Presumed Deceased WA - Laura Macke, missing in Olympic National Park; Oct-Nov 2022

[Grok]

Not another one......I'm pulling out my hair. Missing teenage hiker in NH White Mountains. Another one where the odds of survival are very low.

Yes. Another fatality. Emily Sotelo, as @Hates Ramen and @Rainforest point out. To me, what stands out is the misplaced confidence in very little experience. Both casualties had met quantitative benchmarks that are like résumé bullet points: “almost 48 4,000 foot-ers” and “section-hiked the Long Trail”. Doing a bunch of miles/peaks on populated trails in benign weather is confused with experience, when really, it’s about putting one foot in front of the other.

STW has a thread on “What is experience?”

 

[Cabin Fever]

I found a batch of photos for the EV hike. This is so beautiful…. in summer. I can see wanting to go there, but not in a cold rainstorm, with a bad forecast, at winter’s onset.

Enchanted Valley Trail Guide: One of the best hikes in the Olympic Peninsula - Go Wander Wild

In this article, we’re going to go over everything you need to plan your hike on the Enchanted Valley Trail in Olympic National Park.

gowanderwild.com

If LM had time off, and wanted to fit in a couple of days of backpacking, and felt compelled to go ultralight, why didn’t she go somewhere she was more likely to be safe with ultralight supples and survivable conditions? Fly into Vegas cheap cheap and do Death Valley?

Why choose the Olympics? Death wish? That’s the only possibility that makes sense to me.

There. I’ve said it.