The death Saturday of a woman caught in an early-season storm while hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail near Truckee makes Steve Twomey shiver.
And it makes him want to tell everyone something he and other Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team members teach in survival classes: "Cotton kills."
Common cotton garb — t-shirts, jeans and sweatshirts — "is cold when wet, wicks body heat away and takes forever to dry," Twomey said.
Wearing it can be a fatal mistake in changeable weather.
Synthetics dry more quickly than cotton, he said, and wool is good because it's warm when wet.
Fall in the high Sierra — where it was warm and sunny before and after Friday's storm — is notoriously changeable, Twomey said and "you have to be prepared."
The victim and her hiking partners "were wearing cotton clothing," he said. "We've found other people who had been out all night in storms and they were fine because they had on the right clothing."
Twomey was one of 11 nordic team members who assisted the Placer County Sheriff's Department in the search. The woman's friends survived but were in various stages of hypothermia.
While the woman's death is presumed to have been caused by exposure to the elements, an autopsy will be performed, said Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Rob Dellinger.
The four had been hiking the high-country trail in pleasant weather for a week when it turned to rain, high winds, snow flurries and freezing temperatures Friday night.
The woman who died, 62-year-old Phyllis Hall, somehow became separated from her friends during the rainstorm Friday evening, Twomey said..
Twomey urges hikers and skiers heading into the backcountry to check weather and road conditions. Survival tips are available on the team's website, www.tahoenordicsar.com.
Among the clothing tips:
• Dress for changeable weather and bring more clothes than you think you need for layering.
• A wicking layer should pass moisture away from the skin. Polypropylene or wool undergarments provide a dry layer next to the skin for more warmth. Cotton is cold when wet and very slow to dry.
• An insulating (middle) layer of polyester pile, fiberfill, wool, thinsulate or other such materials will provide warmth and dry quickly. Down is a good insulator, but unprotected down will wet quickly and is slow to dry.
• A protective outer layer will keep wind, rain and snow out. Rain gear should have a hood and should be large enough to fit over all one's clothes. A wool or polar-fleece hat is a must, as 40 to 75 percent of body heat is lost through the head.
• Mittens are warmer than gloves. To keep hands warm and dry even in extremely cold weather, wear polypropylene liners underneath mittens and carry a pair of waterproof overmitts.
• Feet need layers, too. A liner, then a thick wool sock and correctly fitted boots keep feet warm and comfortable and prevent boot friction. Also wear or carry gaitors, especially if snow is possible.
