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David Scott White Wild Days on the Wildcats On the day that Carl fell down Hal’s Slide—January 8, 2005—Carol and I were approaching the Wildcat Range from the ski area, because Carol considered the slide on Wildcat A potentially dangerous. Conditions were incredibly icy that day and we finally turned back between Wildcat D and C. Returning to Gorham we saw many rescue vehicles and ambulances at the Nineteen-Mile Brook trailhead and, remembering how icy the day had been, Carol said, “I bet someone fell down Hal’s Slide!” Researching the history of this treacherous place, she communicated with the authors in this section—Marjorie, Doug, and Keith—who kindly agreed to write about these accidents. On an earlier approach to the Wildcats, we had taken the Nineteen-Mile Brook Trail. It was –7 degrees Fahrenheit, mid-February 2003. Though the snow was very deep, there was a potentially hazardous icy crust on Wildcat that made this steep slide look dangerous. Carol refused to cross, and insisted that I put on full crampons to do so, since my old snowshoes had inadequate crampons.15 Losing one’s footing, she felt, could result in injury or worse; in fact, she thought that a cable should be fixed there to ensure safe crossings. (We did not yet know about Hal’s accident in 1998.) She turned back, saying she would meet me at the other end of the Wildcat traverse. “Be careful on the summit edge,” she warned. After a difficult climb to Wildcat A, I followed her advice and did not venture out on a cornice for a photo of the hut, hundreds of feet below. By the time I reached the views near Wildcat C, my camera would not open because of the frigid temperature. At Wildcat D at 4:00 p.m., I met a pair of hikers going the other way— and only one of them had a flashlight! “Are we close to the hut?” they asked. They chose not to believe that I had left Wildcat A around noon, but did say it had taken them hours to ascend to Wildcat E from Route 16, postholing in deep snow. They had a reservation at the Carter Notch Hut and were determined to get there. I described the range still ahead of 144 pe a k e x pe r i e n ces them—the AMC Guide warns specifically about the many ups and downs, and notes that hikers with “heavy packs should allow substantial extra time.” I shook my head about their chances, but they continued on in spite of my warnings. When I reached the precipitous descent to Route 16, I switched into crampons. Later, I learned that my headlamp shining on the dark mountainside gave Carol hope that I was still moving. We drove to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center to send word to the hut that two hikers were pushing on without adequate gear. The next day we drove back to find out what had happened—the two finally decided to turn back. My comments may have been the deciding factor in a very wise decision. Cliff Note Failure to turn back is a common mistake for hikers. Getting to a hut where you have a reservation is a pleasant ambition, but not a reason to put yourself in a dangerous situation. Fatigue, unexpected conditions, and inadequate time are all sound reasons to turn back. Consult a topographic map before choosing a route, so you’ll be familiar with the terrain you’ll encounter. Traversing the Wildcat Ridge to the Carter Notch Hut may seem like a reasonable goal on paper; but when you are confronted with very deep snow, on steep terrain with many ups and downs, in subzero temperatures, and are approaching dusk with only one flashlight, you should turn around. Those hikers wanted to see if they could make it, perhaps thinking that, since Dave had already broken trail, the route couldn’t be that hard. One can only imagine their chagrin when they finally turned back, at 9:30 p.m. ...

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