A group of 20 hikers had to be rescued after being caught in unexpected snowy conditions on Mount Washington in northeast New Hampshire on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The rescue was carried out by the mountain’s historic Mount Washington Cog Railway, according to a public service announcement shared on Facebook by the railway’s assistant general manager, Andrew Vilaine.
Vilaine said the 20 hikers were made up of several smaller groups and that many were unprepared for the harsh weather. He cited “poor gear choices,” including “non-waterproof layers and sneakers,” adding that some admitted “it was their first hike ever.”
Operating the train that day, Vilaine told WBZ-TV he discovered the stranded hikers “pleading for a ride down.” After assessing their condition, he agreed they likely couldn’t make it back on foot.
“Many communicated that they didn’t think they would be able to hike back down, and I agreed after assessing some of their conditions and outward appearance,” Vilaine explained.
The hikers were rescued in various states of exhaustion, and some showed signs of hypothermia due to the cold, windy weather. Vilaine did not confirm whether any required hospitalization.
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He noted that most of the group were “unaware of the full set of winter conditions and the lack of facilities at the summit.” While a few were adequately prepared, they were “exhausted from the hike.”
“We made space for them anywhere we could on our near-sold-out trains,” Vilaine said. “Several were placed in the locomotive cabs with the heat on full blast so they could start to reverse the effects of hypothermia.”
New Hampshire Fish and Game also assisted in the rescue effort. Lt. Mark Ober told WMUR-9 that the situation could easily have turned deadly for those without proper preparation.
“It’s literally a life-or-death situation if they go up there unprepared,” Ober said. “People should not be hiking unless they’re fully prepared. Part of that preparation is doing research and finding out what the conditions are.”
On the day of the rescue, temperatures on Mount Washington dropped from 29 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill of just 2 degrees. Winds reached 35 mph, and 3 to 4 inches of snow had fallen, according to WBZ-TV.
Vilaine later emphasized in his Facebook post that “summits at or certainly above 4,000 feet have full winter conditions.” He added that many hikers didn’t realize the state park was closed for the season, meaning summit services were unavailable.
“Please don’t become a statistic and do your research before venturing out,” he wrote. “Hike Mount Washington like it is any one of the other 48 peaks. Do not assume services or a ride down. The summit is halfway.”
