Woman Dies On Sawtooth Ridge 6/25/2011
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Some sad news to pass on. I received a press release at work about a woman falling to her death from the Sawtooth Ridge. Here's the story: |
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We heard the call for mutual aid this afternoon and were wondering what happened. Very sad. Our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and hope that the recovery goes safely. |
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We left the Guanella Pass trailhead for the summit of Mount Bierstadt at 2:40 PM yesterday. It was a beautiful day in the mountains but I was uneasy when I noticed a helicopter in the vicinity of Mount Spaulding and Mount Evans. Everyone we met on the hike up seemed to be well and unconcerned so we just enjoyed the climb. |
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Did you really start out to climb at 14teener at almost 3 pm ??? |
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Jim, |
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sad to hear this! |
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We were climbing the second apron when we heard the sirens making their way up to the top. Shortly thereafter a large orange rescue helicopter started making slowly expanding circles around Mt. Evans. |
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To follow up from the one report, while Bierstadt may be close to summertime conditions coming in from Guanellas, and it might appear that the Sawtooth from the one vantage looks pretty doable as a hike and an easy scramble, where the accident occurred is still in a serious mountaineering-type of snow condition. These conditions would seem uncharacteristic as to the summertime warmth of the year while out hiking, but the dangers are still present just the same even though we don't have the glacial crevasse type terrain. |
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Jim Amidon wrote:Did you really start out to climb at 14teener at almost 3 pm ??? When most almost fatal lightning strikes occur between 2-5pm ??? Really ???? Really ???Classy |
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FYI - some info on where she fell courtesy of alpine rescue: goo.gl/mn93K |
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Sorry to the fam. RIP Jim Amidon wrote:Did you really start out to climb at 14teener at almost 3 pm ??? When most almost fatal lightning strikes occur between 2-5pm ??? Really ???? Really ???NOT the place for your interjections Jim. Can it. |
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Just got off the phone with Clear Creek Sheriff's Office. The woman has been identified as 50-year-old Mary Elizabeth Bowles of Golden, Colo. |
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Was she having proper gears on or just a normal hiker? The article did nto clarify that. |
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Bang wrote:Was she having proper gears on or just a normal hiker? The article did nto clarify that.You don't need proper gears, it is just a hike. |
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Just a hike? Are you sure, David? |
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Condolences to the family of the fallen. Having done the sawtooth traverse this year, I worry that perhaps the party encountered more snow than they were prepared for. The late snow made conditions on the ridge more precarious than normal, although I do not know how much remains. |
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Before I had any mountaineering experience or gear, a buddy and I hiked across that ridge. I pulled the stays out of my backpack to use as makeshift picks in the slushy snow. Wasn't a smart move, and I could have easily become a statistic if either foot had slipped. |
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Wally wrote:Just a hike? Are you sure, David? I wouldn't want to be on the Sawtooth without a good pair of mountaineering boots and an ice axe, and the knowledge of how to safely travel steep exposed snow slopes / ridges with an ice axe. Condolences. WallyThis is a tragic accident. I didn't mean any disrespect to the woman or her family. Quite the opposite in fact, I am saying in my mind she wasn't making a mistake by not having a rope and climbing protection along. The traverse is a class III scramble in snowy terrain with deadly fall potential. It is not a route where she should have had climbing gear and didn't, which is how I interpreted Bang's question. To me she appears to have been a hiker doing a reasonable thing that resulted in a sad accident, not a hiker lacking "proper gear" for a technical route. |
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My bad! I should have specified what "proper gear" means! Yeah I was wondering if crampons and ice axes were needed other than jsut a pai of normal hiking shoes. |
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This was a hiking accident. |