LYME, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire Army National Guard helicopter and a team of over 20 people from two states responded to rescue an injured hiker near the summit of Smarts Mountain in Lyme, authorities said.
The hiker, Mark Gerath, 62, of Groton, Massachusetts, was descending a trail on the 3,238-foot-high (986.9-meter) mountain Thursday when he fell and suffered a serious injury, New Hampshire’s Fish and Game Department said in a news release.
The helicopter was deployed because of Gerath’s distance from the nearest trailhead and the condition of the trail, the department said.
Volunteers and fire department personnel from New Hampshire and Vermont hiked the trail to get to Gerath in the event an airlift was not possible.
Gerath was well prepared for the hike and had purchased a Hikesafe Card, the department said.
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