On this date in hiking history: The first climbing death in America

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

The following is an excerpt from Ramble On: A History of Hiking.

During an extended tour of America, an Englishman named Frederick Strickland arrived at the Notch House on October 18, 1849, with the sole intention of standing atop Mount Washington. Strickland, a 29-year-old graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, was the second son of Sir George Strickland, a baron and long-time member of the British Parliament. Fatefully, just days before his arrival, an early-season snowstorm slammed into the White Mountains. A local newspaper reported that three feet of snow had fallen in the higher elevations during the storm. Despite stern warnings from Thomas Crawford and others, Strickland remained adamant about climbing the mountain. He purportedly told Crawford, the manager of the Notch House, that “I can walk where no horse could go.” He was also confident that he could make the entire round trip in just one day, and therefore took very few provisions with him. Although Crawford relented, he told Strickland that he wouldn’t risk the lives of his guide or his horses, and that they would turn around once they reached deep snow.

With that stipulation made clear, Strickland, his English companion and a guide set out on horseback from the Notch House on the following morning. As predicted, the group began to encounter deep snow as they proceeded above the treeline. By the time they arrived at Mount Pleasant (now Mount Eisenhower), the guide refused to proceed any further. Despite fresh warnings and further pleading from the guide and his traveling companion, Strickland chose to continue alone, on foot. His plan was to summit the mountain and then return to the Mount Washington House using the second Crawford Path, by then known as the Fabyan Path. Strickland was able to reach the summit, but became lost during his descent, likely after passing below the timberline. His frozen body was found two days later near the Ammonoosuc River. After failing to arrive at the Mount Washington House on the night of October 19th, Crawford organized search parties to ascend both trails. They easily found Strickland’s tracks in the snow and were able to follow them to his final resting place. It’s speculated that Strickland had fallen into the river at some point, as he had removed some of his clothes in a desperate attempt to keep from freezing. Strickland became the first person on record to perish on Mount Washington, and is quite likely the first climbing death in America.

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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.