Local News

21-year-old Mass. hiker rescued from Cannon Mountain after falling off ledge

Matthew Blessings suffered serious upper body injuries.

By Lydia Evans

July 17, 2023

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Conservation officers rescued a 21-year-old Massachusetts man on Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire Friday night, according to a press release from NH Fish and Game. 

Matthew Blessings of Marlborough was hiking near Kinsman Ridge Trail when he lost his way trying to make it back to the mountain’s summit. In his search for the summit, Blessings fell off a ledge, landing on rocks 20-30 feet below.

Blessings suffered serious upper body injuries, according to NH Fish and Game. The injured hiker was hospitalized, and is doing “fairly well for what he faced,” Lieutenant James Kneeland, one of the officers present for the hike, said. 

The ledge Blessings landed on was too steep for him to move from without falling. According to NH Fish and Game, the conservation officers along with volunteers from Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team were made aware of the situation by 9 p.m. and arrived at Blessing’s location by 11:15 p.m.

Rescue efforts were complicated by poor visibility thanks to rain and lightning throughout the night, according to NH Fish and Game. 

“His phone went dead so we had no way to really talk with him,” Kneeland said. “It was kind of a little nerve wracking there for an hour or two.”

Eventually, the officers and rescue team were able to place Blessings in a harness and lower him to stable ground. 

Since Blessings was found by rescuers on foot, he had to “summon the energy” to partially walk back with the team’s assistance, according to NH Fish and Game.

Blessings made the 500-foot walk back to the Kinsman Ridge Trail and another half a mile to the summit before State Park personnel arrived in a tram car to bring him down the rest of the mountain, according to NH Fish and Game. 

The self-described “inexperienced” hiker was not well equipped for a day hike, lacking a map, raingear, and a light source, NH Fish and Game said.

New Hampshire Fish and Game advises hikers to wear hiking boots that provide support, protection, and traction, and visit hikesafe.com for additional safe hiking tips plus a list of essential gear.