Maura Murray

"The only sensible policy is to ignore any claim that is not accompanied by an individual willing to put their personal identity and reputation at st[ake]."

Police have confidential informants and anonymous tip lines ...

Not Without Peril wrote:

Could someone explain James' latest post? He states as follows:
"[S]omeone ...[emailed] me coordinates .... Depending on how you interpret the info, the coordinates lead to a small section off a hiking path, or half-way up the face of a mountain..... Whoever sent this would like us to believe this is where Maura's body is located."
He then has an image of the email, apparently sent from an email spoofer, with this: 44N 06' 10.0" 71W 27' 29.0"
From the email, I got these coordinates: 44.102778,-71.458056.
1) How is the information ambiguous?
2) Assuming that it is, what is the contrary interpretation?
Thanks.
PS -- I think it's very likely that a troll sent James the info. But it's absolutely worth checking out, in my opinion.

I am sure this is total horseshit but there is no ambiguity. Those coordinates all mark the same location. It is on the north ridge of Mt Carrigain on Desolation Trail at the 3000 foot mark. I'll say this again. Total horseshit. I know that area very well. No one carried a body up that ridge. Now that mark is off of the trail but that might be because no one stated what these coordinates Datum is. They might be in NAD27 and not WGS84 which is what most current programs use while most of the paper maps are in NAD27. That can result in errors usually of a few meters but can be as little as zero and up to 100 meters in worst case.

And no, I haven't read renners post. I find him....to be a moron primarily out for maximum drama and highest visibility. Anything to promote his book, regardless of how absurd the statement.

Bill

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

I'd like to welcome Benji, and Not Without Peril to be hung in effigy until their capture.

For those who might be coordinate challenged:

http://acme.com/mapper2/...

Bill

More than likely another Wild goose chase......Certainly wouldn't waste time or energy w/o more solid proof something even exist.

IMHO..........Goose chase up a Mountain..!

John Smith

Not Without Peril wrote:

OK, I just Googled the coordinates as stated in the email, and Google Maps has the point directly on Wilderness trail. Here is a URL to my Google search: http://goo.gl/AmluF8

WTH-the-original wrote:

For those who might be coordinate challenged:
http://acme.com/mapper2/...
Bill

That's a great tool. Thanks very much.

Thanx Bill.....

Maybe Renner could save time and have someone dropped in by chopper to the exact coordinates. Just a thought..! Ha

John Smith

WTH-the-original wrote:

For those who might be coordinate challenged:
http://acme.com/mapper2/...
Bill

In light of your information, Bill, i believe that my first post was correct and the Google search should be ignored.

Det Columbo wrote:

More than likely another Wild goose chase......Certainly wouldn't waste time or energy w/o more solid proof something even exist.
IMHO..........Goose chase up a Mountain..!
John Smith
<quoted text>

I believe that you are almost certainly correct. Nevertheless, I think that it should be looked into.

Not Without Peril wrote:

In light of your information, Bill, i believe that my first post was correct and the Google search should be ignored.

The Google search is absolutely incorrect. It is hard when they (Google) don't tell you what form the coordinates should be in for a search in their program. I checked both sets of coordinates in the two different formats and they both point to the same location on the Acme mapper program. I can tell you know. I will warn anyone who plans on making this trip better be prepared and in very good shape. This is no easy day hike no matter what route you go by.

Bill

Sorry, it should state. "I can tell you now. I will warn anyone...."

Bill

WTH-the-original wrote:

<quoted text>
I am sure this is total horseshit but there is no ambiguity. Those coordinates all mark the same location. It is on the north ridge of Mt Carrigain on Desolation Trail at the 3000 foot mark. I'll say this again. Total horseshit. I know that area very well. No one carried a body up that ridge. Now that mark is off of the trail but that might be because no one stated what these coordinates Datum is. They might be in NAD27 and not WGS84 which is what most current programs use while most of the paper maps are in NAD27. That can result in errors usually of a few meters but can be as little as zero and up to 100 meters in worst case.
And no, I haven't read renners post. I find him....to be a moron primarily out for maximum drama and highest visibility. Anything to promote his book, regardless of how absurd the statement.
Bill

A Navy boat on the Saco River confirms that the only thing at the coordinates in question is a belated bounce from the Londonderry ping. Keep up the good work, Renner! Jackass.

I'll make one more comment about that area. The reason I know it so well is it is one of the most isolated, less traveled, more difficult areas to get to. I am certain that this asshole picked this specifically for that reason. He has probably never been there, but imagines, and is correct by the way, some of the computer weenies here, trying to get to that area where there is nothing but thick spruce and rocky boulder trails and imagines them struggling through and probably getting themselves hurt and maybe even lost. Certainly getting themselves in over their heads. If you have never hiked in the Whites, this is NOT the area you want to start. This is more of a multi-day camping trip, not a hiking trip. The people that might be able to do this as a hiking trip already know what they are getting themselves in for. If that isn't you, then it is a camping trip, by people who know what its like to camp in the Whites. Oh, and I will also mention that the campsite listed on the map is long gone. Been removed years ago. Any camping you would do is back-country camping. Total self sufficiency for however many days you might be there. Expect, no cell signal, to see no people, and expect no help if you get in trouble.

Bill

If James thinks this information is so important and thinks someone should hike up the mountain to look why doesn't he climb it himself instead of putting someone elses life in jeopardy? Besides it's good exercise for him.
Hope if he does find someone they have the sense to wait till the ice melts and it dries a bit more. We recently had a young man fall about 600 feet down MT Adams when an ice ledge let go, He crawled quite a distance to get help but he survived.

WTH-the-original wrote:

<quoted text>
I will warn anyone who plans on making this trip better be prepared and in very good shape. This is no easy day hike no matter what route you go by.
Bill

Not to mention that Sawyer River Road, the trailhead that is used to climb Mt. Carrigain, is closed even now due to snow:

"Winter Access Notes: Mt. Carrigain is generally climbed via Sawyer River Road and the Signal Ridge Trail in winter.

Road Access Notes: Sawyer River Road generally closes in November or December and reopens in April or May. A winter lot, not always plowed, is located at the end of Sawyer River Road, just off US 302."

"Sawyer River Rd (FR 34) Saco Closed updated 11/26/2013"

Hiking report from April 6th:

"Parking/Access Road Notes: Rt 302 lot badly rutted; only two other vehicles besides mine

Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes

Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Skis

Comments: Got late start for pm grid solo. Met two others near bottom who said that Signal Ridge switchbacks were sketchy when they encountered icy surfaces sloping across trails in morning. By the the time I reached the ridge, icy crust had softened, but a slip off the north side of the ridge could be fatal, so traction warranted. Summit tower still had a fair bit of rime, which was melting off quickly. New steps and decking spiffy."

Here is a link to trail reports for February from 2010 to present: http://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/peak...

You need snowshoes/skis to hike this trail, and most people don't take the much more remote Desolation Trail in the winter, which is described as rocky, steep and difficult. As Bill said, nobody would be carrying a body on this trail. Adding snowshoes/skis to the theory that Maura hiked to the top of a mountain to die seems really far-fetched to me, especially going AROUND the mountain she would be apparently aiming for, adding miles and difficulty to her objective, when she could get to the top more quickly and easily, with less miles to snowshoe, from the Signal Ridge Trail, used by all of the winter hikers. Add in some extra miles for Sawyer River Road being closed, and I would say that the person who sent Renner the email was looking to send some poor soul on a wild goose chase on one of the more difficult trails in the White Mountains.

BTW, if it wasn't obvious, the person posting as me using a proxy in other countries wasn't me. I haven't posted since a week ago Saturday.

WTH-the-original wrote:

I'll make one more comment about that area. The reason I know it so well is it is one of the most isolated, less traveled, more difficult areas to get to. I am certain that this asshole picked this specifically for that reason. He has probably never been there, but imagines, and is correct by the way, some of the computer weenies here, trying to get to that area where there is nothing but thick spruce and rocky boulder trails and imagines them struggling through and probably getting themselves hurt and maybe even lost. Certainly getting themselves in over their heads. If you have never hiked in the Whites, this is NOT the area you want to start. This is more of a multi-day camping trip, not a hiking trip. The people that might be able to do this as a hiking trip already know what they are getting themselves in for. If that isn't you, then it is a camping trip, by people who know what its like to camp in the Whites. Oh, and I will also mention that the campsite listed on the map is long gone. Been removed years ago. Any camping you would do is back-country camping. Total self sufficiency for however many days you might be there. Expect, no cell signal, to see no people, and expect no help if you get in trouble.
Bill

They have no idea Bill. If they were smart they would heed your warning. Some people just have to experience it for themselves before they will believe something.

WTH-the-original wrote:

I'll make one more comment about that area. The reason I know it so well is it is one of the most isolated, less traveled, more difficult areas to get to. I am certain that this asshole picked this specifically for that reason. He has probably never been there, but imagines, and is correct by the way, some of the computer weenies here, trying to get to that area where there is nothing but thick spruce and rocky boulder trails and imagines them struggling through and probably getting themselves hurt and maybe even lost. Certainly getting themselves in over their heads. If you have never hiked in the Whites, this is NOT the area you want to start. This is more of a multi-day camping trip, not a hiking trip. The people that might be able to do this as a hiking trip already know what they are getting themselves in for. If that isn't you, then it is a camping trip, by people who know what its like to camp in the Whites. Oh, and I will also mention that the campsite listed on the map is long gone. Been removed years ago. Any camping you would do is back-country camping. Total self sufficiency for however many days you might be there. Expect, no cell signal, to see no people, and expect no help if you get in trouble.
Bill

By your remarks - it is crystal clear that perusing this "lead" is very dangerous and is best left to authorities. Furthermore, that it is dangerous to assume that it should be handled by anyone other than law enforcement, due to the dangerous nature of the journey.

It is also clear that only an experienced hiker would have made such a discovery, and I gather that, if this were the situation at all, the hiker would be inclined to immediately contact authorities upon their return. The first thought would not be to send an anonymous email to James Renner instead of contacting the authorities.

Maruchan wrote:

<quoted text>
Not to mention that Sawyer River Road, the trailhead that is used to climb Mt. Carrigain, is closed even now due to snow:

Yes it is and expect that it will be closed for quite a while still. That is not the approach I would take for this trip even in summer. I have climbed Mt Carrigain and it was a tough climb. I would use the trailhead at the Lincoln woods trailhead and go in that way. Its a long approach but a lot of it is easy walking. Fairly flat and easy going for about 3 miles. I have repeatedly done those first three miles in one hour. My normal speed for full pack on flat terrain like that. You could go in by Ceder Brook trail but that is going to be much, much rougher. Eventually the trail gets narrower and starts the climb after the start of Desolation trail after passing Stillwater and that is going to be pretty rough. When I said no camping I mean that the shelter listed on the map near Stillwater is long gone so tent or tarp camping will be mandatory unless you are someone who sleeps under the stars. Sound romantic, doesn't it? Usually it sucks. Profoundly sucks. Maybe three nights a year someone would enjoy sleeping under the stars so bring a tent or a tarp and sleeping bag and you might also enjoy an air mattress as well. Bring food, water and way to clean your water so you don't get Giardia or other parasites from the water. Again, always remember you are hours/days from any type of help. This should drive everything you do and how you do it. Again, this "clue" is another horseshit offering from renner and of absolutely no use. He vetts nothing, just sends people scurrying around because someone sends him bullshit. NOT WHAT REAL JOURNALISTS DO.

Bill

Benji wrote:

<quoted text> The first thought would not be to send an anonymous email to James Renner instead of contacting the authorities.

A real journalist wouldn't even post such a thing. HE WOULD PASS IT OVER TO THE AUTHORITIES. REAL JOURNALISTS KNOW THIS.

Maybe you could tell him. I don't have enough respect for him to teach him his job.

Bill