I decided to write because I feel the ridicule and the sarcastic jabs directed at Ellen and Sally were unwarranted and, frankly, in poor taste.
Let me preface everything by saying that I know Ellen personally and have hiked with her in the past, including in snow. In addition, I am connected with Ellen on social media, where I follow her adventures through the pictures she posts and the trip reports she writes. This is a person who gets out on a regular basis, doing some of the most demanding routes in Southern California. She is highly respected in the local hiking community for her strength, experience and the willingness to share information that many of us have relied on to plan our own trips. I do not know Sally except by reputation, however she and Ellen are constant companions on outings, meaning they share a lot of experience and have built a strong bond as a team.
It is clear to anyone even remotely familiar with these two women that their decision to call for a rescue was not a spurious one, nor does it have anything to do with irresponsible use of the SPOT. They found themselves in a situation where their current physical and mental states did not allow them to either descend the same way, or continue up to connect to with the intended easier descent route. This was due to a combination of unexpectedly difficult conditions and some bad judgment (more on this below). Maybe they just had a crappy day and were exhausted earlier than anticipated. We've all had those days. They could have spent the night and tried to descend the following morning, but correctly assessed that doing so would only result in further deterioration, including loss of confidence, and could have become a much more dangerous incident. Therefore, the decision to call for help was the right one given the situation. To accuse these women of being unprepared amateurs looking for thrills beyond their skill level is simply a pathetic attempt at publicly shaming them.
That said, there are a few important aspects of the story, as reported, that I find unsettling. I fully subscribe to the view, shared by most here, that one should always be able to reverse one's route, or try everything to figure a way down safely. I don't think anyone wants to find themselves trapped in a situation where the only way out is an evacuation. But people sometimes take a course of action that escalates to the point where it becomes a matter of life and death. To err is human. That doesn't mean Ellen and Sally need to be castigated or ridiculed for having recognized their predicament too late.
1. I agree that they should have turned around earlier, when a downclimb was potentially easier. Ellen has done Register Ridge so many times she's lost count, in all seasons. Not an excuse, but it could very well be a case where one finds surprisingly difficult conditions at the beginning of a familiar route, is lured psychologically into continuing by hoping things get easier further on, and finds themselves exhausted and unable to go up or down. Not the first or last time this happens. Yes, it's hard to admit defeat. Yes, they kept going beyond the point where retreat was an option. Between the effort of breaking trail, desire to persevere and a less than stellar day for the body, failure to identify the point of no return is not unheard of. Once that point was passed, they were able to rationalize their remaining options and decided a rescue was best. I commend them for good judgment there, even if lapses occurred previously.
2. I don't believe that having two SPOT devices engendered a sense of complacency on their behalf. Again, these are highly experienced individuals fully aware of their surroundings and abilities. They don't take being rescued lightly, so the fact that they pushed the button meant they truly felt it was a matter of life and death. Ellen and Sally have completed hundreds of other difficult hikes, some in adverse weather conditions, without incident.
3. Ellen and Sally are hikers and not necessarily mountaineers. This is an important distinction. They don't set out to climb challenging alpine routes, but they do look for challenging hiking routes. When those routes warrant more technical gear such as crampons and axe, they are prepared - as was the case here. It is very possible that they got in over their heads on Register Ridge because they weren't necessarily approaching it from a mountaineering perspective. They were also not benefiting from anyone else's beta on that route. When you're the first to go up something that may have been changed significantly by weather, you are taking more risks by default. Ellen and Sally gambled, coming out at the losing end this time. Again, to err is human.
I wrote this novel-length comment because I don't believe it's fair to judge Ellen and Sally solely by the bad decisions in the incident at hand (which had a happy ending by the way, and which they were not afraid to describe in their own words so that we all learn something from it). As respected fellow outdoor enthusiasts, they are not just hapless victims.
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