Sargent’s Purchase, N.H. (WHDH) – Two hikers from Massachusetts were rescued after they became stranded on New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington Sunday evening, officials said.
At around 6 p.m., authorities received a 911 call from Kathryn McKee, 51, of Fayville, and Beata Lelacheur, 54, of Westboro, who had gotten lost off Jewell Trail due to the deep snow, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
The two were stranded about 5,000 feet up the mountain in “whiteout conditions.”
A conservation officer spoke to the hikers by phone to direct them toward the trail, the department said. The two trekked through chest-deep snow and other obstacles, but were not able to continue on the trail because they could not see it anymore.
Rescuers began making their way up the mountain while the hikers huddled up to keep warm, Fish and Game said.
Nine skilled rescuers arrived at the summit just before midnight, before snowshoeing toward Jewell Trail, officials said.
About two hours later, crews found McKee and Lelacheur suffering from cold weather injuries, the department said. The rescuers set up emergency shelters to warm the hikers.
“Had they not had the amount of gear that they had with them, it is unlikely that they would have survived until rescuers reached them,” Fish and Game said in a statement.
By 3 a.m. Monday, the two were able to move on their own and hiked down the mountain with the rescuers, according to Fish and Game. Both were checked out by emergency crews at the base station of the Cog Railway.
One of the hikers was taken to Littleton Regional Hospital for further treatment, officials said.
“This incident exemplifies the need to prepare for the unexpected. Both hikers were prepared and had winter hiking experience, but ultimately encountered unforeseen conditions,” Fish and Game said.
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