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Thank you……

Kim Kaslow

Mt_washington_1After I posted last Sunday morning, I did indeed drag my husband out for an afternoon of picture taking.  The day was a cold one, but so incredibly clear. 

We started our trek on the front-side of Mt. Washington, going thru Pinkham notch.  The temperature leaving my house was a balmy 25, but as we rode into the mountainsMt_washington_observatory the temperatures steadily dropped.  By the time we reached the backside of Mt. Washington in Crawford Notch, the temperature was a very cold 10 degrees and it was extremely windy, but still very clear.  (Can you believe how good the zoom on my little sony camera is?  That is the observatory on the top of the mountain!!)

My_lafayette Once out of the mountains and back into cell phone range, our afternoon took an unfortunate turn.  I received a frantic call from my oldest daughter.  It appeared that my middle daughter, Ashley’s, boyfriend was lost somewhere on Mt Lafayette in Franconia Notch and had already spent one night alone up there.  He had been hiking with 2 of his friends when they became separated in white out conditions at the summit.  A search and rescue command post had been set up at the base, so I grabbed some stuff and headed right back into the mountains.

Mountains
By the time I reached Franconia, it was getting darker and still windy, so they called off the search for the day…it was too windy for the Helicopter to go to the back of the mountain, where his friends though he was.  I can not describe the feeling of despair we all felt, leaving the mountain, not knowing if Brian was alive and knowing that if he was he would have to spend another very cold night alone up there.

Brian is a VERY experienced winter hiker, who has completed some first responder courses thru an organization called SOLO.  (I am going to post more tomorrow about these responders).   Brian is also extremely levelheaded and very strong.  We knew that he had good equipment with him…that combined with his physical and mental abilities gave us hope, but man o man, it had been bitterly cold with the 100 mph wind gales, which put the wind chill temps at -60.

Helicopter
The despair that we had felt when we left the mountain and all throughout the night, was replaced with encouragement when we returned to the mountain early in the morning.  The outpouring of Search and Rescue responders was incredible.  Brian’s stepdad who is serving in Iraq with the National Guard and was able to make some contacts and a close family friend of ours who owns SOLO, along with the fabulous men of the NH Fish and Game Department kept in touch with us as to how the search was being organized and executed.  Slowly thruout the morning we got little pieces of encouragement.  His poles had been found and  a little later,his water containers.  We knew if nothing else, they were in the right area, now we were just praying that he would be found alive. 

Shortly after noon, we got the word that he had been found and was ok.  Absolutely amazing that this young man had not only survived 2 nights in the extreme weather conditions that were present, but came out with only a few spots of frostbite and very sore muscles from shivering.  I can not say enough thank you’s to the people who were praying for him and sending so much good karma in his directions and even more so to the men and woman who put their lives at risk to help find him. ~THANK~YOU!!!

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Published by Kim Kaslow

76 thoughts on “Thank you……”

  1. I’m so glad he’ll be all right. I’ve been thinking about you and your family ever since I read the Post on Carole’s blog.
    It’s a blessing to have him safe and sound.

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  2. I’m so glad he’ll be all right. I’ve been thinking about you and your family ever since I read the Post on Carole’s blog.
    It’s a blessing to have him safe and sound.

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  3. Oh, I’m so glad he is okay. I read on Carole’s blog that he had been found, but it’s good to hear a bit more from you. How amazing that he stayed so level headed!
    Hope you get some time to relax & recover.

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  4. Oh, I’m so glad he is okay. I read on Carole’s blog that he had been found, but it’s good to hear a bit more from you. How amazing that he stayed so level headed!
    Hope you get some time to relax & recover.

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  5. You’re welcome. I was honored that you contacted me and asked me to spread the word. The community we have built here is amazing and loads of people that don’t even know Brian were praying for him yesterday – what an incredible thing! I’m just so relieved that he’s okay. Hugs to you, my friend.

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  6. You’re welcome. I was honored that you contacted me and asked me to spread the word. The community we have built here is amazing and loads of people that don’t even know Brian were praying for him yesterday – what an incredible thing! I’m just so relieved that he’s okay. Hugs to you, my friend.

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  7. Thank God. I can’t imagine how scared everyone must have been.
    My grandfather was a Fish and Game Warden for NH for years. When I was a little girl and lived with them, we were in the Fish and Game house in Ossipee. You’ve probably driven right by it a bunch of times. I have great memories there and always smile when I drive by it on the way to see them.

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  8. Thank God. I can’t imagine how scared everyone must have been.
    My grandfather was a Fish and Game Warden for NH for years. When I was a little girl and lived with them, we were in the Fish and Game house in Ossipee. You’ve probably driven right by it a bunch of times. I have great memories there and always smile when I drive by it on the way to see them.

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  15. Search and rescue people are amazing and give time and effort to the max when needed. How wonderful he had the right equipment and was found safe and sound. You must have been on pins and needles.

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  16. Search and rescue people are amazing and give time and effort to the max when needed. How wonderful he had the right equipment and was found safe and sound. You must have been on pins and needles.

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  19. I imagine the rush of happy emotion and relief must have been about as strong as those winds on the mountain. I am very glad his adventure turned out so well in the end.

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  20. I imagine the rush of happy emotion and relief must have been about as strong as those winds on the mountain. I am very glad his adventure turned out so well in the end.

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  27. So glad to hear the rescue was a success. Faculty members at our school (Bridgton Academy in Maine) were discussing the rescue this morning. Living so close to the area and my family is from Littleton, NH so I know the area well. It gets quite treacherous around those parts in the winter. I’m so happy there is a happy ending… good news was well received in Bridgton, ME. (We needed good news after two of our students died last week in a car crash!)

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  28. So glad to hear the rescue was a success. Faculty members at our school (Bridgton Academy in Maine) were discussing the rescue this morning. Living so close to the area and my family is from Littleton, NH so I know the area well. It gets quite treacherous around those parts in the winter. I’m so happy there is a happy ending… good news was well received in Bridgton, ME. (We needed good news after two of our students died last week in a car crash!)

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  31. We had been following this story on the local news and heard early this morning that Brian had been found and was ok. We are so happy for all of you. Thank God for the good people who helped with the rescue in any way.

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  32. We had been following this story on the local news and heard early this morning that Brian had been found and was ok. We are so happy for all of you. Thank God for the good people who helped with the rescue in any way.

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  43. I just read this.Had no idea it was happening.
    But i am so so so glad he has been found and is safe and alive.
    When i remember those other young men a month or so back who were not so fortunate.
    Thank God for this happy ending.
    Mary Ellen

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  44. I just read this.Had no idea it was happening.
    But i am so so so glad he has been found and is safe and alive.
    When i remember those other young men a month or so back who were not so fortunate.
    Thank God for this happy ending.
    Mary Ellen

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  45. I read about Brian on Carole’s blog yesterday and was thinking about him all morning until she told me he’d been found. Thank heaven indeed. Does he have a blog? I’d love to read his firsthand account, if he’d care to tell it.

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  46. I read about Brian on Carole’s blog yesterday and was thinking about him all morning until she told me he’d been found. Thank heaven indeed. Does he have a blog? I’d love to read his firsthand account, if he’d care to tell it.

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  49. Thank goodness, what a scare! Somebody needs to develop some device or product that helps locate these folks who go missing on cold mountains. I cannot imagine the terror of that kind of cold – you know there is a point at which wool is simply not enough.

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  50. Thank goodness, what a scare! Somebody needs to develop some device or product that helps locate these folks who go missing on cold mountains. I cannot imagine the terror of that kind of cold – you know there is a point at which wool is simply not enough.

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