Two Massachusetts hikers were rescued from Mount Washington after getting lost in a blizzard. Their preparedness and experience likely saved their lives.
Two Massachusetts hikers were rescued from Mount Washington after becoming stranded in a blizzard on Sunday evening. Kathryn McKee and Beata Lelacheur contacted emergency services when they lost the Jewell Trail in deep snow at around 5,000 feet elevation. Fish and Game officers provided them with GPS coordinates to help them locate the trail again.
However, the hikers struggled for two hours through chest-deep snow and spruce traps, repeatedly finding and losing the trail as snow and wind obscured its path. They ultimately decided to huddle together in the snow for warmth and await assistance. As temperatures plummeted to -2 degrees at the summit and sustained winds reached 50-60 mph, a full rescue operation was launched by Fish and Game around 8:30 p.m. A snow cat from Mount Washington State Park arrived with nine rescuers just before midnight. They navigated using GPS and broke trail through deep, wind-blown snow to reach the last known location of McKee and Lelacheur. Rescuers located the hikers alive and coherent shortly before 2 a.m. Emergency shelters were set up to warm the hikers, who had sustained cold weather injuries. After an hour, they were able to move independently, and the group descended the Jewell Trail. They reached the Cog Railway Base Station at 4:15 a.m. Both hikers received medical evaluations, and one was transported to Littleton Regional Hospital for treatment of their cold weather injuries. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department emphasized that the hikers' preparedness, including their gear, winter hiking experience, and HikeSafe cards, likely contributed to their survival. They stressed the importance of preparedness in the mountains of New Hampshire, stating, 'Preparedness, above all, is the difference between life and death in the mountains of New Hampshire.
Mount Washington Rescue Hikers Blizzard Preparedness Safety
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