ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Maine — A 19-year-old woman who wasn’t dressed for the conditions had to be rescued Tuesday morning from Cadillac Mountain.
Supervisory Park Ranger Richard Rechholtz said the 911 call came in around 7:30 a.m. that a woman was “kind of conscious, not alert and had some heart issues.”
Rechholtz and a paramedic from Bar Harbor Fire Department headed up the mountain by snowmobile, but reached the hikers just moments after a LifeFlight helicopter from Bangor was able to land.
The woman and a male from her hiking party, neither of which were wearing proper footwear, were taken by helicopter to Bar Harbor. The woman, who was from Florida but whose identity was not being released, was transported to MDI Hospital, the ranger said.
Her condition was unknown as of noon Tuesday.
“On New Year’s, a lot of people will hike up to the summit of Cadillac to see the sunrise,” Rechholtz said. “I’m guessing there were probably 40-50 people up there this morning.”
He credited other hikers with keeping the woman as warm and stable as possible until emergency responders could make their way up the mountain.
One of those who helped keep the woman warm was David Burgess of Orland. Burgess, scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 102, was hiking Cadillac with 10 kids and six leaders from his troop and from Venture Crew 1102 from Bucksport.
“We stopped before we got to the top because the wind was really howling,” Burgess said, adding that he had given the woman and the male she was with some hot chocolate. “They said they were going to start heading back down the mountain [but] we came back about a half hour later and she was curled up on a rock in the fetal position.”
One of the adult leaders with Burgess had a sleeping bag and got the woman in it and upright so she was marching in place to produce body heat. She was wearing long underwear, skinny jeans that Burgess said were soaked above the knee, wool socks and furry dress boots that had no insulation value.
“They just got in over their heads,” he said. Burgess and the other leaders in his group sent the majority of their party back down the mountain to their vehicles while they waited with the two struggling hikers.
“We didn’t [want to] end up with more victims,” he said. Burgess noted that he never saw the third person that Rechholtz said was in the woman’s hiking party.
Rechholtz said the three hikers had ascended up the more difficult North Ridge Trail instead of taking the Park Loop Road starting around 4:15 a.m.
“The snow is very, very deep in the park right now, especially at the higher elevations,” he said, noting that in one spot, there was at least a 4-foot snowdrift.
“They didn’t have the proper gear, they just weren’t ready for the conditions at all,” he said.
While Rechholtz said New Year’s Day rescues atop Cadillac aren’t typical, he recalled three years ago having to transport several hikers down who weren’t prepared for the extremely low temperatures at the summit.
“The biggest problem we see is that people are doing it that aren’t prepared for the elements,” Rechholtz said. “When you get in trouble, it’s not like a ranger’s going to show up in five minutes. You really need to bring a pack with you with extra clothing and so forth. You get sweaty fast hiking up, and then once your clothes get wet, you’re in trouble.”
duh
I hope she is allright, and has learned a valuable lesson. I would like to think that there were hikers that may have tried to discourage her or any other unprepared hikers from making the trek.
Glad she is safe. Very poor judgement displayed. Kudos to the public safety personnel. If she went up there because it was her BF’s idea I’d say dump that guy!
So its her boyfriends fault that she doesn’t know how to dress for the conditions?
Last I knew she started w/ her boyfriend, but was found alone. Maybe he got a clue halfway up the trail.
Hope she is alright ……….. that said ………………… what is it with the younger generations, snow on the ground, cold and wearing sneakers ……………….
Probably weren’t any to begin with.
People in Florida wear parkas when the temps get to 50.
Send these idjits the rescue bill.
Kudos to the scout leaders!!! Without their quick actions, there very well could have been a much different outcome for this young lady.
And now, they’re off to snowmobile across a lake!
Good grief. That’s why the Boy Scout motto is ‘Be Prepared’. Good advice whether you’re a Scout or not. Good job, Mr. Burgess!
Excellent sentiment. Leave the Ugg boots and yoga pants at home and suit up!
And…….what about the third member of their “hiking” party?
I use my better judgement on high adventure scout trips . Not popular with my son sometimes.
good job to the rangers and pilot for another successful rescue.
Oh well at least she is presumbably ok…keep in mind that she’s 19 and from Florida. We have all done some stupid stuff at that age. She’s lucky…could have turned out a whole lot worse.
How very true, some of the more perfect ones on here commenting should cut her a little slack.
by 19 i was bright enough to know the difference between fashionable pretty boots and cute jeans and warm insulated winter boots and durable jeans. common sense says “see snow? snow is cold. dress in warm cloths when outside.”
Nope, the moment you hit 18 you are a legal adult and attain the responsibilities inherent in adulthood! We’re happy she is okay, but she must be held financially accountable! Send her the bill plus interest! This costs Me the People money! Rah rah Personal Responsibility!
Get over your self. People make mistakes. The rescue didn’t cost you a dime, I would love for you to tell us how this affected you financially?
It was recognized an hour or so earlier that she had a problem. The boy scouts warmed her up once- gave her hot chocolate. She ignored their advice to keep moving, head down the trail and get into some dry clothes. Instead she sat down for at least an hour to watch the sunrise then waited to be carried out. Other hikers probably gave her the same advice. Our family considered going up Cadillac mountain to watch the New Year’s sunrise then decided we’d rather go another day so we did not have to deal with idiots. Reading this article, we agreed that encountering a situation like this couple would have ruined our hike. I hope the National Park Service bills her and considers charging her with reckless behavior. Unless she is uninsured or actually pays the full price one way or another, we all pay for her “medical ride”. I’m extremely disappointed that BDN is not publishing the names and towns of the helicopter ride recipients. I bet a lot of us would have enjoyed the view!
If nothing else, maybe a brush with death (from the sounds of her positioning and location…she was close to death) will make her think before doing things.
Doubt it…but one can hope!
This brings to mind the prisoner who escaped into the County woods and then sued the police for taking so long to catch him that he froze his feet.
They say that wisdom comes with age, but that does not apply to all of us.
— Because the older I get the more difficulty I have in understanding why people do these things.
The humble Farmer
Ah, but wisdom and age don’t always run hand-in-hand.
Send her a bill
Here is your sign..
She was wearing long underwear, jeans, wool socks and furry boots.
I sometimes wear more than that when I go to bed.
The humble Farmer
Never thought that “humble” would wear Ugg boots! Guess Fox News is right…traditional America is long gone.
It is a generation that has never done anything really, we used to hunt rabbits on snowshoes all day. Stop, build a fire and boil some tea, and all we had was wool and a good compass. This computer, cell phone generation has never really spent hours and hours outside doing things, and when they get an idea, they have not idea what to hell they are getting into.
I was thinking the same think Pattenpond. I can remember going off for a good part of the day when only around 10 or 12 with some kind of sandwich and a book of matches. If going skating, we also took a thermos of hot chocolate too (and always burned our mouths). We would find a sheltered spot to build a fire and put down pine branches for something to sit on, and then we’d slide or skate or whatever we were doing. No one wanted to get wet feet and go home because once you were in, you were in for the day. So we kept the boots “warm” by the fire while we skated would sit and warm up when we needed to. All this without adult supervision. We learned it from older siblings or scouts, or where ever, but we were prepared. Pure and simple. Kids just don’t do these things anymore.
Try lighting that fire today and see how fast it takes for someone to get on the cell to the fire department then the police. DHHS would be investigating your parents wondering if they’re fit for having kids after you were caught with matches lighting a fire.
Oh, right, do not get me started on the stool pigeons of modern Maine.
You don’t have to worry about today’s youth trying to light a fire. That ap hasn’t been created yet for their “smart” phone.
Baloney. Pure baloney. BB84 is correct. Kids these days don’t do anything. 1. Parents are helicopter parents. God forbid they should encourage kids to do anything outside of parental supervision. 2. ELectronic age. If it doesn’t involve a cellphone, ipad, ipod, or xbox, it is of no interest to most kids. 3. Energy. ANything that requires energy is BAD. That’s why if you interview 100 kids, 99 of them will tell you they don’t ride bikes, they’ve never built a tree fort, they’ve never hiked in the woods anywhere near their home, even if they have woods in their own backyard.
4. Intelligence. THese days, we encourage kids to be stupid. If they have trouble in school, we by law let them do less and grade them equivalently, at home, most parents NEVER require kids to assist in chores, most kids sleep in past noontime every weekend.
THe day will come when only the strong will survive.
Isn’t that the mountain there’s a parking lot and gift shop at the top of?
I was thinking the same thing. Why hike it when you can drive? Unless the roads are closed for the winter which could be the case.
They may be looking for volunteers to plow the steep, winding road along the mountain cliffs to the summit…. Are you offering? LOL
The road is closed for the winter, as is much of the park loop road, and with all the snow we just got, I’m sure that they are impassable.
road is closed in the winter. I’ve hiked it Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Much more rewarding than driving. Of course, I’ve also hiked up Mt Washington (summer, soon to do it in the winter) despite the road and cog railway. Too bad it is a zoo when you get to the top. It would be much nicer with no road.
She is very fortunate that there were others there that were prepared and that knew what to do, otherwise she would be being buried now. I always tell city people that mother nature is a sweet old girl. She has far less rules to follow than in the city. You should have adequate food as you need it, adequate water as needed, adequate clothing as needed, adequate shelter as needed, and try not to hurt yourself. Of course if you break any of her rules, she just may kill you.
Hmm, rescued a 19 y/o FL woman from the top of a Cadillac. Oh wait, FL, 19 and natural blond, right?
Good thing there were other people around that knew what to do. Did the tourist think we plow the trails in all of our state/national parks? I wonder if she was blonde. :)
A LOT of thanks needs to be extended to 3 others not mentioned in this article that stopped and provided considerable assistance to these folks. Thanks also to the numerous others that offered help. Also considerable thanks to the park rangers and the pilots of the helicopter who had to contend with the windy conditions at the top of the mountain. As for drunks and “idjits”, I didn’t see any? As for the hikers that had to be rescued, I really admire them for undertaking this trek to enjoy this wonderful experience. Not many folks from Maine, much less from Florida would ever think about getting out of bed to do such a thing, and subsequently will never know what they are missing out on. I hope for these folks, the rest of their stay in Maine turns out much better.
Sounds like you were there, so kudos to you too for doing the right thing and helping out. It is great that they were attempting to enjoy the mountain and her natural beauty, but this young lady was fortunate that it happened on a day that draws many so that there were people able to offer assistance.
So from the sounds of it…a LOT of people went out of their way to take care of this girl yet she continued to ignore people’s advice until she became completely immobile from hypothermia and had to rely on other people to survive?
No. They were advised once to head down the mountain but I believe by that point, she was already at the point where she didn’t have it in her to go any further, and she had too much pride to admit it. It was about 20 – 30 minutes later when we crossed paths again that it became clear just how much trouble she was in. This is not an unusual situation! This type of thing happens to many people every year in this state, even those that are well prepared and have lived here all their lives. Whether your on a hike, working in the woods, hunting or fishing, its easy to work up a sweat, and then stop for a few minutes just long enough for your sweaty cloths to start freezing. Once your cloths start freezing, its really tough to warm up after that, especially your hands and feet. The only difference about this situation is she just happened to be in a place where there were other people around to help her.
Wow, some of you really have nothing better to do up there in Maine than make nasty comments. The girl and guy (there was no third person) are my close friends. Neither is an “idjit” nor was drunk. Simply put, they thought they were dressed warmly enough. Not being used to such conditions certainly left them ill-prepared and they are incredibly lucky that knowledgeable, helpful people were nearby. She is 100% ok now and they both have learned from the experience.
She should feel extremely lucky.
She might have fallen off the fiscal cliff.
“Curled up on a rock in a fetal position”…for a moment I thought I was re-reading Into Thin Air.
Oh Come on you guys..How many Mainers go to Florida each year and get terrible sunburns?Maybe she was special needs person? Or a republican! Not everyone is outdoor savvy!
Glad they are ok. Winter can be deadly if you don’t take care.
Going to Florida for a week starting tomorrow. If I am numb enough to not use sun screen, I don’t expect Floridians to pay my hospital stay. In this age of electronic, instant information there is no excuse for a lack of preparation.
Don’t forget to wear shorts and walk around the swamps without shoes. i’m sure that all the nasty critters won’t bite you.
Have a nice trip. And I am sure that yours will be a much better and safer one than the young women at the park.
Not knowing how to dress to venture outside in Maine says alot. Oh yea and the ice is not safe either! Sort of like the warnings labels on most products—really?????