Death on The Mountain |
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by Jerry Cates |
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The Fourth Day, August 15, 1999 Early on the morning of the 15th I cooked breakfast and hurried down to the ranger station once more. I picked up the duffle bag stored there earlier, to bring back to the Goblin's Forest campsite. While at the ranger station, the ranger mentioned that a hiker had fallen to his death beyond the Keyhole earlier this morning. Such news was unsettling. Hiking in the mountains can be dangerous, and this report was fresh confirmation of that fact. My greatest concern, though, was that Janet might hear about it and worry about my safety. I believed then, as I do now, that hiking on the Longs Peak trail is at least as safe as driving on the interstate highways in Texas- maybe (no, almost certainly) safer. So I inquired further about the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident. The fellow involved was a Frenchman, hiking with his wife. He fell from the Ledges, only a hundred yards or so beyond the Keyhole. His wife remained at the Keyhole while the rangers made arrangements to remove her husband's body. Trail conditions were not hazardous, so weather was not a factor. The unlucky hiker tried to step around a novice who had looked down, suddenly realized she was perched on a ledge hundreds of feet above the valley floor, and panicked. For several minutes, she was paralyzed with fear and unable to move. Thus she stopped traffic on this portion of the trail in both directions and some, including the fellow whose misfortune it was to fall, grew impatient to proceed onward. Although that part of the route demands that the hiker take advantage of the good hand-holds available here (i.e., yes, you need to get intimate with the rocks to stay safe), the man who fell was using nothing but ski poles to steady himself. It is important that ski poles and walking sticks be left at the boulderfield, and not carried on this portion of the trek, because of the risk of falls. Such appliances are very beneficial on ordinary trails, but are serious liabilities here. The ski poles prevented this gentleman from getting a good grasp on the rock with his hands. As a result, he lost his balance and pitched backward over the ledge. Different witnesses estimated he fell 150 to 300 feet. His wife was standing behind him and watched the tragedy unfold. It was possible to discuss this incident with a number of hikers on the trail who personally witnessed the incident. Others observed the efforts by several hikers who sought to rescue the man. From these accounts I pieced together some details, such as they were. The body was recovered via helicopter. The hikers who climbed down to his body found no signs of life. One, a pediatrician, witnessed the fall, but had no experience in technical climbing; he braved the treacherous rocks and climbed down to confirm the man's death. This suggests that a careful, prudent person can probably manage to hike to most areas below the Ledges. Since you never know when you might be called upon to do such a thing, having a minimal amount of technical climbing gear on hand when venturing beyond the Keyhole is a good idea. The man's wife was being escorted off the mountain, and was expected to arrive at the station in the next few hours. I grabbed the duffle bag and headed back to Goblin's Forest. On the way there, I met the woman and her escort of park rangers. She was, of course, still in shock--her face twisted in emotion, barely seeing the trail before her--and was supported by two rangers, one on each arm. Another ranger led the party down the trail, with a fourth taking up the rear. It was a solemn procession. Hikers going up the trail stepped to the side as soon as they realized who was coming down. I took no photos, out of respect for the woman's privacy. Next: Trek To the Boulderfield Pg. 1... Longs Peak Menu ... Bugsinthenews ... Books About Longs Peak |
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