Winds exceeded 120 mph and temperatures were in the 20s on Mount Washington Friday.
A hypothermic hiker who became unable to move or communicate was rescued on Mount Washington Friday.
According to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, rescue personnel responded to a report of a hiker suffering from hypothermia on the Gulfside Trail roughly a mile north of the Cog train tracks at 5 p.m. Friday, June 20.
The 911 call came from the hiker’s husband who reported his wife was unable to move or communicate after being unable to hike. The hiker was identified as Caroline Wilson, 55, from Austin, Texas.
Conservation officers, volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR), Pemigewassett Valley Search & Rescue (PEMI SAR), Mountain Rescue Services (MRS), and COG Railway personnel responded.
Fish and Game officials reached out to the Cog Railway for assistance in relaying rescuers up the train tracks to where the Westside Trail crosses the tracks known as Skyline.
The Cog provided a train at 7 p.m., which saved rescuers from having to hike over three miles up the Jewell Trail in rainy, windy conditions to access Wilson. A second team was transported up at 8 p.m.
Rescuers still had to hike over a mile, encountering high winds and cloudy conditions across the ridge above 5,000 feet elevation the whole time.
Wilson was treated in a temporary shelter by the first team in an attempt to warm her up. Once the second team arrived, she was placed in the litter and carried back across Gulfside Trail to the awaiting Cog Train.
Once the Cog was back at the base, Wilson was transferred to the Twin Mountain ambulance and transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare.
Officials said conditions in the higher elevations of the White Mountains were dangerous Friday with winds reaching 120 mph and 20 degree temperatures during the day on the summit of Mount Washington.
They reportedly received multiple calls for hypothermic hikers during the day throughout the Presidential Range.
Numerous hikers were helped by Mount Washington State Park personnel, Mount Washington Auto Road personnel, AMC crew members, and other Good Samaritan hikers who assisted those suffering from hypothermic symptoms.
