Vesper Peak: 2 missing hikers

[tivoli_mike]

Link to King5.

 

One of three missing hikers found on Vesper Mountain

 

02:56 PM PDT on Wednesday, June 22, 2005

 

KING5.com and NWCN Staff reports

 

SEATTLE - Searchers in Snohomish Co., Wash. have found a woman, one of three overdue hikers at the Vesper Mountain trailhead, east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway.

 

She was cold wet and hungry but otherwise okay.

 

All three climbers are in their 20s.

 

The woman told rescuers she last saw the two men at about 4 or 5 p.m. Tuesday. She stopped and they continued to climb.

 

Deputy Rich Niebush of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department said the three apparently left for a day hike at around 5 a.m. Monday.

 

They left a note inside their car asking that authorities be called if they had not returned from the hike by 8 p.m. When they did not, a friend placed the call and a search started.

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"That shows you that they took some precautions," said Niebusch. "That very well may speak for their experience level."Vesper is considered a technical mountain, meaning expert climbers are needed to perform the search.

 

Niebusch said about 15-20 members from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Search and Rescue and the Everett Mountain Rescue were looking for the hikers.

 

Deputies were not sure what kind of outdoor gear the three hikers, said to be from Issaquah, Wash., were carrying.

 

"Temperatures are obviously warmer this time of year, although you get pretty wet out there," said Niebusch. "It was pretty miserable last night."

 

 

Edited June 23, 2005 by tivoli_mike

[ken4ord]

They left a note inside their car asking that authorities be called if they had not returned from the hike by 8 p.m. When they did not, a friend placed the call and a search started.

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"That shows you that they took some precautions," said Niebusch. "That very well may speak for their experience level."Vesper is considered a technical mountain, meaning expert climbers are needed to perform the search.

 

Yeah right or that note showed that they were possibly thinking that they might get in over their head. I hope they are alright.

[kenp]

I agree it sounds to me as if they were trying to make sure they wouldn't have to rough it all night, just in case they didn't make it back before 8...I wonder if they thought that if they were still way out there at 8:00 then SAR would just come down from the heavens and carry them home. I hope they walk out (on their own) today, cold & hungry but safe and sound

[catbirdseat]

Last thing I heard on the radio was that searchers have found tracks in the snow.

[Gary_Yngve]

Let's hope that there's better visibility today.

[forrest_m]

looks like they've been found nw cable news

[jrs]

ghez you guys get news fast.

 

one of the missing climbers is a buddy of mine. I've been on the phone with his family on and off all day long and just heard that they have been found.

 

so I came here only to discover that you guys apparently know that they were found before we did even.

[Dru]

Its good they were found.

I hope they weren't "Utah Boy Scouting" their rescuers!

[dberdinka]

one of the missing climbers is a buddy of mine.

 

GET THEM TO POST A TR!!!

[Gary_Yngve]

The news rept said they were found on the south side of Vesper. It's rugged terrain, with lots of ravines, as well as brush down below.

[catbirdseat]

That direction leads to the Sultan River, eventually.

[thelawgoddess]

the news report last night was great. it ended with one of them basically saying they wouldn't have gotten lost if they had brought a map.

 

Climbers only needed a map

[JoshK]

Briliant guys...glad money time and effort was wasted because you forgot to simply add one of the couple most important pieces of "gear" to your pack...

 

is right.

[Gary_Yngve]

JoshK, I think you're being a little harsh. The 3rd had a map, according to one of the news stories. I know I've definitely done trips where we don't each carry a map. They split up and forgot about the map. A storm hit them as they were climbing the North Face. They got disoriented on the summit. Yes, from now on, they'll probably each make sure that they're always carrying maps. But I'm sure every one of us is guilty of being

in the mountains and not being as adequately prepared as we could have been -- just that most of us got away with it without being on the news.

[sobo]

And remember JoshK, at least these two were a bit contrite after it all and they also thanked their rescuers, unlike the two fucking goons from this rescue. What did the one goober say? "I don't got no regrets." Well, you could have at least said "thank you" to all the folks that took time out of their lives to save your dumb ass.

 

Coming from someone who is in mountain rescue, I would much rather have spent my time on Vesper looking for these guys than on Saddle Mountain performing single-man pick-offs of Clem and Scooter.

[catbirdseat]

In poor visibility, the map isn't as valuable without the compass. I climbed Vesper in a total white out once and damn if the compass didn't come in handy.

[chucK]

I sure as hell don't take a map and compass with me when I go up and climb Vesper, but maybe I know the area better. I could see getting surprised by whiteout conditions.

 

What I wonder about is these guys' instructions to call in the cavalry at 10pm the night of the climb. Doesn't that seem a bit excessive? I think you should be pretty damn sure you can either a) survive being 12 hours overdue or b) get out in time.

 

It's just too easy to be a dozen hours overdue when climbing (and be just fine). Rescue plans should be made a bit more conservatively than, "if I'm not home for dinner, call the police."

[Alpine_Tom]

This story hits uncomfortably close to home. I can certainly envision what those guys went through, I did it myself there, last fall.

I went out to hike up Vesper Peak, figuring it'd be an easy, safe, predictable outing. My plan was that I'd hike up Vesper, then follow the trail around up to Sperry. No problem, it's trails all the way, who needs a map? Or a compass? Or a partner?

 

Well, it was overcast, and by the time I got up to the tarn, the mountains were shrouded in fog. My first clue that I was making a mistake was that, intending to go straight across the bowl (north) and get onto the Sperry peak trail, I inadvertently went all the way around the tarn. I had a hard time convincing myself that I'd actually done it; I was so sure I'd been travelling in a more or less straight line.

 

Back at the entry to the bowl, I had no problem getting to the top of Vesper, and headed down, eastward, as best I could in the fog, towards Sperry, following the occasional cairn and looking for a trail.

 

Eventually, a good hour later, I figured out that I'd descended too far north and had managed to get down over the ridge that connects Vesper and Sperry, and eventually, trying to find my bearings, returned all the way to the summit of Vesper.

 

By now I'm thinking I'm just going to beat a safe retreat, and followed the cairns through the fog. Things didn't look quite right, but then they usually don't in the fog. Further and further down I went, through trees that I didn't think should be there... and eventually figured out that I was indeed heading down the west side of the mountain, into the Sultan river basin.

 

Back up to the summit, a third time, and I finally managed to find my way down to the trail, the lake, and back to the car.

 

There but for the grace of God, was me. Except I didn't have someone waiting for me at the car to call S&R.

[nolanr]

Alpine Tom,

 

You may be the only person to summit Vesper 3 times in one day, at least you can lay claim to that. It seems like it's foggy almost every time I'm up there and I've got disoriented to some degree up there before. One time I had myself convinced there were 2 outlets to the lake. I haven't managed to confirm that in subsequent trips.

[Bug]

Does Vesper ever come out of the clouds. I think I've summitted twice but there could have been a higher point twenty yards away both times.

[catbirdseat]

I've seen it sunny at the summit, but then I was on top of Sperry at the time. When I actually summitted Vesper it was, of course, foggy.

[nolanr]

All of this talk about it lured me up there on Saturday. I'm happy to report it was fogged in. Is it just me or has anyone noticed the temperature frequently drops significantly as soon as you cross Headlee Pass and drop down the other side and then head up towards the lake basin?

It's often the difference between wanting to put on a parka/gloves and being fine w/out them. There isn't a significant difference in elevation, so I'm not sure why this occurs.

[Alasdair]

All of this talk about it lured me up there on Saturday. I'm happy to report it was fogged in. Is it just me or has anyone noticed the temperature frequently drops significantly as soon as you cross Headlee Pass and drop down the other side and then head up towards the lake basin?

It's often the difference between wanting to put on a parka/gloves and being fine w/out them. There isn't a significant difference in elevation, so I'm not sure why this occurs.

 

You are probably correct in this change in temperature, and although I do not know for sure I would guess that this is because as you are hiking toward vesper headley pass is the highest point of the valley therefore not getting any colder alpine air moving down from above. And quite likely getting warmer air from lower in the valley moving up toward the pass. ONce you get to the other side of headley pass you have a large alpine area with a considerable amount of elevation above you. Any cold air will be funneled down from that alpine area toward headley pass. Does that make sense?

[nolanr]

Yes it does make sense.