Oh man, this is so sad. And hikesafe is insane. Purely insane!
Perhaps locals who know the trail and winter weather conditions there with the right clothing and equipment* could safely hike on such a day, but a lone inexperienced hiker from a foreign country? No way! They are going to have to start closing these trails or somehow limiting use to certified experienced hikers with correct clothing, equipment and provisions.
Winds can suddenly whip up at higher elevations blowing snow off trees, etc., and obscuring the trail. So easy to get lost with little chance of survival for an unprepared hiker. One would hope stern warning signs were posted at the trailhead, but the stupid hikesafe site makes me doubt that somehow.
I’m more familiar with the Green Mountains of Vermont, which I imagine must be less formidable in winter than the White Mountains of New Hampshire — but even though I had the right clothing and gear when I lived there for a time long ago, would never have risked a solo hike on such a day. This young man should never have been on an 8-mile trail yesterday.
Speaking of 8+ miles — in those conditions, it would have been a four- to five-hour hike at minimum, and he started at 11am? Crazy!
That poor rescue team who gave up their Christmas Eve and Christmas morning only to find tragedy in the end. And the poor grieving family of that young man. This should never have happened.
*A proper list is extensive and expensive. Why doesn’t hikesafe have a list like this one (and I would add an emergency beacon — or at least emergency flares — to the list):
https://sectionhiker.com/sectionhiker-gear-guide/recommended-winter-hiking-gear-list/
I waded through the hikesafe website and concluded it is for beginning hikers who will be hiking in a group that includes more experienced hikers. There are a lot of hiking resources with more, better information. Once you get past hikesafe’s covid bs and woke inclusiveness, there is some good information. You just have to work really hard to get to it.