Skip to main content

Emily Sotelo: A death not in vain

Image
By

 My background is quite diverse. I have worked as a Research Engineer, Game Warden, Police Lt./Investigator and Health Coach. I write about things I know and give advice to those that are willing to listen. Emily Sotelo's tragic-but-preventable death from exposure on Mt. Lafayette need not be in vain.

I have spent most of my life as an outdoorsman - in all kinds of weather conditions. The following was simply one excursion:

Linda Lane (to me): "Are we in trouble?"
Tom Lane: "We could be!"


My wife and I were hiking in the White Mountains to stay overnight in Madison Springs Hut. The weather started out fairly decent for a late-summer hike, but at the higher elevation, things turned bad. The temperature dropped significantly - the cold rain started - and the high winds were blowing the rain sideways.

All four of us opened our-well-stocked packs and put on Gortex parkas over the down vests and fleece jackets. But the weather was now bad enough that, even well equipped, I mentally worked out an alternate plan if we were unable to make it to the shelter of the hut.

We did make our destination, but search parties quickly went out in search of a number of individuals who were scheduled to be at the hut - but had not yet arrived. All arrived in resonable shape, and proper preparation prevailed in their favor.

A few have advised me to not write further on the Sotelo tragedy, but my background tells me otherwise. Lives are lost too often in the Whites, and most are due to foolishness and recklessness on the part of the victims. To be silent is to allow this 19-year-old lady to die in vain. Emily is not the only victim. The family and friends she leaves behind are also victims in the tragedy.

The warnings from New Hampshire Fish and Game on the dangers of hiking in the Whites need to be followed. Emily Sotelo had ZERO chance of completing her planned excursion in truly horrible weather conditions - thus the puzzled reaction by so many knowledgeable readers of her plight. Let's hope the warnings by NH Fish & Game are heeded - and followed.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

By
 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...
23 comments
Read more

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

By
  Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my   family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...
15 comments
Read more

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

By
 We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely.  I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby:  25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players.  and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...
1 comment
Read more