# Alpine divorce—experience anybody? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 15, 2026, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457 "2026-03-15T09:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/61 "2026-03-16T03:29:59Z")
> [@aruvqan\_myers](#): > > and got laughed at I assume you got laughed at for having “too much”. I carry way more than that in my day pack at all times. 32 oz of water for an all day hike is often way too little so I would’ve laughed at you for that. I wouldn’t have really laughed, but that is way too little water depending on the circumstances. I also carry water purification tablets in my 1st aid kit and I have needed them. My wife has many times said “go on, don’t wait for me”, typically joking. I don’t do that. Same vice-versa when I broke my ankle. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/62 "2026-03-16T03:58:57Z")
My old neighbor, an avid hunter, made jokes about inviting the guy who got his 18-year-old daughter pregnant (and didn’t like him for other reasons) hunting, and - yeah, I told him that this is not something he should be joking about, for a gazillion different reasons. The daughter said she was not raped, and even if she had been raped, two wrongs don’t make a right. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/63 "2026-03-16T04:01:01Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Especially on [Mount Washington;](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_died_on_the_Presidential_Range) that mountain exacts a deadly tribute from those who attempt to conquer it. For sure. I’ve posted elsewhere about my climb up that mountain in August, during which the temperature dropped 40 degrees and sleet began to fall! (We turned around and did not attempt to summit.) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/64 "2026-03-16T04:09:25Z")
Here’s a thread where the story has been extensively discussed, on a true-crime website. The last post is in mid-January, and it appears that the 4-year-old will be permanently disabled. He also got in trouble for “tampering” with some medical equipment while the children were hospitalized. > **[UT – Micah Smith charged after kids survive freezing night lost in mountains;...](https://websleuths.com/threads/ut-%E2%80%93-micah-smith-charged-after-kids-survive-freezing-night-lost-in-mountains-also-accused-of-tampering-with-their-medical-equipment-11-oct-2025.756904/)** > > Are we going to freeze to death, daddy?’ Father of overdue hikers in Big Cottonwood Canyon charged with multiple counts of child torture > > This article has some very interesting tidbits, after reading it's hard not to wonder if he didn't WANT the... ---
**Author:** ![LouMa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/louma/32/19472_2.png) [@LouMa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouMa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/65 "2026-03-16T04:54:59Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > got the distinct feeling that a couple of freak incidents were being used as evidence of the callous evil of men in general. You might wish to read the OP to understand what this thread is about. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/66 "2026-03-16T10:31:33Z")
> [LouMa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/louma) > You might wish to read the OP to understand what this thread is about. I read it again at your insistence. Here is the relevant part: > My question: Has any of you ever had this kind of experience yourself, or witnessed it happen to friends or acquaintances? If so, how did you react? Would such a person also be taken to court in the US? A: I have not personally experienced one, nor have any friends of mine. While I would imagine it has happened here in the States, it hasn’t happened often enough or famously enough to have a name. I only heard the term myself the first time a couple weeks ago, under the circumstances I described. B: I would put this in the same category as Scott and Laci Peterson–terrible in its own right, but not really a popular new trend. Scott Peterson was in fact taken to court; spousal homicide is taken pretty seriously in the States. C: I stand by my view that a couple of freak incidents were being used as evidence of the callous evil of men in general. Hope this clears things up. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/67 "2026-03-16T12:16:56Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > C: I stand by my view that a couple of freak incidents were being used as evidence of the callous evil of men in general. I think this one bit might be better said as “… evil of men in general _on reddit and other social media_.” That’s explicitly not the intent of the OP here. Which they’ve pointed out to several of us upthread including me. I’m willing to take the OP at their word. What redditors are up to is a separate and unrelated matter. ---
**Author:** ![LouMa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/louma/32/19472_2.png) [@LouMa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouMa)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/68 "2026-03-16T13:16:28Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > That’s explicitly not the intent of the OP here. Which they’ve pointed out to several of us upthread including me. I’m willing to take the OP at their word. What redditors are up to is a separate and unrelated matter. Very much this. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan\_myers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@aruvqan\_myers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan_myers)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/69 "2026-03-16T13:18:16Z")
I put it to you, if you do not have room anywhere upon one’s person for a simple pack of cards sized emergency blanket, you should not be hiking away from people. You need to have the presence of mind to take at least minimal stuff to help survive in case of an accident. I mean if we could plan for absolutely everything, it wouldn’t be an ‘accident’ it would be an ‘on purpose’. Really, an ace bandage, firestriker/lighter, survival blanket, bottle of water and couple granola bars can fit in a freaking fanny pack. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan\_myers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@aruvqan\_myers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan_myers)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/70 "2026-03-16T13:22:20Z")
That’s ok, I lived in CT for a while, home of the chainsaw/woodchipper “Ct Divorce” ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/71 "2026-03-16T13:23:19Z")
> [@aruvqan\_myers](#): > > I put it to you Why? I have not advocated for or against any particular level of preparation. The thrust of my position in this thread is that people going unprepared or underprepared into nature and meeting harsh consequences happens all the time due poor planning and poor judgment. No malicious intent required. Moreover, when it happens to parties of two or more, sometimes the only thing you can do is leave distressed or injured companions behind and seek rescue. What made this case in Austria a crime, IMHO, was that rescue was offered, and refused by the more capable party, long after it became clear that rescue was appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/72 "2026-03-16T13:26:14Z")
Although it’s possible he was too far gone to be rational. I took a wilderness first aid class. The instructor presented us with a scenario of a man who is obviously suffering from hypothermia, and refuses aid. His advise was to discreetly follow the man, because once he passes out consent to aid is presumed by the law. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/73 "2026-03-16T13:28:41Z")
[Here’s a so-called alpine divorce](https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/retired-dayton-nurse-father-missing/4JC9hfcRPAh43U587wTx6L/) from a while back (2010). Becky Huffman went hiking with her 92yo father, the Rev. Thomas Hamilton. They went astray and lost, and as they were not expecting to overnight, they were unprepared for the cold night, although she was much heavier and thus better ‘insulated.’ She would end up leaving her father to get help. Even though she was lost she gave a very descriptive drawing of the place where she had left him. Park rangers who were very familiar with the area had no idea of such a structure, but they went looking for Dad. Could not find him, and it was over a year before his remains were discovered. The structure she had detailed didn’t exist, possibly a delusion from hypothermia or a pareidolia false memory. No foul play was suspected. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/74 "2026-03-16T13:31:56Z")
How about this: on our honeymoon, we went hiking in the forest in the Adirondacks, decided to climb to the top of a (rather small) mountain. It turned out to be a hotter day than I thought, so husband decided to go on ahead, and I would sit and wait on a log off the trail. So I’m sitting there alone when I hear crashing noises from down the trail. I was sitting there in my camisole trying to cool off and there are two men tromping right towards me. (Talk about ‘would I pick the man or the bear?!’) I kind of hid in the bushes and they went right past me. …. Nothing happened, but I was pretty shaken up. Husband came back in half an hour and reported nothing to see at the top of the mountain but a lot of trash. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/75 "2026-03-17T00:18:03Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The OP is European. Perhaps the term is historically common over there and has recently jumped into US usage via Reddit _et al_ with news of this Austrian case. No, not historically common. The mere concept of **divorce** is historically uncommon in trad. Alpine countries. Never heard the term **Alpenscheidung** before, and I am of alpine origin ---
**Author:** ![LouMa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/louma/32/19472_2.png) [@LouMa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouMa)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/76 "2026-03-17T05:07:25Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > Never heard the term **Alpenscheidung** before, and I am of alpine origin In the OP you can find the origin of Alpine divorce. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/77 "2026-03-17T06:23:21Z")
> [@LouMa](#): > > In the OP you can find the origin of Alpine divorce. In the linked post you can see the question he was answering. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/78 "2026-03-22T06:59:54Z")
We had an attempt here in Hawaii. "HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The attempted murder trial of Gerhardt Konig began this week with prosecutors and defense attorneys presenting conflicting accounts of a violent confrontation on the Pali Puka Trail last March. Konig, 47, a Maui anesthesiologist, is accused of attacking his wife, Arielle, during a birthday hike on Oahu. Evidence released on the first day of trial included a photo of Arielle Konig with her head and face covered in blood. Prosecutors say Konig tried to push his wife off the trail, tried to stab her with a syringe and hit her multiple times with a jagged rock." He ran off and was tracked down after a manhunt. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/79 "2026-03-22T21:24:32Z")
Should we be worried about a Death Pool Champ who’s reporting on various failed murders? Maybe there’s one he got away with? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457/80 "2026-03-22T22:33:55Z")
Nah. Hawaii is pretty boring in regard to reporting, “If it bleeds, it leads” stories. What passes for _lurid_ here is just “Saturday night” in a lot of big cities. Something like this Maui doctor pops off the pages here. Let me assure you that I have never pushed anyone off a crater rim into a pool of lava … that I can recall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alpine-divorce-experience-anybody/1028457.md?page=5)