Hiking Accidents

Every week we forget that nature can be a dangerous place and forget lost
hikers, lost campers and other serious accidents. This week we will give
you a look back at the events of the previous week, so that you can learn
from the real disasters and better prepare for your next trip. [Sources:
6]

The Appalachian TrailFest will take place April 17-19 to celebrate the
50th anniversary of the first summit of Mount Rainier in North Carolina.
Mountain hikers should be aware that falls and related descents and other
factors are more likely to cause accidents than accidents caused by
falls. Falls account for about half (46%) of all hiking accidents, while
other causes include cardiovascular problems, lost paths and exhaustion.
Hikers will climb 4,800 meters on the hike, which passes through Great
Smoky Mountains National Park, Domberg Mountain and Appalachian Mountain
National Monument. [Sources: 2, 5, 8, 12]

While deaths at Abrams Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park,

where 17 people died last year, are not expected to be commonplace. While
the Mist Trail deserves much credit for the deaths of weary hikers
returning from Half Dome and gliding over slippery rocks, the park
averages 12 to 15 deaths a year. [Sources: 1, 9]

In fact, more injuries than deaths are attributed to hiking accidents

each year, and the vast majority of these accidents occur on hiking
trails, paths, rocks and rubble. There are also reports of people stuck
on cliffs and of lost hikers, most of whom have resurfaced alive. A
recent study by the National Park Service's Office of Emergency Medicine
found no hiking or hiking accidents among mountain rescue workers.
[Sources: 0, 1, 4, 5]

The following year, a man died while hiking in bad weather, and his body
was found 1,000 feet below the foot of the handrail. Gerald Duran fell to
his death from a rock face in the Sierra Nevada mountains near the summit
of Mount Rainier. Zatchick, who got lost on the way and slipped on an icy
slope, fell into a rock face after slipping and falling off it. After
losing track, he fell onto a rock face, slipped and fell off the icy
track. [Sources: 7, 10]

Kent Butler, 60, of Austin, Texas, was on the Mist Trail near Vernal Fall
when he veered off the roadway and slid off a ledge into the Merced
River. He began a northbound hike from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on
March 13 and returned home to his campsite on April 1, the US Forest
Service said. On March 15, he had just returned home from a day trip in
the Sierra Nevada Mountains and was returning from an early hike on Mount
Rainier on the eastern side of the mountain when it was hit by a falling
tree. [Sources: 2, 8]

He was a very experienced hiker and had no problems with his knees, so he
decided to hike anyway. Less than half an hour after the helicopter
rescue, two rangers from Acadia National Park responded to an incident at
Norumbega Mountain in the northern part of the park in which a man with
an injured ankle was rescued a mile from the trailhead. The incident
occurred on the gorge path that runs through a gorge between the Cadillac
and Dorr mountains. The man was taken to the Normandy Mountains for more
than two hours, according to a news release. [Sources: 1, 11]
The man may be on the verge of another accident while hiking. In general,
male hikers are more likely to be associated with fatal accidents in off-
road terrain than female hikers. [Sources: 4, 5]

The only thing that can eliminate or reduce the number of hikes -
injuries and deaths in the United States - is to meet the hikers along
the way, not the other way around. [Sources: 1]

Hikers should be well informed about hiking trails and use their reason,
awareness and limits. Hiking should not be inherently risky, but suddenly
it can be as dangerous as a climber attaching a rope to a stand. He also
said he had noticed criminals making the rounds, which sometimes causes
people concern. He added: 'I have spoken to mountain walkers about the
potential risk factors that can lead to falls during mountain hikes.
[Sources: 0, 1, 3, 12]

With millions of outdoor visitors a year, thousands of hiking accidents

may sound like a fraction of the total, but the sheer number means that
the number of accidents is likely to add up, even if hiking is relatively
safe. My own experience has undoubtedly confirmed this, and most deaths
are preventable. Remember how many times you came close to death while
walking, compared to how many times you came closest to death while
crossing the road? [Sources: 0, 1, 4]

More than 30 million people visit the ANF each year, and if there are
more than 4000 experienced hikers, that is highly likely. The accidents
we are talking about here are not usually the result of stupid hikers who
get lost at dusk, in thick fog or in heavy rain. It's worth remembering
that hiking is no different from crossing a road in L.A., and the same is
probably true for experienced mountain bikers. In this section I would
like to help walkers as pedestrians with some tips on how to feel safe
walking on the paths. No one in the SGM is safer to hike, at least as an
experienced hiker, than crossing an L, A city road. [Sources: 0, 3, 4]

Sources:

[0]: http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/deaths.html

[1]: https://skyaboveus.com/climbing-hiking/Whats-Killing-Americas-Hikers

[2]: http://hikehalfdome.com/accidents/

[3]: https://www.arrivealive.mobi/hikers-and-hiking-safety

[4]: https://www.outsideonline.com/2309871/science-why-we-fall-mountain-
trails

[5]: https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000304

[6]: https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/careful-out-there-july-22

[7]: https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/list-of-
deaths-on-the-pacific-crest-trail/
[8]: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/life/2015/04/07/despite-
accident-hiking-deaths-appalachian-trail-remain-uncommon/25371931/

[9]: https://whimsicalhikers.com/causes-of-backpacking-and-hiking-deaths/

[10]: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-many-deaths-accidents-yosemite-
half-dome-2019-5

[11]: https://acadiaonmymind.com/2019/07/acadia-national-park-deluged-
with-hiking-accidents-traffic/

[12]: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-07-hiking-accidentstake-
descending-mountains.html