Three hikers who officials said had no lights or other equipment had to be rescued in the dark on New Hampshire’s Falling Waters Trail Friday night.
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said conservation officers received a report of three hikers in need of assistance on the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia Notch at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17.
The three hikers had had run out of daylight and could no longer follow the trail and reportedly felt that they could not safely cross Dry Brook, which the Falling Waters Trail crosses five times.
Officials said the hikers also lacked appropriate clothing to spend the night as temperatures were falling into the 40s.
The hikers were roughly a mile and a half from the trailhead. A pair of conservation officers responded to the Falling Waters Trail.
At 11:05 PM the first conservation officer made contact with the group. Ater giving them lights and some warm clothing, they safely made the uppermost brook crossing. In order to avoid the remaining crossings and the “monorail” that existed on the trail, the group bushwhacked to the lower portion of the trail and safely made it to the trailhead at 12:05 a.m.
Officials said the group had departed from the trailhead at around 8 a.m. and had ascended via the Old Bridle Path to Franconia Ridge.
Equipped with only sneakers, the icy trail conditions slowed their progress. Once the sun set, the group did not have any lights that would allow them to follow the trail without assistance.
