[Dave Creeden]

I’ve found it is best to tell the truth, but I’ve learned that sometimes it is better not to tell the whole truth in order to avoid causing unnecessary pain and suffering. In this case it has only caused confusion and speculation about what happened. I shared a draft report with Franklin’s sister and girlfriend prior to posting it. I deliberately withheld information from my draft report out of deference and respect to the Bradshaw family. Once they read my draft report, they asked me to shorten it because that it included too much detail. I did as they requested. After reading numerous e-mails, reactions on nwhikers to my report, an inaccurate accident report posted on NWAC, along with a recent trip report posted on Cascade Climbers of Lewis Peak which perpetuates this false narrative, I feel compelled to fully reveal what happened and why. Franklin and I left the trailhead at 8:15 AM. About a half mile up the Sunrise Mine trail we broke out the trees and got our first view of the peak and our proposed route. At this point we still had the flexibility to hang a sharp left to go uphill to meet the toe of the northwest ridge and climb its full length. I lobbied for our initial idea to continue up the valley another half mile to a narrow band of trees and then go straight uphill to intersect the northwest ridge. There was a gulley on far side of the trees, filled with recent avalanche debris. Above we could see rock slabs in which the snow had sheared off. At this point we put on our snowshoes and kept them until we intersected the northwest ridge. Once we arrived at the tree band at 3,200 feet, we went straight uphill on firm snow, but occasionally we post holed going around the trees. At about 3,600 feet we spotted a minor gulley filled with avalanche debris on the left side of the tree band, which veered rightward to the top of the stretch of trees. We ascended this avalanche debris to the top of tree band at which point the terrain laid back. We zigged leftward across open terrain until reaching a forest which covered the remaining couple of hundred feet of terrain to the ridgeline. Upon reaching the crest at about 4,500 feet around 10:30 AM, we took off our snowshoes and put on crampons. Initially the ridge was broad and tree covered. At about 4,800 feet we hit our first obstacle, which was a rock pinnacle mostly covered with snow. I probed the plume of snow on top of the rock with my ice axe and then Franklin delicately walked atop the snow, then started clearing snow from the rock in order to down climb rock 15-20 feet to a notch (class 3). From here to the summit the ridge was more sharply defined and we mostly contoured around the west side of the ridge to avoid steep, exposed sections on the left or east side and once we went straight up a steep section using a tree for hand and foot holds. We could see the tops of small trees and vegetation sticking out of the snow as we continued and we used that as our guide so as to never go to the left or east of them. The forest ended about 200 feet or so from the summit and once out in the open we were hit with 15-20 mph gusts of wind. Franklin yelled the time of 12:04 PM as which topped out in the summit, pleased that we gotten there in under the 4 hour time period mentioned in previous trip reports. We stood about 20 feet away from the crest, to the west, around patches of exposed vegetation to take photos and admire the views. After a few minutes of shooting photos, I had cooled off rapidly due the wind. I looked down the west slope and saw two small tree snags with a little wind cirque that was relatively flat on the uphill side of the trees. I dropped downward and slightly to my left about 50 to 60 feet to the snags. I turned around to face uphill with my back to the wind and pounded and kicked out a flat spot in the snow for myself. I dropped my backpack and opened it up and began pulling out clothing, food and fluids. As I was doing this, Franklin came down to me and stood to my immediate right. He said, “I need to get out to the wind.” I didn’t say anything to him, but my thought was he are going to have drop back down the NW ridge several hundred to get into the trees in order to get shelter. Otherwise, put on more clothing. I had my head down dealing with my clothing, not watching Franklin, when I sensed him moving off to my right. In no more than 15 seconds, I heard a sharp crack. I quickly looked up and to my horror I saw his tracks leading up and rightward to the south ridge line. He had disappeared. I immediately yelled his name several times. In no more than 30 seconds, I ascended up and to the right of Franklin’s tracks, carefully probing with my ice axe as I neared the crest. I swung my head side to side attempting to see if there was a cornice. I dared not get closer than 5 feet of the crest on my initial probe. I could not see directly below the crest, but could only glimpsed far below into the basin. I backed off, then went southward 100 feet or so to a safe place where I could look up the south ridge towards where Franklin had crossed the ridge. Of all the locations along the ridgeline from where I stood to the summit, this was the one place that did not have a cornice or a vertical wall of snow several feet high. It was a relatively easy place to cross over the ridge. I called his name several times from this location. I climbed back close to the spot where he crossed over the ridge and laid down on my stomach and I inched my way to the crest. I saw that Franklin’s right boot had penetrated a thin crust of snow on the crest and he had plunged stepped onto a flat piece of snow that was now no more than two feet wide.

LewisRidgediagram

He had easily stepped from the west side of the ridgeline to the east side onto what I think was a sizeable piece of flat snow about a foot or so beneath him. When he placed his left foot down, the piece of snow cracked causing him to fall. I have no idea how large the piece of snow was before he stepped on it. With the incredible exposure on the east face of Lewis Peak, I believe it was large enough for him to feel comfortable standing on it with both of his feet. Furthermore I think the reason he attempted to get over to the east side or leeward side of the ridge was to get out of the wind. That is the only explanation that makes sense to me on why he went over there. When he fell, he probably kicked off a relatively small avalanche which resulted in him being partially buried. I got near enough to crest in a short period of time to have noticed a large avalanche. I saw or heard no avalanche. After I got to Silverton to report the accident, I spoke to several people over the phone during the next couple of hours including someone from SAR. I clearly explained that Franklin fell off the south ridgeline near the summit. This person had a topo map to refer to as I spoke to him and I told him that Franklin’s fall occurred just to the left of the to the letter “P” in the word “Lewis Peak” printed on the topo map. On Sunday morning when I was at Barlow Pass to monitor SAR’s activities, the person who I spoke to on the phone the previous night came over to me and thanked me for providing an accurate description and location of where Franklin fell. This helped them to quickly locate Franklin. Furthermore when I was interviewed in person by the SAR leader at Silverton on Saturday night, I clearly told her that Franklin fell from the south ridge. I read the NWAC accident report for Lewis Peak on Saturday, January 25th. There was even a link to my report from nwhikers, which is contradictory to their report. This report incorrectly stated that Franklin had walked out onto a cornice, northeast of the summit of Lewis Peak, which broke and triggered a huge avalanche. Nonsense! Did SAR personnel share information on what I said about where Franklin fell? Apparently not. Did the author of the accident report even read my report? Apparently not. Did the author of the accident report contact me prior to publishing the report to clarify what happened and where? No. I then contacted NWAC via e-mail in an attempt to correct their report. I have asked them to precisely identify where they found Franklin, but I haven't gotten an answer. After swapping numerous e-mails for several days, they removed the link to their accident report for Lewis Peak. But due to limited NWAC personnel and the fact that this is a busy time of year for them, they have not been able to meet with me to straighten out their report and re-post it. I’ve told Franklin’s mother, sister and girlfriend about this inaccurate report and it has caused them unnecessary distress and pain. They have insisted that the accident report be accurate. I took a photo of accident scene along the south ridgeline, but have not posted it. I informed the family of this photo and asked them if I could share it with NWAC and SAR personnel to convince them to correct their report. I also told the Bradshaw family that I was willing to send them the photo before they made a decision. Only the mother wanted to see the photo. They all agreed that I could show SAR and NWAC personnel the photo, but they cannot include it as part of their accident report. Since the accident I’ve attempted to go off the grid a couple of times, but I’ve kept getting sucked back into the controversy over what happened. For me I want to put this accident behind me and to move on. In part that means I’m not going to monitor the reaction to this report, nor respond to any e-mails on this accident. After the services on February 8th, don’t raise this subject in my presence. Enough.

[Oyvind Henningsen]

Hi Dave I authored the report you saw on NWAC. I would like to communicate with you in order to get it correct. I was also a friend of Franklin's. Would you contact me, please on 206 979 9553 or telemarkski@comcast.net I would really appreciate it. Respectfully Oyvind Henningsen

[cascadeclimber]

Thank you, Dave. This version of what happened makes, at least to me, far more sense than the other.

[iron]

thanks dave. this clears things up. i'm sorry you had to go through all the questioning about the accident.