FRANCONIA, Vt. (WCAX) – Every year, New Hampshire Fish and Game officials respond to around 200 hiking rescues, and they say this year is no different, heading into the busy fall foliage season.
New Hampshire search and rescue officials are reminding people to be prepared when they head into the woods. It comes after another busy summer of incidents and ahead of variable fall and winter conditions in the mountains.
It was a busy Friday morning at the Old Bridal Path – Falling Waters Trailhead, with hikers preparing their packs to head up towards the Franconia Ridge, one of the most popular loops in the White Mountains.
“The challenge of it, the beauty of it,” said Andrew Urban, who along with his wife, Nicole, are on a mission to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers. Safety is always at the forefront for the Rhode Islanders. “Make sure we have all of our gear, take a look at the weather a couple of times, even the morning before.”
“I get cold very easily, so I probably have a little more cold-weather gear than most in my bag. Even today, it looks beautiful out but I have a snow hat, I have mittens, I have a puffy jacket,” Nicole said.
Fish and Game officials are bracing for a busy fall season. They say that since the pandemic, more people are in the woods, which inevitably leads to more mountain rescues.
“Winter rescues that we started with — from being out all night in blizzard conditions — to into the spring, where people just weren’t prepared,” said N.H. Fish & Game Officer Chris McKee.
Reckless hikers can be held criminally liable in New Hampshire, and often get a hefty bill for rescue costs. The bottom line, officials say, is to be prepared. “People need to make sure they’ve got water, they’ve got food — all the essentials that they need — they have lights, and maps. A lot of people are using their cell phones. The problem is, there is no service up there,” McKee said.
“You also need to leave an itinerary of where you are going with somebody,” said Claudia Morse-Karzen, a visitor from Illinois. But she acknowledges that even the most experienced hikers can run into the unexpected. “I was in North Carolina on the Appalachian Trail, and a bear did get my food bag, so I had to get off early.”
And the bears are out there. One couple we talked to spotted one just as they started their hike.
“It’s been a great feeling to get through so many {4,000-footers} in one year,” Nicole said.
Officials say a good rule of thumb is to follow the advice on the Forest Service signs at treeline — “STOP. THE AREA AHEAD HAS THE WORST WEATHER IN AMERICA. MANY HAVE DIED EVEN IN THE SUMMER FROM EXPOSURE. TURN BACK NOW IF THE WEATHER IS BAD.”
They say the mountains are not going anywhere, and turning around ensures you can return another day.
New Hampshire sells an annual “hike safe” card for $25 to protect hikers, hunters, and other outdoor users from potentially costly rescues.
