A misread map, a sudden storm, a forgotten headlamp - and suddenly a leisurely hike can become a treacherous endeavour. In the past decade, cheap but sophisticated navigation devices and mobile phones have led to shocking levels of overconfidence on the trail. On top of this worrisome trend, the increasing popularity of mountain terrain has led those seeking solitude - or adrenaline - into increasingly remote or edgy forays. Sandy Stott, the “Accidents” editor at the journal of the Appalachian Mountain Club, delivers both a history and a celebration of the search-and-rescue workers who save countless lives in the White Mountains - along with a plea for us not to take their steadfastness and bravery for granted. Filled with tales of astonishing courage and sobering tragedy, Critical Hours will appeal to outdoor enthusiasts and armchair adventurers alike.
By:
Sandy Stott
Imprint: University Press of New England
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 21mm
Weight: 424g
ISBN: 9781512600407
ISBN 10: 1512600407
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 15 May 2018
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: No Longer Our Product
Acknowledgments Abbreviations A Reader’s Note Introduction Where We Come From: Thinly Settled to Thickly Surrounded Finding Kate: Searchers’ Stories Seven Calls: Help Me Who’s Coming What Took You So Long? In the Beginning White Fingers Pointing toward the Wind: The Incident That Helped Shape Our Modern Mountains The Woods Are Whacked, and the Feds Arrive Getting into Dodge: Incidents from the Joe Dodge Era in the Whites The Gathering: Steep Enough to Slide, 1954 It’s the Law: New Hampshire Fish and Game Assumes the Lead When the Angles and the Odds Rise: The Need for a Technical Team Answering the Call: One for Many—Albert Dow Colorful Chips: White Mountain SAR’s Modern Mosaic Women and Men in SAR Go-Go or No-Go: Up against Extremes The Other Side: The Case for Doing Nothing Command: A Meditation on Being in Charge of Rescue (and of Self) The Law Goes Up Too Call in the Suits: The Courtroom in the Hills Who Pays? (and What That Says) New Extremes: Superlative Adventure and Search and Rescue The Exception of Air Back to the Future? White Mountain SAR in 2020 and Beyond Next Gen What’s at Stake: How Search and Rescue Shapes Our Mountains Why Go? Saving Others, Saving Yourself Appendix A: The HikeSafe Program Appendix B: Pack Like a Rescuer Sources and Further Reading Index
SANDY STOTT is a former editor of Appalachian Mountain Club's journal Appalachia, a longtime English teacher, and a lifelong wanderer in the White Mountains.
Reviews for Critical Hours: Search and Rescue in the White Mountains
Stott focuses on the heroism of SAR workers and what these incidents can teach us about staying safe in the mountains. -- Outside