NH set to revoke licenses of irresponsible hikers

December 29, 2008 11:23 AM

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire law enacted this year aims to make people think twice before heading into the woods unprepared or under the influence.

The state Department of Fish and Game currently fines lost hikers who recklessly venture into the woods to pay for the cost of the rescue, but now the department will have the power to revoke the driver's licenses of those who don't pay. Hikers can also lose licenses with the state Health and Human Services Department, and hunting and fishing licenses.

The law also gives the state more power over who they decide to fine. Previously, the state had to prove someone acted recklessly before charging a hiker for repayment for a rescue. This meant the state had to show the hiker or hikers were aware going into the woods posed a substantial risk but they did it anyway. Now the state only has to prove the person was negligent.

The Attorney General's Office is now reviewing four cases the Fish and Game Department believes meet the new standard. Officials estimate that of the 140 rescues a year, the state will be able to bill those rescued in about 40 of them.

Lt. Todd Bogardus, search and rescue team leader for Fish and Game, said the change in the law makes it easier to recoup costs.

"We are now using a reasonable person's standard," he said.

Fish and Game Col. Martin Garabedian, chief of law enforcement, said the cases now under review might not have gone forward without the new law. Most of these cases involve people who wandered from a trail or a campsite without supplies or a flashlight.

"Our ultimate goal is to reduce the numbers (of rescues). We'd like to do it through education, but in some instances we have to forcefully educate," Garabedian said.

In the past decade, more than $1 million has been spent on rescues but only about $25,000 has been recovered from reckless hikers.

(from Seacoast Online)

Webster-Jackson Trail Hike 10/19/08

Mountains: Mt. Webster 3910' and Mt. Jackson 4052'
Date of Hike: 10/19/08
Hikers: Rick S., Stefan A., Diana D., Beth, Carolyn G. & Mario G.
Trails: Webster-Jackson (passing by Elephant Head and Bugle Cliff), then Webster Cliff, then Mizpah Cutoff and Crawford Path

Total Distance: 8.5 miles
Elevation Gain 2450 ft.
Time: 7.5 hours
Weather: Clear, sunny, cool, 35-40 degrees

Diana at summit of Webster with Jay Bird

Bird in hand (Diana's!)

Mountain Man Rick at Webster Summit

Jackson Summit

Jay Bird Whisperer(tm)

Jay Bird Whisperer Wannabe(tm)

Click here to view more photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/cgiberti/WebsterJacksonTrailHike101908?authkey=rL-a32PsBj4#slideshow

MT TECUMSEH, 8/30/08

Mt. Tecumseh (Waterville Valley, NH) 4003'

Hiked 8/30/08 by Diana (person) and Pepper (dog).

• Trails: Tecumseh Trail, to Sosman Trail, to ski slopes, to Tecumseh Trail
• Distance: 5 miles
• Elevation Gain: 2200 ft.
• Time: 4 hours
• Weather: humid, overcast, 70 deg.
• Other hikers met: 1

Summit Cone

Trail begins easily

Trail gets rough

Trail gets rougher

Trail splits to go around summit cone

Pepper conquers the summit

Summit cairn has a canister tucked under it

Canister contains a list of (memorial to) Iraq War casualities

Descending Waterville ski slopes
(Never again without skis!)

Pepper enjoys picking raspberries

Dog, tired.

TWO HIKER RESCUES IN WHITE MOUNTAINS END SUCCESSFULLY; REMINDER FROM RESCUERS: CELL PHONES ARE NOT SAFETY GEAR

CONCORD, N.H. -- In two separate incidents yesterday (July 29, 2008), rescuers came successfully to the aid of visiting hikers lost in the White Mountains. In both instances, the hikers were fortunate to be in areas in which their cell phones worked to call for help.

At 2:15 p.m., the Carroll County Sheriff's office relayed information to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department about a distress call from a family of four from Florida, vacationing in New Hampshire, whose 12-year-old son was lost on Mt. Chocorua in Albany, N.H.

The family had reached the Chocorua summit and headed back down the Piper Trail. The boy got ahead of his parents on the trail and took a wrong turn at a trail junction, ending up on the Champney Falls Trail. Using their cell phone, his parents called 911 for help.

N.H. Fish and Game Conservation Officers and U.S. Forest Service personnel responded, heading up the Piper Trail and deploying to other Chocorua trailheads. Word of the missing boy -- and the parents' cell phone number -- circulated among the many hikers on the mountain, and one reported a possible sighting. Following up on the tip, two U.S. Forest Service personnel encountered the boy on the Champney Falls Trail and brought him down. By 5 p.m., the boy was reunited with his parents at the Piper Trailhead.

"This incident emphasizes what the hikeSafe responsibility code says: Start as a group, finish as a group. Stay together throughout the duration of the hike," said Fish and Game Conservation Officer Jim Juneau.

In another incident on the same day, a family from Toronto, Canada, who were vacationing in the White Mountains, had to be rescued after becoming lost after dark on North Doublehead Mountain in Jackson, N.H. Reiner Harper, age 40, his wife Susan and their five children, aged 6 to 17, had planned to hike to the North Doublehead Mountain Shelter. They were unable to find the shelter and turned back, but on the way down they got off the trail.

In the dark and completely out of their familiar urban environment, the family called for help using a cell phone. N.H. Fish and Game was called at 9 p.m., and Fish and Game Conservation Officer Brian Abrams and CO Trainee Alex Lopashanski responded. The officers were able to find the family by using whistles and keeping in cell phone contact. The family was located at approximately 10:30 p.m., and officers walked them out. They expressed their thanks to Fish and Game for the rescue.

"We're happy that these incidents had fortunate outcomes, but we can't emphasize enough that cell phones are not safety gear. They don't always work in the mountains," said Todd Bogardus, Fish and Game's Search and Rescue Team Leader and hikeSafe education coordinator. "When venturing into remote areas, people should always be prepared with the proper footwear, clothing and gear to survive if they need to."


For information on safe hiking, including more safety tips and a gear list, visit http://www.hikesafe.com/.
- ### -
--Copyright 2008 New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

Alpine Garden Hike 6/21/08

The hike started off uneventfully with everyone present. However, we soon had a new AT hiker on the trail who didn't seem to be very happy with our presence.

The cranky hiker charged Mario which caused us to retreat further into the woods and bushwack through a swamp and eventually back onto the trail. We proceeded on along the Old Jackson Road with its fairly gentle grades but on the Nelson Crag trail it soon got to be fairly steep.

After a fairly strenuous and longish period of time (2 hours) we arrived at the 5 mile mark on the Auto Road where we had drinks and snacks and watched the road race for a while

We then hiked up to Nelson Crag and the Alpine Garden. It was a little bit cloudy and we did have one brief rain shower but had pretty good weather for most of the above tree line portion of the hike. The view wasn't of the 140 mile variety but was adequate. This view was looking to the north with the Northern Presidentials.

This is looking to the south and into Huntington Ravine.

We then hiked the length of the Alpine Garden Trail over to the Lion Head Trail. The most common flower we saw was Mountain Avens, but there were quite a few others.

From Lion Head the view down into Tuckerman's Ravine was pretty spectacular, nobody was skiing at the time but it looked doable.

Our final view was of Crystal Cascade which is very close to the beginning of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail.

Mt. Major 5/4/08

Mt. Major
By Pokey and Twinkle Toes

Top Dog

In spite of the group hike being canceled, Pepper (the dog) and I decided to go up anyway. I live nearby, so when the rain slowed to a gentle drizzle I took the chance to stretch my legs and try out some new gear. I went up the orange-blazed trail, which begins with a steep climb up some rocks and then alternates between steep and not-so-steep. There are some really interesting huge boulders, and I was able to see some of the burned-out area from the brush fire. It smelled kind of gross--charred and blackened. It took almost an hour to get to the top.

Pepper pausing on her way up the rocky orange trail. You can see the scorched area up ahead of her through the fog.

It was cool and foggy at the top, so I only stayed long enough to drink some water and put on my new, 6.5 oz. Columbia "Titanium"/Omnitech rain jacket. I'm very pleased with the jacket. It was well worth the money and is almost half a pound lighter than one I had been using.

Foggy at the Top

We took the blue-blazed trail back down to the parking lot. The top half of this trail is more in the open and much of the footing is on ledges which, thankfully, were not too slippery. It took about 45 minutes to get down; Pepper stopped to make friends with an enormous German Shepard. The hike up was a good workout for the lungs, and the hike down was a good workout for the thighs; it gets tiring holding yourself back and trying not to go keister-over-teakettle by slipping on wet leaves or tripping over a loose rock.

We met a few more people heading up, since the weather was "clearing up" a little (i.e., the clouds were brightening). Overall a good hike in spite of the lack of views. We got home in time to watch the Sox beat up on Tampa Bay again.


Happy trails,
Diana

Books on Hiking
Below is a list of some recommended hiking books as well as some helpful links on hiking. To purchase any of these books or to find out more information, click on the links.

1) Nature Walks along the Seacoast: Southern Maine, New Hampshire, and Northern Massachusetts (Paperback)
by Steve Sherman (Author), Julia Older (Author)

2) Nature Walks in Southern New Hampshire – An AMC Nature Walks Book
by Julia Older and Steve Sherman

3) Hiker's Guide to the Mountains of New Hampshire: Classic Hikes of the White Mountains - 200 Best Hikes in New Hampshire (Paperback)
by Jared Gange

4) 25 walks in the Lakes region of New Hampshire: Footpaths and byways in New Hampshire's scenic heartland (Paperback)
by Paul H Blaisdell (Author)

5) 50 More Hikes in New Hampshire: Day Hikes and Backpacking Trips from Mount Monadnock to Mount Magalloway, Fifth Edition (50 Hikes) (Paperback)
by Daniel Doan (Author), Ruth Doan MacDougall (Author)

6) Hiking New Hampshire 2nd Edition
by Larry Pletcher

7) Hike Safe
A joint effort between the White Mountain National Forest and New Hampshire Fish & Game Department to educate hikers on the inherent risks of hiking and how they can become better prepared before beginning any hike.