Hiker rescued from 90 mph winds, frigid cold temps at New Hampshire's Mount Washington

A solo hiker was rescued from the western slope of New Hampshire's Mount Washington, in an operation that took more than 12 hours, amid winds sustained at 90 mph, darkness and a wind chill dipping to -52 degrees Fahrenheit.

New Hampshire Fish and Game, in a statement Sunday, said the 22-year-old hiker from Portsmouth was not adequately prepared for the difficult hike and did not have the appropriate gear for the harsh winter conditions on the mountain. Despite other groups turning around because of the perilous gusts and wind chills of minus-52 degrees Fahrenheit, the hiker continued his solo trek until he slipped and fell into a ravine around noon on Saturday and was injured.

The hiker then alerted 911 of his situation and shared his coordinates with the authorities but due to poor reception, responders were left with little information on the hiker's whereabouts.

“The coordinates showed (the hiker) well off trail in a drainage ravine west of Westside Trail and north of Crawford Path at approximately 4,500 feet in elevation,” Fish and Game said. The ravine leads to the summits of both Mount Washington and Mount Monroe.

Rescue operation

Search and rescue teams were contacted, and calls were made to the Mount Washington Auto Road and the Mount Washington Cog Railway for possible help in getting crews to the hiker.

“It was decided that due to the location, The Cog Railway would be best. The Cog Railway was willing to start a special train, mount a snow blower on the front and bring rescue crews up to the crossing of the Westside trail. This offer would save the rescue teams many miles of strenuous hiking and the offer was gladly accepted,” Fish and Game's release stated. “As rescue crews were responding to The Cog Railway it was determined that two trains would be utilized, an early team would go up and clear the path and get started to the GPS location while the second rescue crew would get relayed up after.”

As rescuers geared up, the hiker called 911 again and said he had moved locations and was now in the emergency shelter within the Lakes in the Clouds Hut below the summit of Mount Washington. The first rescue team was then notified to go to the shelter rather than the area of the hiker’s original coordinates, and the second rescue team later met up with them.

Fish and Game stated the first rescue group made contact with the hiker at 6:17 p.m., finding him suffering from hypothermia and discovering his several layers of clothes and hiking shoes were frozen.

With help from the second rescue team, it took over three hours to warm up the hiker, said Fish and Game. The responders took the hiker to the Cog’s base station around 10:50 p.m., where medics treated him for hypothermia and frostbite.

While the medical team recommended the hiker to be transported to the hospital, the hiker refused further treatment and signed off to be released from ambulance care. He was taken back to his car at 11:38 p.m.

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'Poor choices'

Fish and Game said the hiker made a series of "poor choices," endangering not only his own life but also those of the rescuers, who risked their lives to save him. They added that he would “undoubtedly” have died had it not been for the extensive emergency response.

“(The hiker) called for a rescue after making all these poor choices, and (put) himself in a situation that placed 11 other lives in danger in order to save his,” Fish and Game said. “Even though the rescuers complete these heroic tasks with humility and passion there is still never ending concern as to why inexperienced solo hikers continue to push on.”

“The list of people who have died on the Presidential Range will stay at 173 for now thanks to the rescue effort that saved (the hiker’s) life on Saturday February 17, 2024,” said the news release.

Mount Washington known for frigid weather

At over 6,288 feet, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern United States. The former world record for highest recorded wind speed was captured by the Mount Washington Observatory on the summit in 1934.

Mount Washington has been dubbed the “home of the world’s worst weather,” with aspiring hikers warned that conditions can turn dangerous at a moment’s notice and become deadly.

Fish and Game advises hikers not to set out without a map and compass, water, food, extra clothes, shelter, a flashlight and headlamp, whistle, knife, first aid kit, matches, a lighter and a stove.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.