On the wall there are also commemorative plaques—one for each person known to have died in the area during the years that records were kept. Nearly one hundred thirty people are featured. While over fifty died from exposure or falls, there were several interesting or bizarre categories
Since 1873, four people have died while board-sliding down the Cog Railway tracks.
Ten died in five different airplane crashes.
Nine died in Cog Railway accidents—eight in a single incident in 1967.
The pathologist in me struggles to avoid visualizing those bodies on morgue tables, and all the sadness and loss surrounding every one of those deaths. I have suffered through the loss of hiking buddies and the trauma of relating the story of the mishap—listening to the families and trying to answer their questions. There are many questions that have no answers. As I linger, the acrid smell of formaldehyde and the stench of decaying bodies in the forensic morgue penetrate my thoughts. This “Wall of Death” brings memories that I immediately suppress.
Approaching the exit door of the Center (elevation 2,032 feet) nearest my chosen trail, the Tuckerman Ravine trail, I glance at the wall covered with a number current notices and general information. Included is the daily update of the weather predictions from the Mt. Washington Observatory on the summit. The posted weather forecast for today calls for:
“...continued rain with a possible cold front
not expected until tomorrow."
Is there any validity to a weather report for an area reputed to have the worst and most capricious climate in the world?
My clothing and gear are appropriate for a day such as this. In my pack, however, I carry a polypropylene NorthFace Denali jacket, which can provide some additional insulation against unexpected cold, down to perhaps ten degrees Fahrenheit in still weather; that is, not windy. I am sure that I will not need this, but why not take it along? After all it is only late October, still fall according to the calendar. But, then again, this is Mt. Washington.
Leaving the AMC Center, I see another bulletin board, a large wooden one, stained with the standard deep brown stain common in state and Federal parks throughout the USA. It is complete with an overhanging roof board to allow the reader to stand out of the rain and study additional notices. Included is a striking yellow one that announces:
Warning:
You could be risking someone else’s life...
RSA 631:3 Reckless Conduct. A person is guilty of a misdemeanor
if he recklessly engages in conduct which places or may place another in
danger of serious bodily harm.
This warning sign is posted by the New Hampshire Fish and Game and supported by the New Hampshire Search & Rescue Working Group. It is apparent that these folk are organized, able, and willing to rescue someone. It is also clear that they would be distressed with someone who acts recklessly for the notice indicates clearly that “you may face criminal charges.”
Since I see no sign-in log, it’s time to get on with it. The hiking starts out easy, with just a gentle grade. A walk in the park. I hike rapidly up the Tuckerman Ravine trail, perhaps the most popular route in the area, which is more than just a simple trail, but rather a wide two-lane tractor road developed in the early 1900’s. It is also wide enough to have the ascending hikers on one side—the right side, of course, for this is the USA—and those descending on the other. The trail generally parallels the Cutler River, which is overflowing with water in many areas as a result of several continuous days of heavy rain. So much for Mark Twain, the amateur weatherman and his concept of rapidly changing New England weather.
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