Lost on Sandwich Dome, New Hampshire

Editor's note: Sandwich Dome is 3,957-foot summit in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.

Greg:

In 1987 I coaxed my then 81-year-old dad to a microphone and, though I introduce the piece, he related the story of our making a family climb of Sandwich Dome on August 30, 1954, completely oblivious to the proximity of Hurricane Carol.

The story did make the Manchester Union Leader a day later and I believe is pasted up in some photo album of my now 70 year old brother Keith, who was 14 at the time - but an Eagle Scout.

"Pinemont" is the family summer cottage that sits high on a hill overlooking Scobie Pond (on some maps, "Haunted Lake") in Francestown, New Hampshire. We'd stay at least a week each summer, during which these mountain climbs would occur.

My brothers, (Keith and Warren) having left Dad and me to attain the summit, apparently, on their way back down to us, mistakenly began following the trail markers of some old, discontinued trail, and as far as we can piece together, this old trail took them from the Dome summit across to an adjacent summit, all in the building winds and torrential downpour of a now fully arrived Hurricane Carol. Spending much of a wild night under a large pine, they made their way down in the morning and, presenting themselves at the first farm house they came to, are supposed to have said, "We're the Humphreys boys...you may be looking for us."

Play the tape (This will take you to a new page - hit your "back" button to return. )

Nat Humphreys (the 5 year old in the story)
Augusta, Georgia