Local News
One of the hikers was found unresponsive, authorities say.
With Mount Lafayette in the background, a snowboarder descends the Vista Way trail at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, N.H. Paul Hayes for the Boston Globe
A volunteer rescuer was severely injured while helping carry an unresponsive hiker to safety during an overnight rescue operation on Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire over the weekend, authorities said.
The rescue effort began around 8 p.m. Friday when a group of hikers called for help from near the summit of Mount Lafayette in Franconia, New Hampshire Fish and Game posted on Facebook.
The hikers reported suffering from hypothermia and facing cold rain, poor visibility, a lack of lighting, and no warm clothing, Fish and Game said.
Two members of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Greenleaf Hut Crew hiked up the mountain and located the hikers about 0.15 miles below the summit, officials said.
The hikers were identified as two 19-year-old New Jersey residents.
Authorities said one of the men was found unresponsive and suffering from hypothermia, while the other was cold, wet, and hypothermic, but remained alert.
The hut crew members began efforts to warm the pair as additional rescuers were mobilized. Members of the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team and the Lakes Region Search and Rescue Team responded to assist with the evacuation, according to Fish and Game.
While en route, rescuers received a second emergency call involving another group of hikers suffering from hypothermia. The group was located just over a mile from the trailhead. Responders diverted briefly to provide lights and dry clothing before escorting those hikers safely back to the trailhead, according to Fish and Game.
Rescuers reached Grechko and Fisher around 1:10 a.m. and began carrying the first hypothermic hiker to Greenleaf Hut, arriving shortly before 3 a.m. Inside the shelter, rescuers were able to get the hikers out of the weather and continue treatment for hypothermia and other cold-related injuries.
During the carry-out, one volunteer rescuer sustained a severe injury and had to be assisted back to the trailhead, officials said.
Over the following hours, rescuers continued treating the hikers. The unconcious hiker’s condition improved at the hut, and he eventually regained consciousness, according to Fish and Game.
Once the hikers were warm and stable, rescuers escorted the previously unresponsive hiker down the Old Bridle Path, reaching the trailhead at 7:55 a.m. He was transported by LinWood Ambulance to Littleton Regional Hospital for further treatment, Fish and Game said.
Authorities did not identify the rescuer who was injured or provide an update on their condition.
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