Rescuers in New Hampshire had to race the threat of extreme weather while carrying an injured hiker more than five miles to safety yesterday.
According to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, they received a report at 9:10 a.m. on Thursday, June 19 of an injured hiker on the Twin Brook Trail in Franconia, New Hampshire.
The hiker — Douglas Lawrence, 75, of Hewitt, New Jersey — had spent the previous night at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Galehead Hut, the most remote location in AMC’s White Mountains hut system. Lawrence planned to descend the next morning via the Twin Brook Trail.
While on a steep section of trail, he slipped on wet moss and fell, resulting in a leg injury that left him unable to move.
He called 911 to request assistance. However, rescue required an extended operation because his fall occurred more than five miles from the nearest trailhead.
Because Lawrence was roughly half-a-mile south of the Galehead Hut, members of the hut crew were first on the scene to assess Lawrence’s condition and confirm his location.
The AMC hut crew members were able to reach Lawrence at around 10:30 a.m. and waited with him until additional help arrived.
Fish and Game conservation officers and members of the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue and Lakes Region Search and Rescue teams responded to carry Lawrence off the trail, reaching him at around 1:45 p.m.
Extreme weather was expected in the area at 5 p.m., but the rescue crew made it from the ridge before it arrived, reaching the Gale River trailhead at approximately 8:20 p.m.
Lawrence was transported to Littleton Regional Hospital by Bethlehem Ambulance Service for further evaluation and treatment.
