Local News

Two injured hikers rescued in White Mountains over weekend

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said one hiker was injured because she was unprepared for the hike and did not wear proper footwear.

Two hikers were rescued in the White Mountains in New Hampshire over the weekend. Google Maps

May 15, 2023

New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers rescued two hikers who were injured in separate incidents in the White Mountains over the weekend.

An ‘unprepared’ hiker slipped twice

The first rescue happened on Friday on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail in Sargent’s Purchase, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a news release.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, resident Aishwarya Shrotri, 28, was hiking up to the Appalachian Mountain Club Lakes of the Clouds Hut with a friend when she slipped and injured her lower leg around 4:00 p.m., the release said. The pair then tried to hike down the mountain, but Shrotri soon slipped again on an icy stretch of trail and injured her other leg.

Shrotri’s friend called 911 around 4:20 p.m. to report that Shrotri could not hike down on her own, the release said. At that point, she was about 1.6 miles from the Cog Railway Base Station parking lot.

Conservation officers, search and rescue volunteers, and firefighters responded to the call, the release said. Once they located Shrotri, they put her in a rescue litter and took her down the mountain.

First responders medically evaluated Shrotri at the base of the mountain, but she declined to be taken to a hospital, the release said.

The department said this was Shrotri’s first hike in the White Mountains.

“She did not have proper footwear for hiking these trails and was not prepared for the snow and icy conditions that still exist on the upper elevations. This lack of preparedness was the primary contributing factor in this need for a rescue response,” the department said in the release.

A prepared hiker was helped by other hikers

The second rescue happened Saturday when conservation officers were notified of an injured hiker 1.1 miles up the Old Bridle Path in Franconia, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a news release.

St. Augustine, Florida, resident Dennis Smith, 31, was hiking with a friend when he injured his lower leg and couldn’t continue hiking, the release said. Several other hikers on the trail stopped to help Smith before the rescue team could reach him.

Conservation officers and search and rescue volunteers found Smith at 9:49 p.m. and put him in a rescue litter, the release said. With the help of the other hikers, the rescue team reached the trailhead with Smith at midnight.

“Smith and his companion were prepared for the hike and followed a realistic plan until the injury,” the department said in the release.

“NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers would like to remind everyone planning to hike this spring to think ahead, make safe decisions, and pack the ten essentials,” the department said. “The White Mountains are rugged and unforgiving and can still be icy and snowy this time of year.”

For more information on how to hike safely, visit hikesafe.com.