Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Portal Road

The road was cleared about a month ago and the road closed sign was moved about the same time , we are moving into the store now and plan to open soon Thanks Doug

Thank You Doug

Full Moon!

There's been a bit of head-butting going on for a couple of days now in regard to what's right and wrong as far a posting photos of SAR operations.

As soon as I got the message from Doug that he doesn't want ANY photos that havent' been approved the the SAR Lead Authority, I removed access to all of them.

As someone who posts SAR photos, can you please let us know what your opinion is?

I've said it once already; I'll say it again: I'm sorry Doug.

Thanks for the explanation Richard...

The lead authorities would be the local Sheriffs, since they are responsible for all SAR operations. In the case of Whitney, it would be the Inyo County Sheriff. Check with them first, in order to avoid any legal complications for yourselves.

Some may recall a few years ago when there was a lot of drama on the Board and Doug finally got sick of it and shut the board down for the winter.

Don't really think anyone wants to see that happen again. Make it kind of hard to plan group hikes, etc.

Hopefully everyone on both sides of the equation will take a chill pill and just let the subject drop.

I think it would be best if everyone read the "Brain Damage and Climbing" thread by Steelfrog. At least everyone could point to that as an excuse.

Hey I already use that excuse. I don't want every using it..

The photos of a SAR are very personal for the individuals and familes involved. While we may view them as a learning experience and they help us connect because we know these areas, respect for the families and victims is probably the driving force behind concerns over postings. Just my 2 cents.

There is absolutely nothing to be gained—by anyone—in posting pictures of a SAR operation where a deceased victim is involved, especially by an outsider who "just happened to be there." This is ghoulishness to a degree I have never experienced before.

Agreed with BobR. I've never seen, or heard of, anything the likes of what happened here a few days ago. And it's not about whether permission is obtained from the SAR agency; it's about basic human decency. Out of respect for the victim and the victim's family, these sorts of pictures should never even be taken, let alone distributed on the internet - IMHO. Everyone is free to do what they want, I guess. I just hope such content will continue to be kept off this board.

That should clear things up. Much thanks to Bob for his valuable insight on this topic. Also thanks to Doug for running a tight ship.............................DUG

As a member of one of the teams involved in the search for Wade (and mostly a lurker on this board), I strongly agree with Bob and others who've commented about the photos. There is little or nothing to be learned by the general public from those types of photos. There may be some value for the SAR teams and others in planning for future operations, gaining insight into issues associated with wilderness medical care, or providing documentation for other official agencies. Satisfying public curiousity is not one of those reasons.

IMHO,what IS useful to the public, other hikers, etc., is information that may help people become safer users of our wonderful mountains. Learning how SAR operations are run is something that people may wish to know more about as well.

The level of concern, caring, and support for Wade's family exhibited by members of this board is something that, as an online community, you should be very proud of.

True, that.

I have the utmost respect for Bob R and his posts but I see an inconsistency here:

Steve Fossett

Inconsistency? Really? I double and triple checked the link provided and I can't find where Bob posted or offered pics of SAR handling Steve Fossett's body........................DUG

I checked the thread and see no correlation between photographs of the wreckage of a plane where there are absolutely NO remains at all. If images had been taken of Steve Fossett's body, bones, remains, etc, then you would have something to stand on, but the site was extremely clean from the months of weather, winds and animals.

I have no idea what the images are that Richard took of the scene, and I have the utmost respect for him. I am sure that the situation with Wade affected him as much, if not more than most of us, as he was one of the last people to see Wade. I would believe Richard was not only trying to search for a conclusion to a personal situation in which he was part of, but also trying to inform the hundreds (thousands of posts) of us who were very concerned for Wade and were searching for some answers and closure.

I can't speak for Richard and do not know him at all, but I can't imagine another person I would want on the mountain if I were to get into trouble.

Mtntrailrunner, I concur with that assessment.

I have never met Bob R or Richard P but I respect the pictures and information they provide for all of us on this site.

Bob R posted those pictures of Fossett "recovery" provided no personal effects or human remains were shown.

If I do recall, Bob R (?) posted another "discovery" of a man who was terminally ill and his body was found in his tent after the snow had melted. Again, out of respect for the family, the deceased and his personal effects (except the tent) were not shown.

I don't know of Richard's pictures, but I can imagine he met no disrespect to the Brunette family.

I am sure there may have been "others" out there at the time of Mr. Brunette's demise. Pictures? Who knows? Maybe they don't frequent the WPSMB and probably never heard of it. I wouldn't doubt if something pops up on YouTube or Twitter or whatever somewhere sometime.

I believe Doug was right when "Enough" means "Enough."

Let's get on with OUR lives! We have a whole lot of living to do.

The thread that just will not go away . . .

On one hand it's simple monkey curiosity and, to some degree, morbid fascination. Just like a freeway wreck that's on the shoulder but snarls traffic for miles 'cuz people gotta rubberneck. That's why quality sites like this one have moderators - to keep the tension low and topical info high.

Richard apologized (twice) - that's good enough for me. I have the utmost respect for both he and Bob, and don't like seeing two of my Whitney heroes spar. Let's put it to bed and move on to more relevant stuff. Like . . .

. . . what I really want to know out of all of this drama the past 10 days is what may help me or someone else in a tough spot in the future. Details on Wade's demise are scarce as hen's teeth right now, but I KNOW there are lessons there for all of us. I just hope that the information from this tragedy that's relevant to us as hikers and mountaineers of Whitney is eventually released in a responsible fashion. An experienced mountaineer died on Whitney. Why?