Missing hiker on Mt Whitney

[TollerMom]

The search for a missing hiker on Mt Whitney is in it's 5th. At what point does search become recovery? Lots of speculation on the WhitneyZone forum. Scary since I am hiking it in less than a month. http://www.sierrawave.net/30687/search-continues-for-man-in-whitney-area/

[tmountainnut]

The search for a missing hiker on Mt Whitney is in it's 5th. At what point does search become recovery? Lots of speculation on the WhitneyZone forum. Scary since I am hiking it in less than a month. http://www.sierrawave.net/30687/search-continues-for-man-in-whitney-area/

That's why i always stick with my slowest member in my group, and have the rest of the group take breaks to wait if they get too far ahead. Leaving a person that far behind for that long is stupid. Far too many mountaineering tragedies happen when groups split up.

You're going with a partner, right :-)

[Bobo Uzala]

That's why i always stick with my slowest member in my group, and have the rest of the group take breaks to wait if they get too far ahead. Leaving a person that far behind for that long is stupid. Far too many mountaineering tragedies happen when groups split up.

That's the sign of an experienced and intelligent guide, Ted. Too many times have I seen trip leaders have to be up front and "first" and not give a hoot about the slowest member. It's the fastest way to turn somebody off to climbing & hiking and like you said, dangerous.

I hope the missing hiker of Whitney is found safe.

[TollerMom]

so sad. SAR located him in a steep chute. He did not make it.

http://http://www.inyocounty.us/so/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Whitney-SAR-Likely_update_June20.pdf

[TollerMom]

You're going with a partner, right :-)

Yes, my girlfriend and two others. My first misguided mindset was if a member of the group became too tired, the tired one could hang back and wait while the others would push ahead...going back down only if someone in the team was ill and needed accompaniment. How WRONG! We have a friend (a Sierra Club trip leader) in our weekend hiking group who is slower and always says she'd like to come along and for us to forge ahead if she straggles behind and pick her up on the return if necessary. This tragedy punctuates that any hike is not a race and it's no big deal to stop and let everyone catch back up. If anything, it gives me more time to look around and take copious pictures!

[Bobo Uzala]

if you gotta go... that's one helluva ride