Critical Hours: Search and Rescue in the White Mountains

by Sandy Stott

Overview

A misread map, a sudden storm, a forgotten headlamp—and suddenly a leisurely hike turns into a treacherous endeavor. In the past decade, inexpensive but sophisticated navigation devices and mobile phones have led to alarming levels of overconfidence on the trail. Adding to this worrisome trend, the increasing popularity of ventures into mountainous terrain has led hikers seeking solitude—or an adrenaline rush—into increasingly remote or risky 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512600407
Publisher:	University Press of New England
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	245,444
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments • Abbreviations • A Note on Names • 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

What People are Saying About This

Laura Waterman

“You need this book whether you’re a White Mountains veteran or someone slinging on a pack for the first time. Stott’s wise and urbane writing on the search and rescue culture has us compulsively reading these narratives of (mostly) loss, and of those who rescue us from our own misjudgments. Here’s the last word in staying safe and self-aware in the mountains. Add this book to your ten essentials as required reading!”

Editorial Reviews

"Stott focuses on the heroism of SAR workers and what these incidents can teach us about staying safe in the mountains."-- "Outside"

From the Publisher