Hiker who died on Mt. Lincoln identified
Dec. 26—A 28-year-old man who died hiking Mount Lincoln on Christmas Eve has been identified as Guopeng "Tony" Li of Salem.
He originally came from Hebei Province, China, according to a news release.
Li was found on Christmas morning, about a month after a 19-year-old woman from Westford, Mass., was found dead on nearby Mount Lafayette.
A family member tracking Li's progress from China called Fish and Game around 9 p.m on Christmas Eve. Around 6:15 p.m. the phone was dead and the hiker was lost off a trail south of Mount Lincoln. The family described Li as an inexperienced hiker and didn't know what gear he was using.
Li departed on the 8.6-mile Bridle Path/Falling Waters Loop alone around 11 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release.
The temperature in the mountains was nearing zero degrees, so conservation officers began their search immediately in the darkness of night.
The man's body was found around 6:45 a.m. about a half-mile from the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia, according to the news release.
The popular Bridle Path/Falling Waters Loop summits Little Haystack, Mount Lincoln and Lafayette.
Emily Sotelo, of Westford, Mass., hiked a similar route as Li and had hoped to summit several other 4,000-foot mountains. Sotelo's body was found Nov. 23 after a four-day search. A search team found tracks and items belonging to Sotelo at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook.
Fish and Game reminds outdoor enthusiasts that "winter conditions have arrived in New Hampshire and that they should prepare accordingly for these conditions." Go to hikesafe.com for more information.
