A hiker from New York says he needed to be rescued twice on two consecutive days while hiking in a mountain range in northern Arizona: the Humphreys.
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As reported on Instagram, Brooklyn resident Phil Vast last week he twice attempted to climb to the top of Humphreys, Arizona’s tallest mountain.
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Humphreys has an elevation of 12,633 feet (3,851 meters) and a vertical drop of 3,395 feet (1,034 meters). “The first attempt ended prematurely because I started late,” he wrote on that network. “My second attempt ended with an elevation gain of 3,140 feet, just 200 feet short of the top.”
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Despite the progress and his great desire to reach the top, the New York hiker had to turn back, due to the weather. “With brutal and chilling winds blowing at 25 mph and freezing temperatures (16 °F – 30 °F), Humphreys Peak is no joke in March,” he posted.
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NYC hiker had to call 911… twice
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Last Wednesday around 7 pm the 28-year-old called 911 to report that he was missing in the Humphreys Trail area of the San Francisco Peaks.
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The next day, the young hiker was again trying to climb the mountain. “I figured if I started early in the morning, I would have all the time in the world to get to the top,” Vasto explained.
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But their mission was not an easy one: The trail traverses some 5.5 miles (8.9 kilometers) of steep, rocky terrain between the Arizona Snowbowl ski area and Humphreys Peak, the highest point in the state with an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet. meters.
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According to an AP report, during the first rescue, ski resort tracked vehicles traveling on snow pulled Vasto from the mountain. At that time, the young hiker refused medical attention.
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But at 5 pm the next day, things were different: he was injured when he fell near a ridge and again called 911 for help.
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An Arizona Department of Public Safety rescue helicopter was dispatched to pick up Vasto and another hiker who had stopped to help him.
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The sheriff encouraged him not to try again
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The Sheriff’s Office reported that the young hiker received “precautionary search and rescue education on conditions on the trail and the approaching winter storm and he was encouraged not to attempt the trek again”.
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The other hiker who stopped to help Vasto, Phillip Wyatt, said that it was “very evident that he was not prepared for the climate it had gotten into.
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Wyatt decided to stay with Vasto and provided his number to the search and rescue team so they could contact him in the event Vasto’s phone died, because he had been using it to check his route on a location app. walking trails.
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“I really respect Phil’s perseverance,” Wyatt said. “I hope he can get to the top at some point.”
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After all he’s been through and through, Phil Vasto “strongly recommends NOT attempting Humphreys Peak in the winter.”
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NYC hiker says he’ll try again
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Among the difficulties that climbers face on that peak, he explains, are the possibility of being easily injured and suffering from hypothermia up there. “I actually hurt my leg a little bit. It was arguably scarier and more dangerous than Kilimanjaro at this time of year.”
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Vasto consoles himself by saying that he is not ashamed that he had to abort both attempts. “After all, It’s not worth losing your life for a great Instagram photo. Part of being a hiker is realizing your own human limitations and respecting the mountains and the weather.”
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Likewise, he warns novice mountaineers, like him, of the measures they should avoid in order not to fall into their error: “Unless you are an experienced mountaineer, DO NOT attempt to reach Humphreys Peak in the winter. There is so much snow that it is difficult to follow the path and it is very easy to fall. Also, the wind is absolutely brutal.”
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Persistent, he ends the story by assuring that he will return soon, but when there is much less snow. “I’m proud of what I accomplished, and happy to have made some hiking friends along the way.”
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