours, I can honestly say they're no fun. Fortunately we made it back to camp after a few hours scraped and black and blue, from blow downs, but other wise ok.”

“I saw your backyard. You know your not supposed to bushwhack yet.....

:D”

“I shovelled, I can bushwack! hehe, you just love my home maintenance style dontcha Lt?

A friend of mine went hiking on Saturday and they turned the car around when they realized the access road would be impassable when they were done hiking. However, their second choice wasn't much better (imo, but they got out in time) they went to a mtn right next to Tumbledown.

Anyway, the winds were really strong this weekend and her friend got blown off her feet - literally. scary.”

“That's just stunning - an organized group excursion leaves Friday without snowshoes!

Did no one listen to weather reports before taking kids out to Evan's notch!?”

“Well I am glad to know that it wasn't you Twig! Of course you would just kill a moose with your bare hands and crawl inside for warmth.

Do you need a backcountry camping permit for your wilderness?”

“I wouldn't kill it, just cuddle up to a live one, LOL!

No permits for public lands, which would be Tumbledown.
Not sure about Evan's Notch...

Anyway, how did the warden know they were prepared?”

“Evan's Notch is part of the White Mountain National Forest and the access road is closed in winter, but not sure about permits...”

“No Twig I was talking about YOUR wilderness. You know your yard.”

“It sound like high adventure to me!”

“Oh you mean my National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat? that one? :D
Nope, not if you don't mind sharing with the big old woodchuck that live under the rosebushes.

o(=D

But that was a good question, cause I wonder if the group got a permit at Evan's Notch from the warden, and if so, did he suggest it was a bad idea? Cause how else would he know that they were prepared without talking with them.”

“Maybe all he could do was advise them.

I hope they had a Sven Saw >:^O”

“that's true (about advising them) but it didn't say that in the article - seems like it would have.”

“The search and rescue people have to stay on top of their game.

Now they get to have a little fun.”

“No other info at this time.”

“That's great! where did you hear that info?”

“I heard it on the news station on the radio just a few minutes ago.”

“thanks!”

“You're welcome!”

“"...found in their car"
Sounds as though they made out fine.

The group of twelve humped right out and made it to a road.....not bad!”

“thanks bit.Glad they found them.”

“I think the Tumbledown guys were expected to be in their car, but a logger had to be called in to plow the road up to the car so they could get out.

Rte 113 in Evan's Notch is also not a plowed road, I think that was the biggest problem there.

Always great when people walk out on their own!”

“have done some hiking in the Evans notch area. It is about 1/2 hour form the family cottage in Lovell.


Evans notch is gorgoues. 113 is one of those classic twisty turny mountain roads, steep, bumpy, closed inteh winter.

Have climbed baldface many times.


There is also some other stuff over there that I don't know the name of.”

“12 Missing Maine Hikers Found Safe

A group of missing student campers has been found safe in Maine.
The students were found safe at about 10:45 Monday morning -- all in good condition, though they were literally "not out of the woods" just yet.

They were spotted from the air by the crew of a rescue plane out searching for them. The plane had been up for about three hours before finding the kids.

The students are members of the Oxford High School Wilderness Club, which trains for winter camping -- but not necessarily blizzard camping.

They had packed plenty of food, dome tents, fleece and down parkas -- but no snowshoes.


As New England dug out from the weekend blizzard, a search began for the group.

The ten campers and their two adult chaperones headed out on the trail in the White Mountain National Forest on Friday.

They were supposed to return Sunday afternoon, but never showed.


Wardens say the group probably decided to wait out the storm, to hunker down for another night and then to head out at daybreak on Monday.

One problem was that 30 inches of new snow has fallen there and the kids didn't have snowshoes, making it a very long trek out of the woods. Rescue teams were planning to drop snowshoes by air to the stranded group.”

“So how did your son die Mrs. Jones?

He was whacked on the head by a snowshoe dropped from a helicopter!”

“Rothflmao Geo!
I can hear the ranger now " Well we didn't think that they would try to catch them!"”

“that's good news they found them. crazy they went out in it, though.”

“They should be charged for the Service that rescued them. The advisories were out 3 to 4 days in advance, why still go up there with bad weather coming. Serves them right for being stupid... I was hoping for a Darwin contender.”

“I can see a group that 'trains for winter camping' would be pretty excited about the chance to get out in front of a big storm, but not bringing snowshoes? If I were a parent, I'd want to strangle the leaders.”

“The story was just on the news.

It said "they thought the storm was gonna hit southern Maine" and "they thought they were only gonna get 16 inches"
They musta been getting their weather reports from another planet.

One of the leader/teachers said the only thing that went wrong was that they couldn't get a cell phone signal so they could call and say they were fine and would be delayed.

The news guy said they did nothing wrong.

Whatnever.

Vi, I think the parents had a bit of responsibility in the decision to go out as well. They are all very, very lucky.

The news showed the bogged down snowmobiles and the rangers who had to snowshoe in. It showed the group coming out - they took turns being in front with a shovel. They all said there was never any problem and almost seemed annoyed that there was all this attention.

There was also a report of two other hikers who had to be arilifted out. Can't remember exactly where though.”

“hmmm... we were watching the snow reports pretty carefully as we were skiing in Newry, right next to Bethel. In that area, all the reports said 2-4 inches, while the coastal area was calling for 8-12 inches. We were wishing that the 8-12 inches would happen in the Sunday River Area. Wasn't much called for, but we went anyways, and skiied in fresh snow pretty much all day. (We even considered getting a hotel room on the mountain, but declined because of cost and how little of the mountain was open.)

Little did we know that the 2-4 inches would change to 2-4 feet. And we were attentavely listening to the weather reports. Everyone at the mountain was pleasantly surprised with the snow cover, and the opened new trails all day.

Just our take on the situation.”

“I ran this story this morning on our air. (ah, to have power)”