Mass. hikers rescued in 10-degree temps and waist deep snow in NH
Two Massachusetts men were rescued from Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire on Saturday, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
On Friday at 9:45 p.m., conservation officers from the department learned about two hikers who became lost as they descended from the summit of Mount Lafayette. One of the hikers injured himself in a fall and claimed he could not continue because of a lower leg injury, according to the department.
The two hikers were exposed to heavy winds, temperatures around 10 degrees and waist-deep snow, the department said.
A rescue party consisting of conservation officers and volunteers from the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team was formed and began their journey at 11:25 p.m.
Calls to the hikers were made periodically. One of the hikers was suffering from severe hypothermia and was slipping in and out of consciousness, according to the department.
A call was made to the Army National Guard to determine whether a helicopter rescue was possible.
A crew was formed in Concord and arrived in Franconia Notch at around 2:30 a.m. but were unable to retrieve the hikers because of the cloud cover.
At 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, the first rescue team arrived on site with the two hikers, according to the department.
The rescuers managed to get the hikers warmed up and gave them additional clothing.
By 3 a.m., the group returned to the Greenleaf Trail. The leg injury one of the hikers sustained earlier was not as significant as previously reported, the department said.
By 5:30 a.m., the rescue party arrived at the head of the trail and the Army National Guard Helicopter went back to Concord.
The two hikers are Shane Squires, 35 of New Bedford and Robert Conlon, 41 of Haverhill.
"They were able to drive themselves to a hospital and were treated for frostbite," the department said. "The two were ill equipped for a hike of this magnitude and had departed for a nearly 9-mile loop at 1:00 p.m. They lacked appropriate clothing for a hike in the weather conditions they encountered and were navigating with a phone when they lost the trail."
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