Saturday, February 22, 2025

Heroes of the Week (again!): NH Fish and Game Rescues 3 Mountain Hikers

It seems to be a thing in northern New England and in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Almost every week the heroes of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department are called upon to save winter time hikers and snowmobilers. This week, it's about how they saved 3 hikers on Mount Lincoln.
(File photo: Mount Lincoln. Credit: https://www.jamesjusthiking.com/2012-trip-reports/lincoln-falls-13-mount-lincoln-2) 

ABOUT MOUNT LINCOLN: Mount Lincoln is a 5,089-foot-high mountain within the Franconia Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Lincoln is located between Little Haystack and Mount Lafayette. All three overlook Franconia Notch.

 Three Mass. hikers rescued from dangerous snow in N.H.

“The group was fairly well prepared for winter conditions but lacked experience above treeline.”

By Dialynn Dwyer, Boston. com February 10, 2025 

Three hikers from Massachusetts were rescued Sunday in New Hampshire after they encountered whiteout conditions and suffered cold-related injuries, officials said.

Authorities received an SOS alert from a Garmin device in the area of Mount Lincoln around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement. Officials learned from the emergency contacts listed for the device that three men from Massachusetts embarked around 9 a.m. on a winter hike on the Falling Waters/Bridle Path Loop.

“Eventually it was learned from the group that they were experiencing whiteout conditions and suffering from cold related injuries, eventually stating [through] text that they needed help,” officials said. “Tracking of the device showed that they were slowly moving towards the summit of Mount Lafayette.”

Rescuers began hiking up the Old Bridle Path around 7:30 p.m., reaching the hikers around 9:10 p.m. just below the Greenleaf Hut. The rescuers and hikers returned back down to the trailhead around 10:20 p.m., officials said.

The hikers — a 24-year-old from Boston, a 24-year-old from Cambridge, and a 25-year-old from Boston — told rescuers that deep snow and whiteout conditions made it difficult for them to follow the trail and that they determined after going over Mount Lincoln that turning back wasn’t prudent with the conditions.

“Admittedly they panicked when they activated the SOS on their device but they knew it would take hours for rescuers to get to their location,” officials said. “The group was fairly well prepared for winter conditions but lacked experience above treeline. This was a training hike for Mount Washington which is now put on hold.”

New Hampshire authorities said the three men had Hike Safe cards, which generally protect hikers from having to pay for a rescue, even if they acted negligently.

Last week, two Massachusetts women were rescued from the upper slopes of Mount Washington after they became stranded in chest-deep snow and whiteout conditions.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Who I am

I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob

A Classic Country Music Station to Enjoy