Over 20 “ill-prepared” hikers trapped atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire were rescued after they began developing hypothermia in frigid, snowy conditions with little gear, according to authorities.
The hikers reached the mountain’s 6,288-foot summit Saturday with “no idea that summit services would be unavailable and that the state park was closed for the season,” Andy Vilaine, the assistant general manager for the Mount Washington Cog Railway, said in a statement.
“We have brought down over 20 ill-prepared hikers from the Summit of Mount Washington. Many were hypothermic and without gear, even near suitable for the conditions,” Vilaine wrote.
Railway crew members discovered the distressed hikers while heading to the summit, ABC News reported.
Several of the hikers had told train officials that they “didn’t think they would be able to hike back down,” with the manager agreeing after assessing their outward appearance, Vilaine told the outlet.
Temperatures near the summit had reached a bone-chilling 15 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, with a wind chill between minus 5 and 0 degrees, he recalled.
Several of the hikers developed signs of hypothermia after bringing non-waterproof layers and sneakers on the hike, with some admitting that it was their “first hike ever,” the outlet reported.
Crew members herded the hikers into the train and placed some in locomotive vans with the heat blasting to counteract the chilly temperatures.
After the bumbling hikers were discovered, New Hampshire State Parks released a statement warning hikers to do research before embarking on a trek.
“At 12 pm on October 26, it was 21 degrees with a 30mph wind. The Sherman Adams building at Mount Washington State Park is CLOSED for the season, and there is no shelter,” the statement said.
“Multiple people have arrived at the summit the last few days very unprepared for winter and required assistance. Be ‘Wildly Responsible’ and please do some research on current higher summits weather and bring everything needed to hike in winter conditions or just hike another day.”
Another 20-year-old hiker was rescued from Mount Washington on Sunday evening after he was “caught in windblown snow with a dying light and cell phone near the summit,” the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement.
Owen Strommer of Rhode Island was on the upper reaches of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, less than a mile below the summit, when his equipment failed to hold up to conditions.
“Through a broken cell phone connection, authorities learned that Strommer was on the trail but that both his headlamp and cell phone were rapidly dying and he had no backup equipment,” the department said.
The panicked hiker tried to keep it cool and told authorities he was alright, but couldn’t spend the night atop the mountain where temperatures hovered around 21 degrees Fahrenheit.
Conservation officers and a volunteer from the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team were dispatched to help him, alongside a member from Mt. Washington State Park who drove to the top of the trail to search for Strommer.
The hiker slowly journeyed up the trail with his dying headlamp and eventually saw the State Park pickup truck around 8:29 p.m. and was rescued by staff.
Strommer was “very fortunately” not injured during the failed adventure, authorities said.
“Strommer was found to have done some research on his hike, but was absolutely unprepared for the conditions that he encountered above treeline,” the statement said.
“This situation could have had a very bad outcome, and everyone involved recognized that fact. Strommer was grateful for the response and assistance and thanked the rescuers multiple times in the aftermath of this event.”
Although it is still fall in New Hampshire, the winter season has hit the high peaks of the state’s White Mountains.
“Everyone venturing to these areas is highly encouraged to plan for winter conditions; your life may depend on it,” the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said.
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