Rescue crews carried an injured hiker over more than two miles of challenging terrain in New Hampshire Tuesday night.
According to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, conservation officers received a report of an injured hiker at the Carter Notch Hut in Bean’s Purchase at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2.
The hiker, iLeigh Jandle, 72, of Dripping Springs, Texas, had reportedly suffered a lower leg injury while descending from the Carter-Moriah Trail and down the Wildcat River Trail to a dispersed campsite not far from the Carter Notch Hut.
Jandle was hiking with her two sons. After the injury, one of her sons went to the hut to request assistance. An Appalachian Mountain Club employee responded with medical equipment and splinted the injured leg. Jandle was then carried by her sons up to the Carter Notch bunkhouse. Because Jandle could not bear any weight on the injured leg, a call for help was made.
Rescue crews comprised of conservation officers and volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, Lakes Region Search and Rescue, and AMC hiked up 19-Mile Brook Trail to the Carter Notch Hut.
The first rescuers arrived at the hut around 8:10 p.m. After assessing the injury, they placed a vacuum splint on the injured leg and then placed Jandle into a rescue litter. The rescue team started carrying her down the trail at 8:45 p.m.
After a 2.3-mile carryout, the rescue team reached the bottom at 11:30 p.m. Jandle was placed into an ambulance and taken to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for treatment of her injury.
Jandle and her sons were on a multi-day section hike of the Appalachian Trail when the injury occurred. Conservation officers said Jandle was well prepared with enough gear and supplies for several days on the trails.
