Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Fatal Accident on June 21st

I think many of you have valid points about lack of rescue experience and the hazards of mounting a search at night. However, I have been through this area in all types of conditions and I really don’t feel a search would have been all that technical – for someone with at least a small amount of back country experience. That’s what my arguments all boil down to – people without enough experience going where they shouldn’t and getting in trouble because of it. If none of the people at trail camp had the experience to conduct such a search, then they had no business being there.

I don’t mean to be insulting to any of you. It’s just that I know what happens on this mountain. In fact, I almost lost a friend from hypothermia on my first winter mountaineering trip on Whitney. After that and other experiences I’ve had, I really have become very safety conscious – even as I take more and more demanding trips. Some of what I see on this message board also bothers me a great deal – post like “I bought an ice axe, can I glissade the east face now?” Yeah, an exaggeration, but any of you who do this sort of thing regularly know what I am talking about.

JPR:

First of all,I fully agree with you regarding the fact that there are a LOT of dumba$$es on whitney who have no business being there. The mountain attracts a great deal of inexperienced persons who definitely have no business being there.

However...

You claim that one is not qualified to go backpacking on whitney unless they have the ability to perform nighttime SAR? ("If none of the people at trail camp had the experience to conduct such a search, then they had no business being there"). Yes the mountain may be familiar to you (having been there several times), but i'm sure that was not the case for several people at trail camp.

I disagree with your assertion that in order to hike mt whitney you must be proficient in nighttime SAR. YOU may indeed possess these skills, but that does not make them requisite for safely enjoying the mountain.

I believe that the people at trail camp did what was possible with the information and experience they possessed. Please do not make this tragedy any worse by blaming others for an unfortunate outcome.

Check the other "Fatal Accident" thread - it answers a lot of questions.

I have read many assumptions in this forum, a few of which have angered me into writing briefly. JPR, it is insensitive of you to assume nobody did anything at Trail camp. The accident didn't occur at 8pm. It was around 9:30pm to the best of my recollection - maybe closer to 10. 8 of us were camped together about 1/8 mile away from the outhouse and we were apparently the only people to hear Jackie Larkin scream for help.

We responded right away by yelling to her that we were coming. We quickly got 2 packs together with emergency equipment (extra headlamps and batteries, one of our sleeping bags, 2 emergency blankets, those breakable hand/feet warmers, water, a first aid kit, etc.) 2 folks from our camp headed off to Trail camp to get more help. Steve, from our camp, located David and Randy who ascended with him. David turned back to try to get someone with a radio when it became apparent that the emergency was serious. He attempted to make his way down to Whitney Portal, but the trail was too difficult in the dark. No one with phones could get reception.

David recruited a doctor and his son who volunteered to help with the SAR up the mountain. All five of those rescuers/heros were on the mountain until 4:30am. Many of us were below watching the lights of the rescuers and hoping for the safe return of 7 hikers. Some folks boiled water to warm them when they returned. The rescuers on the mountain searched for Robert for a long time in the dark. Jackie had wandered away from him and they were not sure where to look. The conditions were icy. They can hopefully fill you in on more details.

At sunrise, Tim from our camp ran down to the bottom of the mountain to contact a ranger. Later in the morning, some campers who slept through the event packed up Jackie and Robert's gear for them. When the sun came up we could see Robert's body on the mountain through binoculars. He was lying in the snow and did not appear to be alive.

Forgive us for not launching another SAR first thing in the am after our luxurious 2 hour sleep. I cannot speak for others camping there, but we all did our best after summiting earlier in the evening.

My condolences to Jackie Larkin. I feel your pain and sympathize with your terrible loss and the trauma of the long night.

OK lets all get on the highway after a few drinks, drive 110 miles an hour, roll our car, and die. Then our family can blame, the emt's for not driving the ambulance quickly enough, the family in the car just behind them for not knowing CPR, the CHP for not being there to pull us over. The other paople who stop and try to call for help from their cell phones and have no reception. The fact is this was an unfortunate accident. Where is the compassion for the family? I know this doesn't have anything to do with climbing the mountain, however it does show that every once in while, an accident happens and there is no one to blame.

Alli - Thank you for posting the details of what happened Saturday night. The early posts left an impression that everyone in Trail Camp just rolled over and went back to sleep resulting in the outpouring of emotional responses. You and your friends are to be commended for your efforts. You saved one life.

Firstly, my condolences to Jackie Larkin and Robert's family and friends (I hope I got the names correct). While the rest of us need to tear this accident up and analyze it in the hopes that we can learn from it, in no way does this diminish the bottom line that Robert did not come home from what should have been a fun trip in the mountains.

To the discussions of what happened and what to do or not do about rescue availability, differing abilities on the mountain, and the accidents that always happen up there: does anyone else see this as a sort of parallel to what happens on other higher mountains? Everest in particular comes to mind. I realize Everest is in a much different league from Whitney, but there are a number of parallels: the main route has become a sort of tourist trail, the abilities range from experts down to people who have no business being there, the mountain can turn deadly in an instant, etc.

The point to the parallel for this discussion is to show the lack of learning from mistakes - Everest had the '96 disaster and today, most things are the same up there. Whitney has usually between 1 and 3 deaths a year, and yet they still happen. As the community of people who go up there, we need to take this opportunity to learn from what happened as much as we can and do what is right the next time we go up.

Is some sort of proficiency exam the way out? I don't think so, I believe this would cause more problems than it would solve. Who would decide what things are fair questions to ask, who would translate it into 900 different languages for all the people who go up there, and most importantly, who would pay for all the infrastructure of doing this? Not to mention lawsuits when someone passed the test, but went up and still died.

Is installing safety devices and emergency phones all along the trail the way out? Probably not, many of us like the area (as oft trodden as it is) to remain semi-pristine and these still wouldn't prevent accidents and lawsuits.

Maybe there is some sort of middle ground that can be reached. First of all, it is our responsibility as the people who go up there and members of this board where people come for advice on getting to the top to get the word out - yes it's not very hard and you will really enjoy the accomplishment, but just because someone else made it in January without crampons and ice axe and while wearing sandals and a tutu doesn't mean everyone should try it that way. This mountain can be very dangerous, and deadly if you are not aware and not prepared. You can make it pretty easily if you are a beginner, but listen to the experienced, get the right gear, train, know some basic wilderness and 1st aid skills, then go for it. This should not be something you decide to do next weekend after having spent the past 20 years watching football every week. We need to get the word out to those who ask us that this can be a great experience, but get prepared first!

Second, maybe there is some more that could be done by the government agencies involved - a single emergency phone stuck on the outhouse might be a good idea - with some information about what constitutes an emergency and who will have to pay for actions resulting from non-emergency use (such as a SAR team sent in for someone with a headache). Establishing FRS radio frequencies for emergency monitoring would be helpful. Perhaps sending a gear list, list of specific problems on this mountain, and recommended skills list to those getting permits would help. It can get very sticky doing these types of things though as if someone still dies, the family will have an opening for a lawsuit in this sue-happy country.

Is it possible for us to come up with a list of suggestions for the government agencies to follow that would increase safety on the mountain? (sometimes with this many people of wide-ranging backgrounds, such a thing will end up being 7,000 items long)

Sorry for the length, but I felt this needed to be said.

As a side note, I would like to remind all the intermedate to expert hikers/packers that we need people from all walks of life to experience the sierra's (and Whitney is a lightning rod). Remember, that these are the same types of people who undoubtably had a role in creating these National Parks to begin with. I would compare this with the Zoo analogy in that if a child never sees an elephant, how can they hope to have any active empathy for saving the species. You just never know when that novice hiker will some day have a major role in formulating future policy for this range (water issues, funding, wildlife preservation, etc.)

It would be great if all hikers on Whitney had some high altitude experience. The reality is people come from all over the world to take on the Whitney challenge. Those that succeed (or fail) may never climb another 14'er in their life, but they will always remember the beauty and strength of this mountain range.

We need people like this to help preserve these places for our children/grand children.

Hi,
I just want to thank those involved for the detailed information and sacrifices you have provided regarding this tragic event. We who have worked and known Bob for many years are shocked and in grief from this accident and hope that he is in a better place. He lived life to the fullest and that's what I admired and will remember most about him. My condolences to Jacqui and their family. Let's all learn from this accident and to appreciate and enjoy our lives together with our friends and loved ones.

To all who assisted in the rescue of Jacqui Larkin and Bob, thank you. Bob's friends and co-workers at the Boeing Co. in Huntington Beach are greatly saddened at the news of his death. Bob was the resident adventurer, health advocate, and genuine personality. He lived life large, always off on vacations that were exciting and challenging. I would find it hard to believe that Bob was not an experienced climber, he had experience in everything and loved life. Whatever the circumstances of his death, his friends are comforted by the fact that he was doing something that he loved. We will all miss him.