List of people who died on the Presidential Range facts for kids

The Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is a group of tall mountains. Some of these peaks reach over 6,288 feet high! They are among the highest mountains in the eastern United States, east of the Mississippi River.

Many accidents happen on Mount Washington, which is the highest peak in this range. Mount Washington is famous for its wild and unpredictable weather. This makes it one of the most dangerous mountains in the continental United States. Because of its special location, it holds the world record for the fastest surface wind speed ever recorded outside of a tropical storm. Huntington Ravine, on the eastern side of Mount Washington, is considered the most dangerous hike in the White Mountains. It has very exposed areas and steep rock climbs.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department helps hikers in trouble. They do about 200 rescues each year. Mount Washington has had more deaths per foot of height than any other mountain in the world. It is even listed among the ten deadliest mountains globally.

Mount Washington from Intervale, with Huntington Ravine visible on the right of the image

Sign posted by the US Forest Service in the Presidential Range of the White Mountain National Forest warning of the dangerous conditions beyond.

Staying Safe in the Mountains

Hiking in the mountains can be a lot of fun, but it's super important to be prepared! The weather in places like the Presidential Range can change very quickly. A sunny day can turn into a cold, windy, and even snowy one in just a few hours. This is why many people get into trouble.

Common Dangers

One of the biggest dangers is hypothermia. This happens when your body loses heat faster than it can make it, causing your body temperature to drop too low. It can happen even in warmer months if you get wet and the temperature drops.

Falls are another common cause of accidents. Trails can be rocky, slippery, or icy. Sometimes, people fall from cliffs or steep slopes. Avalanches, which are large slides of snow, can also be very dangerous, especially in winter or spring.

Some accidents also happen on the Mount Washington Cog Railway or the Mount Washington Auto Road. These are different ways to get up the mountain, but they also have their own risks.

How to Prepare for a Hike

To stay safe, always check the weather forecast before you go. Pack extra layers of warm clothing, even in summer. Bring plenty of water and food. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. It's also a good idea to hike with a friend or in a group. Knowing your limits and turning back if the weather gets bad or you feel tired are smart choices.

Incidents in the Presidential Range

Over the years, many people have had accidents or gone missing in the Presidential Range. Most of these incidents happen during spring, autumn, and winter. This is especially true when the weather in the lower areas seems mild, but the mountains are much colder and windier.

The table below shows some examples of incidents that have happened in the Presidential Range. It helps us understand the different kinds of dangers hikers can face.

Name	Date	Age	State or country of origin	Cause of incident	Location	Mountain	Ref(s)
Strickland, FrederickFrederick Strickland	October 19, 1849	29	United Kingdom	Hypothermia	Clay Brook	Washington
Bourne, LizzieLizzie Bourne	September 13, 1855	23	Maine	Hypothermia	Summit	Washington
Chandler, BenjaminBenjamin Chandler	August 7, 1856	75	Delaware	Hypothermia	Summit	Washington
Thompson, J. M.J. M. Thompson	October 4, 1869	Unknown	New Hampshire	Drowning	Peabody River	N/A
Seely, WilliamWilliam Seely	July 3, 1873	29	New York	Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
Faunce, SewallSewall Faunce	July 24, 1886	15	Massachusetts	Falling snow arch	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Weiss, EwaldEwald Weiss	August 24, 1890	24	Germany	Missing	Unknown	Washington
Curtis, William BuckinghamWilliam Buckingham Curtis	June 30, 1900	63	New York	Hypothermia	Lakes of the Clouds	Washington
Bigelow Jr., Henry B.Henry B. Bigelow Jr.	September 18, 1931	19	Massachusetts	Falling ice	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Caggiano, JosephJoseph Caggiano	August 24, 1938	17	New York	Hypothermia	Gulfside Trail	Adams
McIntire, EdwinEdwin McIntire	June 9, 1940	19	New Jersey	Fall into a crevasse	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Longnecker, PhilipPhilip Longnecker	January 31, 1954	25	Ohio	Avalanche / Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Parysko, JacquesJacques Parysko	January 31, 1954	23	Massachusetts	Avalanche / Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Stadtmueller, HugoHugo Stadtmueller	April 4, 1964	28	Massachusetts	Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Griffin, JohnJohn Griffin	April 4, 1964	39	Massachusetts	Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Doody, DanielDaniel Doody	March 14, 1965	31	Connecticut	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Merrihue, CraigCraig Merrihue	March 14, 1965	32	Massachusetts	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Stevens, ScottScott Stevens	January 26, 1969	19	California	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Ellenberg, RobertRobert Ellenberg	January 26, 1969	19	New York	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Yoder, CharlesCharles Yoder	January 26, 1969	24	Wisconsin	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Ross, PaulPaul Ross	November 29, 1969	26	Maine	Plane crash	Boott Spur	Washington
Ward, KennethKenneth Ward	November 29, 1969	20	Maine	Plane crash	Boott Spur	Washington
Phillips, CliffCliff Phillips	November 29, 1969	26	Vermont	Plane crash	Boott Spur	Washington
Coyne, ChristopherChristopher Coyne	May 17, 1972	21	Connecticut	Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Brushaber, KarlKarl Brushaber	December 23, 1974	37	Michigan	Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Cassidy, Marguerite SnyderMarguerite Snyder Cassidy	March 26, 1976	24	New Hampshire	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Whinnery, ScottScott Whinnery	May 8, 1976	25	New York	Fall in Hillman's Highway	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Shoemaker, DavidDavid Shoemaker	February 14, 1979	21	Massachusetts	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Flanigan, PaulPaul Flanigan	February 14, 1979	26	Massachusetts	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Saad, GaryGary Saad	August 6, 1979	26	Connecticut	Fall	Webster Cliff Trail	Webster
Friedman, PeterPeter Friedman	December 31, 1980	18	Connecticut	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Dow, AlbertAlbert Dow	January 25, 1982	28	New Hampshire	Avalanche	Lion Head Trail	Washington
Hamann, KathyKathy Hamann	March 28, 1982	25	Connecticut	Fall while climbing ravine	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Aalbue, EdwardEdward Aalbue	January 1, 1983	21	New York	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Hokenson, KennethKenneth Hokenson	March 24, 1983	23	New York	Fall	Raymond Cataract	Washington
Silva, PaulaPaula Silva	July 30, 1984	22	Massachusetts	Automobile crash	Mount Washington Auto Road	Washington
Jones, JimmyJimmy Jones	October 2, 1990	34	Texas	Plane crash	Great Gulf	Washington
Diedrick, RussellRussell Diedrick	October 2, 1990	24	Texas	Plane crash	Great Gulf	Washington
Eames, StewartStewart Eames	October 2, 1990	27	Texas	Plane crash	Great Gulf	Washington
Smith, ThomasThomas Smith	February 24, 1991	41	Vermont	Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Tinkham, DerekDerek Tinkham	January 15, 1994	20	Rhode Island	Hypothermia	Summit	Jefferson
Couper, MonroeMonroe Couper	February 26, 1994	40	New Jersey	Hypothermia	Alpine Garden	Washington
Lattey, ErickErick Lattey	February 26, 1994	28	New Jersey	Hypothermia	Alpine Garden	Washington
Weingarten, CherylCheryl Weingarten	May 1, 1994	22	New York	Fall into a crevasse while sliding	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Nicholson, SarahSarah Nicholson	June 4, 1994	25	Maine	Falling ice	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Schneider, ChristopherChristopher Schneider	March 28, 1995	31	Vermont	Fall while skiing in Hillman's Highway	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Cassan, AlexandreAlexandre Cassan	January 5, 1996	19	Quebec	Avalanche	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Cote, DonaldDonald Cote	February 2, 1996	48	Massachusetts	Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Vandel, RobertRobert Vandel	March 2, 1996	50	Maine	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Crumbaker, ToddTodd Crumbaker	March 24, 1996	35	Massachusetts	Avalanche	Gulf of Slides	Washington
Wald, JohnJohn Wald	March 24, 1996	35	Massachusetts	Avalanche	Gulf of Slides	Washington
McPhedran, DavidDavid McPhedran	February 20, 2000	42	Maine	Avalanche	Gulf of Slides	Washington
Green, NedNed Green	February 18, 2001	26	New Hampshire	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Manion, HillaryHillary Manion	June 3, 2001	22	Ontario	Fall while skiing in The Chute	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Sandberg, ScottScott Sandberg	November 29, 2002	32	Massachusetts	Avalanche	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Burke, ThomasThomas Burke	November 29, 2002	46	New Hampshire	Avalanche	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Gaumond, JasonJason Gaumond	January 27, 2004	28	Massachusetts	Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Douglas, RobRob Douglas	March 7, 2004	39	Vermont	Fall	Great Gulf	Clay
Roux, PeterPeter Roux	January 18, 2008	39	Tennessee	Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington
Walczak, WieslawWieslaw Walczak	November 21, 2009	62	New Hampshire	Fall off the Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Baillie, ChristopherChristopher Baillie	July 18, 2010	24	New Jersey	Fall off the Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Powers, Patrick ScottPatrick Scott Powers	January 9, 2012	46	Massachusetts	Fall off the Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Priebatsch, NormanNorman Priebatsch	April 1, 2012	67	Massachusetts	Fall into a crevasse	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Watts, JamesJames Watts	March 1, 2013	24	New York	Fall	Pinnacle Gully, Huntington Ravine	Washington
Paquette, LucLuc Paquette	September 19, 2013	25	Quebec	Fall	Tuckerman Ravine Trail	Washington
Matrosova, KateKate Matrosova	February 15, 2015	32	New York	Hypothermia	Star Lake Trail	Adams
Hallock, TimTim Hallock	February 28, 2016	54	New York	Hypothermia	Castle Ravine Trail	Jefferson
Carrier, FrancoisFrancois Carrier	May 9, 2016	47	Quebec	Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
Ullmann, JeremyJeremy Ullmann	February 10, 2019	37	Massachusetts	Fall	Central Gully, Huntington Ravine	Washington
Sou, Porith StephonPorith Stephon Sou	March 8, 2019	21	Massachusetts	Missing	Lion Head Winter Route	Washington
Benedix, NicholasNicholas Benedix	April 10, 2019	32	New Hampshire	Avalanche	Raymond Cataract	Washington
Lee, SandraSandra Lee	June 13, 2019	63	New Jersey	Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine Trail	Washington
Forgays, IanIan Forgays	February 1, 2021	54	Vermont	Avalanche	Ammonoosuc Ravine	Washington
Chen, XiXi Chen	June 18, 2022	53	Massachusetts	Hypothermia	Gulfside Trail	Clay
John R. Quick Jr.	July 30, 2022	65	Missouri	Hypothermia	Jewell Trail	Washington
Jason Apreku	August 11, 2023	21	Pennsylvania	Missing	Osgood Trail	Madison
Saltsburg, MadisonMadison Saltsburg	March 9, 2024	20	Pennsylvania	Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington