Hiker with frozen feet calls 911 near mountaintop — but rescuers couldn’t call back
A hiker called 911 from atop a mountain in New Hampshire to say his feet were frozen.
Then the call dropped, wildlife officials said.
Authorities received the call at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, from Mount Carrigain, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in an Nov. 13 news release.
The 22-year-old hiker was near the summit on the Desolation Trail when he made the call, wildlife officials said. At the time, his friend was a “short distance” away from him on the trail.
When rescuers tried to call the hiker back, they couldn’t reach him because of the poor cell service, officials said.
His friend later found him and helped him trek 8 miles back to the trailhead, officials said.
“Rather than hiking the shortest route back to the trailhead over Mt. Carrigain they hiked an 8-mile loop in the opposite direction which kept them in front of rescuers who were hiking in to assist,” officials said.
They reached the trailhead at about 5:30 p.m.
Mount Carrigain is part of the White Mountains. It has an elevation of over 4,600 feet.
Hikers can take different routes to the summit, including the Desolation Trail. This trail is described as being “very rough, steep, slippery” at times, according to a Harvard University blog post.
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