New Hampshire search and rescue members are reminding hikers that it can still get dangerously cold on Mount Washington after rescuing an exhausted hiker last night in cold, windy conditions.
According to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, conservation officers received a report of a distressed hiker on the upper reaches of Mount Washington’s Jewell Trail shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 12.
The hiker, Nadia Ouellette, 43, from Quebec, Canada, was reportedly severely exhausted and having extreme difficulty moving.
Coordinates for her cell phone call showed that she was 2.5 miles away from the nearest road and still well above tree line.
Officers used an interpreter provided by 911 to mitigate a language barrier, but were still concerned about unknown issues after speaking with the caller. Given the circumstances and a forecast of steady winds and dropping temperatures, they started a rescue operation.
A rescue party consisting of a conservation officer and three members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team entered the woods shortly after 10 p,m. and began hiking toward the caller’s location.
At 11:47 p.m. rescuers located the hiker 2.5 miles up the Jewell Trail from the base station of the Cog Railway. She was found to be cold and suffering from fatigue, but was otherwise uninjured. She was given warm, dry clothes and was ultimately able to hike with assistance back down the Jewell Trail.
At the time that rescuers began moving down the mountain with the hiker, air temperatures were around 33 degrees Fahrenheit and winds were gusting to over 60 miles per hour.
The rescue party remained with Ouellette throughout the night and assisted her in walking out under her own power.
Everyone involved arrived safely at the base station of the Cog Railway at approximately 6:15 AM on the morning of June 13.
Despite summertime temperatures in much of New Hampshire, officials said outdoor enthusiasts should remember that winter-like conditions still exist in the mountains.
The vast majority of the snow has melted, but sub-freezing temperatures still persist on the high, windswept slopes. Anyone venturing into these areas should not only prepare for the conditions while moving and generating heat, but also for sitting still in an exposed area should they become incapacitated.
