Rescue crews endured brutally hot temperatures and difficult terrain before locating a hiker who had been missing for more than a day on Mount Washington on Friday.
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said conservation officers received a report of a hiker overdue from a hike on Mount Washington at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 2.
The 23-year-old hiker from Brazil had separated from his hiking partner while ascending the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, and he had reportedly not been seen or heard from since 2:45 p.m.
A search was initiated at 9 p.m. when the hiker still had not made it out of the woods.
Conservation officers and volunteers from the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team worked through the night sweeping trails and attempting to locate the hiker.
After daybreak on the morning of Friday, July 3, more searchers arrived and began searching the woods, streams and off-trail areas of Ammonoosuc Ravine, which had been identified as the area where the hiker most likely was.
Aside from the brutally difficult terrain, officials said searchers endured some of the hottest conditions that will likely be seen on Mount Washington this year.
Drone teams assisted with aerial support, and staff from the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and Mount Washington State Park kept a lookout for the hiker should he show up at a remote location.
Officials said that at 3:27 p.m.—after 16.5 hours of “boots-on-the-ground” searching—conservation officers were notified that the hiker had just arrived at the AMC Lakes of the Clouds Hut.
The hiker was reportedly tired, hungry, and thirsty, but was otherwise uninjured. AMC provided him with food and water, and rescuers were sent to the hut to assist him out of the woods.
After resting, the hiker hiked down with assistance, arriving safely at the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trailhead at 8:35 p.m.
Once roadside, the hiker was assessed by EMS staff from the Twin Mountain Fire Department. He declined a transport to a hospital but was given a courtesy ride to a hotel in Littleton, New Hampshire.
While the search was still ongoing, officials said that staff from AMC and the Randolph Mountain Club helped rescue an injured hiker on the Pine Link Trail so that crews could continue their focus on finding the missing hiker.
