Conditions on the summit featured windblown snow, limited visibility, and a 3-degree wind chill.
A hiker who was caught in windblown snow with a dying light and cell phone was rescued near the summit of Mount Washington last night.
According to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, conservation officers received a 911 call at 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 25 from a 20-year-old hiker from Wakefield, Rhode Island, who was on the upper reaches of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. He said both his headlamp and cell phone were rapidly dying.
The hiker told officers he was currently okay, but he had no backup equipment and he was unprepared to spend the night, especially if he stopped moving.
Officials said conditions at the summit at that time consisted of windblown snow with very limited visibility, an ambient air temperature of 21ºF, and a wind chill of 3ºF. Given the circumstances and the weather, a rescue effort was immediately initiated.
Conservation officers and a volunteer from the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team responded to the Mount Washington Auto Road. A staff member from Mount Washington State Park also responded from the summit with a fully chained up truck and parked with his lights on at the top of Tuckerman Ravine Trail to watch for the hiker.
Following his initial call, the hiker was able to slowly keep moving his way up the trail with the aid of his dying headlamp. Following cairns, he eventually saw the headlights of the state park pickup truck and scrambled his way up to the vehicle.
At 8:29 p.m., the hiker was encountered by park staff and driven to the summit to be warmed and evaluated. The hiker was found to be uninjured, and after some time was driven to waiting conservation officers for transport to the base of the mountain.
All parties involved were clear of this incident by 10 p.m.
Officials said the hiker was found to have done some research on his hike, but was “absolutely unprepared” for the conditions that he encountered above treeline. They said the situation could have had a very bad outcome, and everyone involved recognized that fact.
