Death in the Catskills

I’m sure many of you have heard about the hiker who died following a snowstorm in the Catskills last weekend. He and his partner had weathered a night in a snow cave. The next morning, he left to get help but never made it. He was found dead on Blackhead Mountain a short distance from the temporary shelter. The Daily Mail, a local newspaper, published a fairly detailed account of the incident.

In a comment appended to an online Daily Freeman story, the daughter of the deceased hiker says the two men were experienced hikers and well equipped. She wrote, in part: “Yes, they did have snowshoes, cell phones, maps and even a compass. They were about an hour from the lean-to where some of their gear was stored, when they lost their way on Saturday. They did manage to get through to a 911 operator and made a snow shelter. By Sunday morning, they had lost mobility in their hands from the cold, and were physically unable to strap on the snow shoes.”