More than 20 unprepared hikers were rescued from Mount Washington in New Hampshire over the weekend after they got stuck near the summit in wintry conditions.
On Saturday, the Mount Washington Cog Railway picked up the freezing hikers at the 6,288-foot high summit; railway staff said they were not wearing proper gear to be hiking in the cold.
“We have brought down over 20 ill-prepared hikers from the summit of Mount Washington. Many were hypothermic and without gear even near suitable for the conditions. Most had no idea that summit services would be unavailable … A few indicated it was their first hike ever,” said Andy Vilaine, assistant general manager at the railway, in a Facebook group dedicated to mountain hiking in New Hampshire.
“They were at the point where they had started to convulse and shiver violently. This time of year, if we’re not there, they’re going to be calling 911, forwarded to Fish and Game, for a more technical rescue,” Mr. Vilaine told WBTS-TV.
The summit of Mount Washington, which sits about 165 miles north of Boston, started experiencing daily snowfall on Oct. 21, the Mount Washington Observatory said. Temperatures on Saturday near the summit had plummeted as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill as low as minus 5 degrees.
Mr. Vilaine told WBZ-TV that “our intervention and putting them in a warm train warded off hypothermia,” adding that he did not believe any of the hikers required hospitalization.
The visitor center at the top of the mountain is closed for the 2025 season. It meant that people who still visit the park are unable to access food, water and shelter provided there while the center is open, New Hampshire State Parks explains on its website.
On Sunday, state parks officials wrote on social media that “multiple people have arrived at the summit the last few days very unprepared for winter and required assistance,” asking that hikers “please do some research on current higher summits weather and bring everything needed to hike in winter conditions or just hike another day.”
