08-04-2025
Injured Canadian hiker rescued in windy conditions in White Mountains after falling off trail, officials say
Several rescuers were injured in the effort, officials said.
'The weather was terrible and the conditions were potentially life threatening,' New Hampshire Fish and Game said. '[Rescuers] endured less than hospitable weather conditions to save the life of this hiker.'
William Tessier, 29, of Carignan, Quebec, was hiking with four companions when he slipped in icy conditions and slid several feet off Jewell Trail before striking an object,
officials said.
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Tessier made an emergency call for help around 3:45 p.m., immediately after he was injured, officials said.
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Rescuers reached out to Cog Railway, who offered to provide a train for rescuers, allowing them to skip a nearly three mile hike up the Jewell Trail in rainy, icy, and windy conditions.
The Cog transported rescuers in two separate groups, after which rescuers hiked nearly a mile to Tessier's location. Rescuers faced 'high winds and icy conditions across the ridge above 5,000 feet elevation the whole time,' New Hampshire Fish and Game said.
The first group of rescuers reached Tessier just before 7:30 p.m., officials said.
Officials treated Tessier for a leg injury, shoulder injury, and hypothermia then placed him in a litter and carried him uphill back across Gulfside Trail to the train tracks known as Skyline, officials said.
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After carrying Tessier uphill in strong headwinds, rescuers returned to the train at 10:15 p.m., officials said. Tessier and the rescue team arrived at the Base Station thirty minutes later, officials said.
Tessier was then transferred into the Twin Mountain Ambulance and transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare for treatment, officials said.
'Without the dedicated SAR volunteers from AVSAR, PEMI SAR, MRS, and the Cog Railway's willingness to help, this rescue mission would not have gone as well as it did,' New Hampshire Fish and Game said.
Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at
