Climbing
During the overnight hours of February 2 and 3, multiple agencies and search and rescue teams worked together to rescue two hikers stranded in whiteout conditions on the upper reaches of Mount Washington, New Hampshire.
Shortly after 6:00 p.m. on the evening of February 2, NH Fish and Game was contacted after 911 received a call regarding hikers who were lost off trail adjacent to the Jewell Trail on Mount Washington. Authorities quickly learned that Kathryn McKee, 51, of Fayville, Massachusetts, and Beata Lelacheur, 54, of Westborough, Massachusetts, were stuck in very deep snow at about 5,000 feet on Mt. Washington. After plotting GPS coordinates provided by 911, it was determined the two were only 34 feet from the trail. A Conservation Officer was able to speak to them via cell phone and directed them toward the trail.
Over the next two hours, McKee and Lelacheur fought through chest-deep snow and “spruce traps” (holes created in the snow underneath trees) to regain the trail. They ended up on the trail several times but could not follow it because it had been erased by wind and blowing snow. After multiple attempts and calls with Fish and Game, the pair huddled up in the snow to keep warm and awaited assistance.
By 8:30 p.m., Fish and Game began to conduct a scale rescue operation. At the time, weather conditions at the summit of Mt. Washington included temperatures of -2 degrees Fahrenheit and sustained winds of 50–60 mph, often gusting significantly higher. Mount Washington State Park was contacted, and their snowcat was readied to bring rescuers to the summit. Personnel from Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) and members of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Advanced Search and Rescue Team were called in to respond to the mountain and attempt the rescue. By 10:30 p.m., rescuers arrived at the Mount Washington Auto Road and prepared their gear.
The State Park’s snowcat started up the mountain at 11:00 p.m. with nine skilled rescuers, arriving at the summit just before midnight. The crews ventured into whiteout conditions and snowshoed through deep, wind-blown snow toward the top end of the Jewell Trail below the summit of Mt. Clay. By 1:20 a.m., crews were approaching the last known location of the two hikers but had not yet made contact. The only way to locate the trail was through GPS navigation, and progress was slow due to the tremendous effort required to break a trail in the deep snow.
At 1:50 a.m., rescue crews successfully located the two hikers. Both were alive and coherent but suffering from cold weather injuries. Crews immediately set up emergency shelters and began to warm both of the hikers. The warming process took an hour, but by approximately 3:00 a.m., the hikers could move on their own, and the group continued down the Jewell Trail toward the base station of the Cog Railway.
At approximately 4:15 a.m., the rescue party and the hikers safely reached the base station of the Cog Railway, where both hikers were evaluated by Twin Mountain Ambulance staff. One of the hikers was transported by ambulance to Littleton Regional Hospital for further evaluation and treatment of cold weather injuries. Authorities then worked with the Twin Mountain Fire Department and State Police Troop F to arrange transportation for the rescuers back to Mt. Washington to retrieve their vehicles. Personnel finally cleared this mission just after 7:00 a.m.
Both hikers were found to be prepared with various gear. They also possessed Hike Safe cards and were extremely grateful for the efforts made on their behalf.
This incident exemplifies the need to prepare for the unexpected. Both hikers were prepared and had winter hiking experience but encountered unforeseen conditions. Had they not had the amount of gear that they had with them, it is unlikely that they would have survived until rescuers reached them.
NH Fish and Game would like to thank the many men and women who made this rescue successful. They included personnel from Mount Washington State Park, Mountain Rescue Service, Twin Mountain Fire and Rescue, and New Hampshire State Police Troop F Dispatch.
