Pennsylvania hiker, 21, collapses on Mt. Madison and dies, despite heroic rescue attempts

Roberta Baker, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read

Aug. 12—A 21-year-old from Pennsylvania died after collapsing from an unknown medical emergency Friday while hiking with friends on Mount Madison.

Jason Apreku of Stroudsburg suffered a medical emergency around 4:30 p.m. while climbing the Osgood trail. A friend called 911 and performed CPR for hours, with assistance from passing hikers and Appalachian Mountain Club staff.

NH Fish and Game contacted the New Hampshire Army National Guard to provide emergency helicopter transport. Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue team members hiked up from the Appalachia Parking Lot in Randolph in case the helicopter couldn't pick Apreku up off the mountain ridge.

The weather on Mount Washington, only a few peaks away, reported gusts of up to 90 mph and a wind chill of 29 degrees at the time of the call for help. The National Guard crew continued in an effort to save Apreku's life. The helicopter few as high as the winds and cloud cover would allow, hoping the winds would settle down, but it couldn't get to the hiker, according to a press release from NH Fish and Game. An alternate plan to airlift NHFG conservation officers to just below the cloud ceiling was deemed impossible because of the dangerous wind and flying conditions.

After hours of lifesaving attempts, including CPR and cardiac defibrillation, Apreku succumbed to the medical issue, according to Fish and Game.

Rescue crews from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, the Appalachian Mountain Club and Fish and Game continued to hike through the night into Saturday morning. They carried Apreku by litter up and over the summit to the Madison Spring Hut, "a grueling and challenging feat" with the extreme wind gusts and frigid temperatures, according to the report. Visibility was minimal and all rescue personnel wore full winter gear, including fleece layers, puffy winter jackets, winter hats and goggles.

The rescue crew reached the Madison Spring Hut at approximately 4:10 a.m. Saturday. A second wave of NHFG officers hiked up at 4 a.m. to relieve search and rescue team members.

At 7 a.m. they again requested helicopter assistance to avoid calling more than 30 rescuers to carry Apreku down the Valley Way Trail. The National Guard flew up from Concord to successfully transport the hiker down, then made two more trips to bring down the exhausted rescue personnel.

Apreku was taken to Bryant's Funeral Home in Berlin. No further information was available on Saturday.