The hike description and history of the Crown Point B-17 Airplane Crash Site in north-central Colorado is among the most-visited pages on the ColoradoHikingtrails.net web site. However the history of the crash on the site was a little questionable, as it was recounted to me by a trail guide at the crash site (and my memory for details is not what it used to be). Recently I received an email from the son of Max Weiner. Max was a survivor of the crash. Of the 10 crew members on board, four died, three were seriously injured and three, including Mr. Weiner, had lesser injuries. He was ordered to keep the injured as comfortable as possible while the other 2 went to look for help.
Max's son had attempted to hike to the crash site with his father in June 1997, but regrettably didn't make it as Beaver Creek was impassable due to very heavy snow run off that year. (His son did return in 1998, without his father, and made it to the crash site, a trip he says he'll never forget. (Regrettably Max Weiner passed away shortly after his son's 1998 trip.)
Now to the part about the web being a wonderful thing: Max's son found the ColoradoHikingtrails.net hike description while searching the web, and contacted me to provide me with some corrections and additions to the history of the crash. Through the power of the web (and search engines), we have a medium that connects perfect strangers on opposite sides of the country to share a common bond. Were it not for the web, I would know nothing about Max Weiner and his son. But due to the good fortune of a well-placed search, we were both able to exchange valuable information, and for me the Crown Point B-17 Crash Site now has a human element to it, and is not just wreckage on a hillside. The web is a wonderful thing!
