Massachusetts residents Kathryn McKee and Beata Lelacheur known as 911 Sunday night after they grew to become misplaced whereas climbing Mount Washington’s Jewell Path. There have been at 5,000 ft of elevation, the snow was deep and visibility was subsequent to zero as whiteout situations took over the New Hampshire mountain.
New Hampshire Fish and Recreation Division have been in a position to converse with the distressed hikers and supplied them with GPS coordinates to relocate the path. For the subsequent two hours the ladies trudged via chest deep snow as they repeatedly discovered the path and misplaced it once more because the snow obscured the trail. The pair then determined to remain in place, huddle up and look ahead to rescue to reach.
New Hampshire Fish and Recreation lauanched a “full blown rescue operation” at 8:30pm as temperatures on Mount Washington’s summit dipped right down to -2° and the winds whipped as much as a sustained 50-60 mph. Simply earlier than midnight a snowcat from Mount Washington State Park arrived on the summit with 9 rescuers in tow. Crews navigated utilizing GPS and fought laborious via the deep snow to achieve the hikers.
They have been positioned simply earlier than 2:00am. Rescuers broke out emergency warming shelters to protect the ladies who had suffered chilly climate accidents. After an hour of warming up the hikers have been in a position to transfer underneath their very own energy and the group acquired again on the Jewell Path. The rescue celebration reached the Base Station of the Cog Railway at 4:15am.
New Hampshire Fish and Recreation stories the hikers have been correctly ready for winter situations on Mount Washington and sure wouldn’t have survived in the event that they weren’t.
The hikers have been evaluated for his or her accidents and one was taken to Littleton Regional Hospital. The hikers
Fish and Recreation stated the hikers have been ready with quite a lot of gear, had winter climbing expertise and each had HikeSafe playing cards, voluntary hiker insurance coverage. Officers stated that in the event that they didn’t have the gear they did, they seemingly wouldn’t have survived.
“This incident is ideal instance of the necessity to put together for the surprising. Each hikers have been ready and had winter climbing expertise, however finally encountered unexpected situations. Had they not had the quantity of drugs with them that they did, it’s unlikely that they’d have survived till rescuers reached them. Though know-how and expertise is actually serving to to seek out folks extra rapidly, the very fact stays that Mom Nature has the ultimate say, and preparedness, above all, is the distinction between life and demise within the mountains of New Hampshire.” -New Hampshire Fish and Recreation Division
New Hampshire Fish & Recreation Division Press Launch:
Sargent’s Buy, NH – Through the in a single day hours of February 2 and three, 2025, a number of businesses and search and rescue groups labored collectively to rescue two hikers who had grow to be stranded in whiteout situations on the higher reaches of Mt. Washington.
Shortly after 6:00 p.m. on the night of February 2, NH Fish and Recreation was contacted after 911 obtained a name relating to hikers who have been misplaced off path adjoining to the Jewell Path on Mt. Washington. Authorities rapidly realized that Kathryn McKee, 51, of Fayville, MA, and Beata Lelacheur, 54, of Westborough, MA have been caught in very deep snow at about 5,000 ft on Mt. Washington. After plotting GPS coordinates supplied by 911, it was decided the 2 have been solely 34 ft from the path. A Conservation Officer was in a position to converse to them by way of cellular phone and directed them towards the path.
Over the subsequent two hours, McKee and Lelacheur fought their means via chest-deep snow and “spruce traps” (holes created within the snow beneath timber) in an try and regain the path. They ended up on the path a number of instances however couldn’t observe it as a result of it had been erased by wind and blowing snow. After a number of makes an attempt and calls with Fish and Recreation, the pair huddled up within the snow to maintain heat and awaited help.
By 8:30 p.m., Fish and Recreation started to conduct a scale rescue operation. On the time, climate situations on the summit of Mt. Washington included temperatures of -2 levels and sustained winds of fifty–60 mph, typically gusting considerably larger. Mt. Washington State Park was contacted and readied their snow cat to deliver rescuers to the summit. Personnel from Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) and members of the New Hampshire Fish and Recreation Division Superior Search and Rescue Crew have been known as in to answer the mountain and try the rescue. By 10:30 p.m., rescuers have been arriving on the Mount Washington Auto Highway and getting ready their gear.
The State Park’s snow cat began up the mountain at 11:00 p.m. with 9 expert rescuers, arriving on the summit simply earlier than midnight. The crews ventured into whiteout situations and snowshoed via deep, wind-blown snow towards the highest finish of the Jewell Path under the summit of Mt. Clay. By 1:20 a.m., crews have been approaching the final recognized location of the 2 hikers, however had not but made contact. The one option to find the path was via GPS navigation, and progress was gradual because of the great effort required to interrupt a path within the deep snow.
At 1:50 a.m., rescue crews efficiently positioned the 2 hikers. Each have been alive and coherent, however affected by chilly climate accidents. Crews instantly arrange emergency shelters and started to heat each of the hikers. The warming course of took an hour, however by roughly 3:00 a.m., the hikers have been in a position to transfer on their very own and the group continued down the Jewell Path towards the bottom station of the Cog Railway.
At roughly 4:15 a.m., the rescue celebration and the hikers safely reached the bottom station of the Cog Railway the place each hikers have been evaluated by Twin Mountain Ambulance employees. One of many hikers was transported by ambulance to Littleton Regional Hospital for additional analysis and remedy of chilly climate accidents. Authorities then labored with the Twin Mountain Hearth Division and State Police Troop F to rearrange transportation for the rescuers again to Mt. Washington to retrieve their autos. Personnel lastly cleared this mission simply after 7:00 a.m.
Each hikers have been discovered to be ready with quite a lot of gear. As well as, each possessed Hike Secure playing cards and each have been extraordinarily grateful for the efforts put forth on their behalf.
This incident is exemplifies the necessity to put together for the surprising. Each hikers have been ready and had winter climbing expertise, however finally encountered unexpected situations. Had they not had the quantity of drugs that that they had with them, it’s unlikely that they’d have survived till rescuers reached them.
NH Fish and Recreation want to thank the various women and men who made this rescue a hit. They included personnel from Mount Washington State Park, Mountain Rescue Service, Twin Mountain Hearth and Rescue, and New Hampshire State Police Troop F Dispatch.
