Albert Dow III and the Granite Man Triathlon
Honoring a Local Hero’s Enduring Legacy
By Charlene Muscatell
Forty-three years ago this month, tragedy struck a local family and entire New Hampshire communities when beloved Albert Dow III perished on Mount Washington while searching for two lost hikers. Albert was profoundly mourned at only 28 years old as he was well-loved by family, friends, and many who knew him. He was a selfless man who often thought about the well-being of others. He was looked up to as a great friend, a professional mountain climber, a mentor, and a highly trusted companion to many.
From this tragedy, inspiration ensued. A scholarship, triathlon, novel, short film, and memorials have all been constructed in his name and in his honor. Search and rescue protocols were forever changed and a survivor who was inspired to do great things with a second chance at life innovated to improve the lives of many.
Born in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, and raised in a large house with much of his close-knit family in nearby Tuftonboro, Albert and his two sisters spent much time together with opportunities to develop different skills. Outdoor sports, such as ski racing and watching wildlife, were two of the Dow family's ever-present passions. Albert was no exception, and he excelled. He and his siblings were involved in ski racing at an early age. When Albert and his sister, Susan, were teenagers, they were both on ski racing teams traveling around the region for different competitions. In his college years, Albert was invited to try rock climbing, and he took to it naturally. He was part of the first wave of rock climbers in North Conway. Climbing even brought him out west to explore.
When Albert returned to New England, he began working for EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) as a climbing guide and enjoyed it greatly. As tech gear wasn’t as big as it is now, Albert actually favored his baby blue ski parka from his days at the Waterville Valley Trail Smashers Ski Club.
He became an extraordinary climber; some even called him “a ballerina on rocks.” He joined the Mountain Rescue Service in North Conway, not hesitating to help other climbers and hikers in need. “If I was in trouble, I hope someone would be out there looking for me,” he would often tell friends and family when they asked why he did it.
Albert’s beloved kind and heroic nature showed throughout his short life. He would often think of others, even when he was very young. Albert’s sister, Susan Dow Johnson, shares a story from when they were in grade school: “My brother befriended a couple of road workers through his lawn care service, and they would run into each other on the side of the road from time to time. Albert saw they were out working, and it was a hot day, so he asked our grandmother for a bucket of her famous lemonade and he brought it up to them with a couple of cups…they were cleaning up brush on the side of the highway near our home in Tuftonboro… He was always thinking of others.”
Albert's selfless nature went beyond people. One day, while traveling west to rock climb in Monument Valley, Albert, and his friend pulled over on the highway when he saw that a bald eagle had died. Growing up watching eagles and other wildlife with his family, as the Lakes Region is in the flyway for many species, Albert had a respect for birds of prey. Knowing that Bald Eagles were protected, he stayed with the animal and sent his friends off to the authorities. Laws protecting these birds are connected with Native American tribes, and because of this, only a Native Person can retrieve the animal. Because of his act of kindness, Albert was gifted with one of the eagle’s feathers wrapped in a red ribbon by the Natives as a thank-you for their respect.
Susan went on to talk about Albert's great sense of humor and that when he would take new climbers out, he would often make jokes. One day, he was climbing the slab on Whiteface, where it rounded out on top. He told the guy he was guiding to just walk the rest of the way, but he felt that it was too steep. Albert told the man, “I grew up in New England, where the kitchen floors are steeper than this rock.”
Hiking Mount Washington offers challenges and potential dangers all 12 months of the year, and the strongest hikers can potentially run into trouble. Mount Washington has the most extreme weather in the world; even with the best weather predictions and preparation, one must take caution and know when to turn around. Sometimes there is a strong need to reach that summit, especially when one feels well prepared to do so. Some decisions do not seem like mistakes until it is too late, especially with little experience in this type of decision-making. It is not only about your skills as a climber or hiker.
In late January of 1982, Hugh Herr, 17 years of age at the time, and Jeff Batzer (20) were climbing a technical route up Huntington Ravine on Mount Washington. As many who trek up this peak, they experienced an unexpected storm which turned into a blizzard. Dealing with minus-20 windchills and waist-to-chest-deep snow, they kept pushing for the summit. Once they had decided to change course, attempting to turn around, they headed the wrong way and started hiking off-trail. They were lost, could not see their way, and it was frigid. Eventually, they found shelter in a cave and hunkered down in hopes of warming up, waiting out the storm, or being rescued.
In the middle of the night, the New Hampshire Fish & Game and Search and Rescue services were notified of the missing climbers. Mountain Rescue Services in North Conway was also called in. Not knowing where the climbers could be, four teams of two, including Albert Dow, were deployed to different locations on the mountain. Albert and his teammate Michael Hartrich were higher up on the mountain than the others, near the Lions Head Trail, on day two of the search, when they spotted tracks in the snow. They followed the tracks until they were no longer visible, so they began their descent back down the mountain. By this time, some of the volunteers had started to suffer from severe hypothermia and frostbite.
Shortly after they started back down, a call came through the radio to the rest of the team with Michael yelling, “We have been avalanched.” A horrifying situation as the other search and rescue teams quickly reached their location and dug for the two buried under the snow. Michael was found alive with a hand he managed to push through the heavy snow. Tragically, Albert had been found struck by a tree, which broke his neck. He had already passed away.
Three days after the two men became lost, a MRS team finally discovered Batzer and Herr in their cave. They had suffered severe frostbite. Jeff lost fingers and part of a leg, while Hugh lost both of his legs. In the hospital recovering, Hugh and Jeff were visited by some of the search and rescue team members, who explained what had happened to Albert. Despite the many challenges this proved to be, their survival and the devastation by the news of Alberts’s sacrifice inspired Hugh Herr. Hugh felt obligated to push the boundaries for himself for Alberts’s memory and those in need. He is now a world-renowned developer of high-tech prosthetics at the MIT Media Lab, and he still climbs mountains to this day. Hugh often states how he feels forever connected to Albert. You can often find him giving inspiring speeches.
Since Albert’s death, Mountain Rescue Services has changed its protocols regarding how it runs its search and rescues and has also included worker’s compensation for volunteers. Albert was the first and only member of New Hampshire Search and Rescue to have been killed in the line of duty.
“The Mountain Rescue Service provides specialized technical teams comprised of world-class guides and climbers who volunteer their time and expertise in the service of hikers and climbers who need assistance in and around the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The team is ‘on call’ 24 hours per day, all seasons, with volunteers being mobilized for a full range of incidents: complicated multi-day and nighttime searches in the depth of winter throughout the White Mountain National Forest; technical rope rescues on the region’s many rock climbing cliffs; swift water rescue assistance; and lift evacuations at area ski resorts.”- Mountain Rescue Service at https://nhmrs.org.
Soon after Albert Dow’s passing, his family members who had moved away returned to New England. They realized how important family is and decided that being near each other was most important. A few of Albert’s close friends, adamant about doing something in Albert’s name to honor him, founded The Albert Dow III Scholarship, established at Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro that year. Local businessman Steve Flagg, owner of the Nordic Skier Bike and Ski shop, was one of those founders.
This scholarship aimed to raise funds for “an award recognizing a Kingswood High School Graduate who exemplifies unselfish devotion to the service of mankind. Albert Dow III gave the ultimate sacrifice, his life, in the mountain search and rescue of two complete strangers on January 25, 1982. The Scholarship Fund memorializes Albert’s heroic acts and outstanding life while seeking to inspire others with his service and selfless devotion.” www.thedowgroup.com. In the first year, a total of $500.00 was awarded.
The summer after Albert was killed, his family and the friends who founded the new scholarship in his name also created the first-ever Granite Man Triathlon in Wolfeboro to raise funds for the Albert Dow III scholarship fund. The Granite Man is a race including a .75-mile swim, a 15-mile bike ride, and a 4.2-mile run, making it a fitting memorial to Albert. With the exception of 2020, this triathlon has been held every summer since. To this day, Steve Flagg, the Dow sisters, and their children have been very involved in the triathlon.
In 2024, the 41st Annual Granite Man Triathlon had an estimated 230 participants. In 2025, the triathlon will be held on Saturday, August 16. Now in its 42nd year, the award has distributed nearly $250,000. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation currently manages the fund, which allocates approximately $10,000 annually. The triathlon is now a popular annual event that attracts participants from as far away as Europe.
“The Granite Man Triathlon was established in honor of Albert Dow, with proceeds initially funding a scholarship created in his name. Thanks to the success of the race over the years, the scholarship has now reached its funding goals.” - Lexey Austin (Wolfeboro Parks and Recreation).
Because of the popularity of the event and donations to the fund, the scholarship is now self-propelled and will be able to sustain itself moving forward. Susan Johnson and everyone involved feel that now that the scholarship is secure, the proceeds of this triathlon should be allotted to the Wolfeboro Parks and Rec department.
“Parks and Rec has been an absolutely wonderful partner and very involved...They even offer a kids' version of the race earlier in the summer...We decided to turn the proceeds over to those who helped us”- Susan Dow Johnson. Although the proceeds of the race will no longer contribute to the scholarship fund, the race continues to memorialize Albert’s life.
More than four decades later, his friends and family remember how selfless Albert was and keep his legacy alive in interviews and short films. Joe Lentini, Albert’s friend and MRS member who deployed Albert and the seven other volunteers that day, worked with Arc’teryx to create the short film “109 Below: A Fateful Rescue on Mount Washington” dedicated to this tragic story on Mount Washington that day and what changed for rescuers and the prosthetic industry in the aftermath.
“I keep coming back to how heroic Al was. This didn’t happen to him because he was paid to be up on that mountain. He did it because he cared so much for other people…And if he was still around, I suspect he’d still be doing it.” -Joe Lentini (The Morning Journal, 2002). The film was released in December of 2024 and can be found on YouTube.
As this article only touches on the surface of the events that unfolded for Albert and everyone involved in the rescue and what came after, you are encouraged to read Ty Gagne’s recently published novel “The Lions of Winter: Survival and Sacrifice on Mount Washington” which thoroughly and carefully pieces together the story, including riveting details of this harrowing tale.
Ty is well known for capturing countless perspectives and details in a story, bringing light and inspiration from tragic events sympathetically written in his previous novels “Where You’ll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova” and “The Last Traverse; Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites.”
“The Lions of Winter” has just been released and can be purchased at local bookstores.