A Speakers Quest - Professional Speakers Bureau Presents: Dr. Bernie Dahl

Dr. Bernie Dahl's

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Dr. Dahl Shares His Misadventure!
Keynote speaker and consultant, Dr. Bernie Dahl welcomes you to this web site, where he shares with you the events of his misadventure, including the story of being lost on the mountain, the successful use of his cellular telephone, his dramatic rescue, and the subsequent reenactment which was filmed by The Discovery Channel Network for its Storm Force series on The Learning Channel. Feel free to browse the site to learn more about what happened.

The Story is More than this Site
This web site relates the tale... but the feeling, the inspiration, and the motivation behind the story comes from Dr. Dahl himself. An experienced speaker for many years, Dr. Dahl has served as a keynote speaker for public and private groups and as well as for professional organizations. He has spoken on a variety of subjects and has been working to relate his inspirational tale of near-death on Mt. Washington to people everywhere.

Dr. Dahl is available:

As a keynote speaker for your professional organization

As a public speaker for your public or private group

As a speaker for workshops, seminars, and presentations which are: motivational, inspirational, entertaining,interactive, and adaptable to a wide range of audiences

Dr. Dahl is a Board-certified physician/pathologist and entrepreneur who has successfully applied unique principles of organizational design and dynamics (with a focus on synergy) and leadership skills (with a focus on strategic planning) to a wide range of professional and business ventures. He has functioned as a keynote speaker/public speaker in many capacities on a number of subjects.

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, 23 October 1999

It was truly a “dark and stormy night”,
perhaps the darkest and stormiest night of my life,
for I came within minutes of death...my death.
As a pathologist for almost 30 years I had developed
a close professional relationship with “death and dying”
...but not with my dying...certainly not with my death.

The Plan: It was quite simple: a one-day hike in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire. The goal was to test effects of not “carbo-loading” before and during a strenuous eight to ten hours hike. It is amazing what energy one can derive from just a quarter-pound each of sliced turkey and mozzarella cheese.

The Hike: It was a rainy and cool Fall day when I started out solo from the Pinkham Notch camp of the Appalachian Mountain Club. My clothing and pack we geared for a rainy and windy day, not for high winds, snow, and sub-freezing temperatures. The original plan was to hike up Tuckerman’s Ravine, but was changed to a hike up Lion’s Head Trail, across the relatively flat Alpine Garden Trail to the Auto Road and then down the rather lengthy and meandering Auto Road. At the junction with Huntington Ravine I saw a sign indicating that I should turn left to reach the Auto Road, only 0.3 miles further. Soon this ordeal would be over.

The “Hunkering Down:” However, as I turned to the left I was now heading into the shifting and increasing wind. I noticed that the cairns were wider and higher and spaced closer and closer together. Soon the increasing wind and snow developed into a “whiteout” and I could not see the next cairn. It was about 3:30 PM so a “hunkered down” in a pocket in the snow adjacent to a large cairn and climbed into my aluminized “space blanket” fabric bivvy sac. Then I realized that I had my cell phone with me... the first time I had ever taken it on a hike. It worked and I completed a series of 911 calls to share my location and status. Then I simply waited. I assumed that a rescue team would simply arrive in a 4-wheel vehicle via the Auto Road. Little did I know, for the Auto Road had recently been closed and left unplowed and the snow-cat was not yet ready for winter service.

The Crisis: From within my cocoon I could hear that the wind was increasing and I could feel the weight of the snow as it covered my body. I became concerned that my body would be so covered with snow that I would not be seen by the rescuers, so I slowly and carefully inched my way up onto the surface of the new-fallen snow. As I opened the end of my cocoon, my bivvy sac, to peek out, a gust of wind filled the sac, tore it partially, but worst of all, wrenched it from my body and hurdled it towards Huntington Ravine. Now it was me, in my late fall hiking outfit against weather that can be “the worst recorded weather on Earth.” I had no additional survival gear in my pack, and the day had turned into night. My hope was that the rescuers would come soon, but this hope was blunted by reality of the situation, heavy snow and 85 to 90 mile per hour winds, with gusts to 98 miles per hour!

The next five hours passed by very very slowly. I made one desperate attempt to “make a run for the Auto Road," but I could not marshal the strength to climb in the deepened snow and against the wind. More than ever. I increased my isometric exercising to develop heat, but soon my muscles became weak, painful, and spastic. There was some prayers, some bargaining with God, some promises made to live a better Christian life... to be more tolerant, more loving, more forgiving... should I survive. Eventually, however, I finally gave up and simply prepared to die. Now there was even more time to think.

Anticipating Death: As I lay dying, the process was not as morose as I might have expected. There was no self-pity, no anger, and no tears. Having enjoyed a full, advantaged, successful, and exciting life, albeit a bit frenetic, I had only a few regrets. The greatest regret was in leaving my wife Elaine... for this small hike on Mt. Washington may have evolved into a very selfish act. As a pied-piper of strategic planning, I have always updated and implemented my life’s plans. Having great accountants and attorneys, I had kept my financial data and will up-to-date and backed-up. I had maintained great plans...preparation for life, but was I prepared to die? This experience... this real-life brush with death, would suggest so. Above all, was I about to learn first-hand the great mystery of Life, Death?

Fees:
Keynote: $3,500
Add-on 1/2 day workshop: $3,000 (each)

Plus travel expenses.

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