The Killington Police Department has released details of a harrowing January rescue of a hiker who was lost in the woods and stranded in deep snow.
On January 11th, around 5 p.m., Vermont State Police contacted the Killington Police Department to activate the volunteers with Killington Search and Rescue (KSAR). There was a hiker who was in the wilderness approximately 1.6 miles south of Killington Peak and needed rescue.
There had been no cell phone contact, but an SOS alert was received from the hiker’s Garmin advising that he was unable to continue and needed assistance.
KSAR members reviewed area maps and decided the best entrance point would be from the peak.
Killington Resort’s grooming fleet drove the first KSAR team of six to the peak, where they entered the woods at 7:30 p.m.
The KSAR team snowshoed in with harsh, deep snow conditions and bushwacked parts of the way. They made contact with the subject at approximately 9:15 p.m.
The hiker was found sitting on his backpack with a sleeping bag over his head. He was reportedly shaking violently. He was verbal, but responders said it was low volume mumbling. He was reportedly in the early stages of hypothermia, with all symptoms present.
Team members immediately began to warm the hiker with materials brought in with members. The team gave him warm fluids, extra dry layers, boiled water for nalgene, which was placed against him, and sugary snacks.
He became more physically and mentally alert after these steps were taken.
During this time, a second team of six members were shuttled to the peak by the Killington Resort grooming fleet to provide assistance where needed and if the hiker needed to be carried out due to his physical condition.
Once the hiker’s condition improved, team members hiked him out to the Killington groomers, who drove them back to a public safety building.
The hiker said he left from Cold River Road in Shrewsbury, Vermont at approximately 9 a.m. and was trying to get to the peak or Route 4. He said he lost his way and went off trail into snow up to his chest.
While trying to get his cell phone to look at GPS, it fell out of his hand and deep into the snow, where he couldn’t locate it. At that point he activated his Garmin.
As the hiker was located at 9:15 p.m. and found in the early stages of hypothermia, officials said it would have been unlikely for him to survive the night as temperatures were expected to be in the single digits for the next 12 hours.