The last two weekends saw several hikers requiring rescue from mountain ranges in the White Mountains, New Hampshire.
Last weekend, on Saturday, October 25, over 20 hikers were evacuated from the summit of Mount Washington. Many of those who made it to the top that day assumed that they could catch a shuttle back to the base and were unaware that it was already finished running for the season, meaning the only way down was on foot.
Luckily, the operators of the Mount Washington Cog Railway were able to get up to the peak and rescue the hikers. According to a statement by Andy Vilaine, Assistant General Manager at Mount Washington Cog Railway, many of the hikers were hypothermic and were not dressed or equipped for the conditions. “A few indicated it was their first hike ever,” Vilaine shared in his statement in which he warned that “summits at or certainly above 4,000 feet have full winter conditions. This should come as a surprise to no one.” He added, “Please don’t become a statistic and do your research before venturing out. If you are headed up tomorrow, the weather conditions will be comparable to today. Hike Mount Washington like it is any one of the other 48 peaks.”
It is not the first rescue in the region this month—the prior weekend, on Sunday, October 19, a hiker needed to be rescued near Lincoln, New Hampshire. Around 6:00 p.m., the hiker called rescue services as he was lost. While just below the summit of Little Haystack Mountain, the hiker explained that he had no food, water, or light. With a storm system moving in and it getting dark, the hike needed help getting back to the trailhead. A conservation officer arrived about two hours later with food, water, and light and by 10:00 p.m., both the hiker and the conservation officer made it back to the trailhead without injury.
The rescue was not the first from the area this year. In April, two hikers required rescue from just below Little Haystack Mountain. While these hikers were prepared for winter conditions, both fell into Lincoln Brook soaking their clothes and putting themselves in danger of hypothermia. Help did eventually arrive with dry clothes and after some time warming up both the hikers and the rescue team were able to make it back down to the trailhead. Unfortunately, that same weekend, another hiker in the area went missing and was found a couple of days later deceased.
The White Mountains have some of the harshest and most unpredictable weather in the country. If you are going to explore them, New Hampshire Fish and Game suggests bringing these “ten essential items: warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, knife, map and compass.” Regardless of how prepared you are though, know your limits and be prepared to return to the trailhead or call evacuation if need be.
