A hiker who officials say was likely not prepared for recent cold and snowy conditions was found dead last night in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials received a report of an overdue hiker in Franconia Notch at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21.
The information they received said that Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, had driven to the Lafayette Campground in Lincoln, New Hampshire on Friday April 17 to camp and hike for the weekend. He started hiking Saturday morning April 18 with warm temperatures and clear skies. The last contact family or friends had with Kent was on Saturday afternoon.
After two days of not hearing from Wood, his family became concerned and called to notify New Hampshire Fish and Game. While gathering information on where to search, rescuers learned that Kent was prepared for warmer conditions and not the three to five inches of snow that had fallen between Sunday and Monday in the Franconia Notch area.
A search effort was started on Tuesday morning to locate the hiker. Search teams from New Hampshire Fish and Game, Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard Helicopter were deployed to search in and around the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond area.
At 7:41 p.m., conservation officers located the hiker deceased 5.5 miles from his vehicle on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Lincoln.
Rescuers then carried him out to the trailhead, arriving at 1:10 a.m. on Wednesday April 22.
