[Bruce Albert]

It has happened again. Eleven years and a few days past the 2012 Tunnel Creek tragedy, three climbers recently lost their lives in an avalanche on Colchuck Peak in the Stuart Range. The effect this loss will have on family, friends, and all others whose lives crossed paths with theirs is immeasurable. That event marks a heartbreaking watershed in their lives beyond which nothing will be the same…ever. As William Manchester once wrote concerning his experiences in the war in the Pacific, sudden unexpected death robs the living of the opportunity to process human mortality in the stages that the mind can grasp. Into this, among the most challenging of human situations, intrudes the lightning speed and breadth of modern communication: the internet. By this medium tragic news spreads world-wide in mere minutes, and countless souls begin to react emotionally to the loss. Much of this reaction will take place online in one of two forms. The first of these will be expressions of shared grief, of sympathy, of empathy: short and simple, as in a brief “RIP,” or complex, as long eulogies from a friend or acquaintance. The good and loving intent of such messages is unmistakable, yet I cannot help but think that a public internet posting, chucked out there for complete strangers to behold, is an…awkward…medium in which to express deeply personal thoughts. The old fashioned person at my core says that such messages should travel in person or on paper to be held in the hand and read, then stored rubber banded together with others in a drawer, to be pulled out and read again now and then as the years pass and time blunts the memory. But this is the twenty-first century; maybe we don’t do that anymore. The second human reaction to such tragedies is frequently of the “how did,” “why didn’t,” “if only,” “should have” variety, a blend of comment on causative factors which are known, and speculation on causative factors which are not…often with not much separating the two. To raise issues of causation is both human nature and generally well intentioned; people want to know how and why. To do so is also frequently misplaced, mistimed, or both. One would not barge into a memorial service loudly blathering about some mistake made by the deceased; it is equally inappropriate to do so on the internet directly adjacent to thoughts posted by someone who has just lost a friend. Even now, eleven years on, I sense that it is difficult for those who knew the Tunnel Creek victims to candidly discuss the errors made by those who perished and by the group as a whole. Some things will always be a little too close to home. At the same time a frank discussion about lessons learned is vital to those who remain. So it will always be. But let’s let memorialization and analysis, if they occupy internet threads at all, forever be separated from one another. Let the dead lie in peace, please, without being second guessed hard on the heels of their passing. I am the grass Let me work.

[Huron]

A typical post here following an accident is a commentless link to a news headline followed by twenty RIPs. If those low-effort RIPs were intended as memorials, they are shallow and meaningless. We can best honor those who met their end while hiking by identifying the problem and educating ourselves and others to the danger through discussion.

[Kim Brown]

I think for the most part, on this site, folks pointing out mistakes made can be a bit like showing off how much they know; some to express frustration. But people on this site don't need the lessons; we at NWHikers already know what might have gone wrong. Those who don't know would do better by taking courses through The Mountaineers or other organization. This is why Tom wishes people to start a separate thread after an incident; sadness and grace on one thread; lessons, if people really feel a need for it - on a separate one.

[thunderhead]

You can honor the dead and at the same time point out their mistakes so they are not repeated. Its not insulting or disparaging. At least not on a hiking forum. Pilot forum crash threads are 99% mistake analysis. Probably why flying has become so safe over the past few decades.

[Cyclopath]

[thunderhead]

And even if one did have all the knowledge a reminder is always useful. Complacency kills.

[RumiDude]

[Huron]

Much of the challenge and frustration results from poor reporting from both official sources and news. There are often no details in reports or reported facts are just wrong and don't make sense. That's where discussion helps. Collectively we can often make sense of the circumstances. This hobby is risky. At least for me it is. And there are plenty of knowledgeable, experienced people who have met an end persuing it. When there's an accident, I want to make sure I don't repeat it.

[RumiDude]

[snowmonkey]

It all comes down to our own personal grasp of death and our own understanding of acceptance. Sometimes there is no intelligible answer. Whether it be on a mountainside or hospice bed. Enjoy what and who you can before the end. Because it’s coming for all of us.

[Malachai Constant]

Sometimes extended analysis is not productive especially in regard to objective hazards. This includes avalanches, rockfall, weather, earthquakes, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, and the like. Effective prevention consists of knowledge of the odds and avoiding the worst conditions. As such it is based upon probability to reduce but not eliminate danger. The only sure way to avoid danger is to not go in dangerous situations. We have all canceled trips or changed destinations them due to conditions. There is a psychological barrier arrived if you have traveled a long way from home. I canceled a trip to Angkor Wat when it was occupied by the Khmer Rouge and it to me 50 years to redo it.

[fourteen410]

There's nothing wrong with discussing accidents/fatalities here. It's an internet forum, not a funeral.

[Randito]

It's interesting that fatal car collisions don't result in nearly the same level of Monday morning quarterbacking, nor in the terrible comments about complaining about taxpayers having to foot the bill for rescue/recovery operations. Despite the far greater number of people killed per month by car crashes. The media also gives scant coverage to the tragicly high numbers of deaths by intentional self inflicted gunshots, which kill more people than motor vehicle collisions in this state. Deaths while participating in outdoor recreation in the state are certainly tragic. The numbers of folks that die driving or from despair is many many times greater.

[Bootpathguy]

[Malachai Constant]

You can add permit pressure (irrelevant in this case). Permits are hard to get and expensive with no refund if you cancel. The last time we “won” the lottery we got a date in early June. We got up to Colchuck Lake. When we headed up Aasgard there were sluffs and debris on the route so we backed off and went to Stuart Lake. The next weekend another party lost a member when a snow bridge over the creek collapsed. Have not been up since.