Rescuers in New Hampshire carried a hiker with a “signficant injury” through more than four miles of difficult terrain on Monday.
According to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, they received a report of an injured hiker shortly before noon on Monday, August 17.
The hiker had reportedly suffered a “significant lower leg injury” while hiking roughly a half mile north of the summit of Mount Garfield, which has an elevation of 4,500 feet. Officials said the hiker was more than five miles into the woods from the nearest road.
The hiker, a 51-year-old man from Indiana, was reportedly a paramedic and was able to splint his injury, but he was unable to walk without assistance.
A rescue team of three conservation officers and 28 volunteers from the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team responded, arriving at the hikers location at 4:05 p.m.
Due to steep ground, rescuers helped the hiker hobble up to the height of land. Once there, he was placed in a litter and rescuers began carrying him toward the trailhead starting at 5:33 p.m.
Working together as a group, the rescue team steadily advanced towards the trailhead, covering more than four miles before arriving safely at Gale River Loop Road at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Once roadside, the hiker was taken by Bethlehem Ambulance to Littleton Regional Hospital for further evaluation and treatment of his injuries.
