Rescuers brave ‘life-threatening' conditions to help hurt hiker on NH mountain

Miami Herald

07-04-2025

A large team of rescuers trudged through dangerous weather conditions to save a hiker who slipped and hurt himself on an icy mountain trail, New Hampshire officials said.
The hiker slipped on icy rocks and slid several feet off the trail until he hit 'an object,' ultimately injuring one of his legs and shoulder, New Hampshire Fish and Game said in a news release posted to Facebook on April 6.
The 29-year-old hiker from Quebec City, Canada, slipped as he was descending the north side of Jewell Trail after summiting Mt. Washington with four other people Saturday, April 5, the department said.
The hiker called 911 around 3:45 p.m., officials said. Fish and Game coordinated with the Cog Railway for help taking the team of rescuers up the tracks in a train, 'which saved rescuers from having to hike nearly 3 miles up the Jewell Trail in rain, icy and windy conditions,' officials said.
Dramatic photos shared to Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team's Facebook page show the frozen tracks in near darkness.
But they weren't out of the woods yet. Once the train dropped them off, rescuers still had to hike almost a mile across the ridgeline in high winds and icy conditions above 5,000 feet of elevation, officials said.
The first rescuers made it to the hiker just before 7:30 p.m., officials said. They treated his leg and shoulder injuries and also treated him for hypothermia. They then secured him to a stretcher and carried him uphill and back across the ridge toward the train.
'This was a herculean task: 20 rescuers took turns carrying (the hiker) uphill into 40 to 60+ mile per hour winds across ice covered rocks,' officials said.
Some of the rescuers got hurt during the rescue, but the crew made it back to the train at 10:15 p.m. 'without further incident,' officials said.
They were all back down at the base station at 10:45 p.m., and an ambulance took the hiker to a hospital, officials said.
'The weather was terrible and the conditions were potentially life threatening, but each group responded to the call for assistance and endured less than hospitable weather conditions to save the life of this hiker,' the department said.