Two hikers who had to be rescued on New Hampshire’s popular Greenleaf Trail on Saturday may be required to pay rescue costs after conservation officers found them to be inadequately prepared for the hike.
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials were notified about the two hikers needing assistance at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, January 18.
The two hikers — Louis Scotti, 33, of Cranston, Rhode Island, and Bartosz Zienkiewicz, 34, of Naugatuck, Connecticut — reportedly planned to hike the Franconia Ridge trail, and they began their hike that morning at 7 a.m.
After hiking across the ridge, the pair made it to Greenleaf Hut, but instead of taking Old Bridle Path as they had planned, they started to descend the Greenleaf Trail.
The two hikers had a hard time following the trail as weather conditions made it hard to see tracks or trail markers. When they approached Eagle’s Pass, they called for assistance as they thought they were hypothermic and off-trail.
Conservation officers responded to the hikers’ location near Eagle Pass. The rescue crew broke trail to Scotti and Zienkiewicz’s location, which was approximately three-quarters of a mile up steep terrain.
The crew were able to warm the hikers and begin their descent at 4:32 p.m. The crew made it back to the parking lot at 5:10 p.m. Scotti and Zienkiewicz refused medical treatment.
Officials said the hikers were inadequately prepared for the conditions that were forecasted. The area was forecasted to receive rain, sleet and snow for the weekend.
Neither Scotti nor Zienkiewicz possessed HikeSafe cards.
According to a report on NHPR.org, Fish and Game officials said they are considering charging the two hikers for the rescue. One of the hikers said he is okay with that.
“If I see a fine or a bill or whatever you need to call it,” said Zienkiewicz in the article, “I’m happy to be able to pay that bill versus not paying it, of course, if things had gotten really bad and they couldn’t find us.”