Mount Lafayette

Three males aged 24, 24, and 25 from Boston, MA and Cambridge, MA

On February 9, 2025, three hikers attempting the Falling Waters/Bridle Path Loop on Franconia Ridge activated an SOS via Garmin device at 5:30 p.m. after becoming caught in white-out conditions with deep snow and suffering cold-related injuries near Mount Lincoln. Rescuers made contact with the group just below Greenleaf Hut at 9:10 p.m., provided light sources after some of theirs had died, and escorted them to the trailhead by 10:20 p.m. The group was noted to be fairly well prepared for winter conditions but lacked experience above treeline.

Joe Revellie, 20, of Rhode Island

Revellie suffered a heat-related medical emergency atop Mount Lafayette. AMC Greenleaf Hut staff brought food, water, and electrolytes; his condition improved enough to walk to the hut, and he hiked out the next day.

Two male hikers, ages 65 and 69, from New York and Florida respectively

On October 4, 2023, two hikers on the 9-mile Franconia Ridge Loop ran out of daylight and water, losing the trail in the dark on Falling Waters Trail. A Conservation Officer hiked 1.3 miles up the trail, reached the pair at 8:35 p.m., provided lights, and assisted them safely to the trailhead by 10:00 p.m. The hikers were cold, wet, and without food or water when located.

42-year-old female hiker from Gorham, ME

On July 30, 2023, Mary Ervin, age 42, experienced a medical issue on the trail between the summit of Mt. Lafayette and AMC's Greenleaf Hut. AMC hut crew assisted her to the hut, but her condition worsened, necessitating helicopter evacuation by the NH Army National Guard. She was transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare for further evaluation and treatment.

67-year-old female from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania

On July 22, 2023, Kathleen Schnell, 67, slipped on wet rocks while descending Mount Lafayette near the summit at approximately 2:00 p.m., injuring her lower leg. Family members assisted her to Greenleaf Hut, then the group attempted to continue descending the Old Bridle Path unassisted before becoming exhausted and activating a Garmin inReach at 10:50 p.m. Conservation Officers and Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team carried her out via litter, reaching the trailhead just before 3:00 a.m.

Emily Sotelo, 19, of Westford, MA

Sotelo was dropped off the morning of November 20 for a solo hike of Lafayette, Haystack, and Flume; per Pemigewasset Valley SAR, temperatures along the ridge were about zero degrees with 30-40 mph winds. When she did not return, a multi-day search ensued; searchers found her tracks and belongings at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook on November 22, and her body was recovered November 23, about three-quarters of a mile off the trail. Officials said she likely died of exposure. Her parents told WMUR she was an experienced summer hiker but had little winter experience.

Robert Cummings, 25, of Loudon, New Hampshire

Per NH Fish and Game, Cummings began at about 7 a.m., turned back near the Lafayette summit as weather deteriorated, and was 'overcome by 40 mph wind and zero visibility' after wind took his map and compass. He posted to Facebook ('send help, stuck by cairn on Old Bridle…Wind took map and compass white out conditions') and sheltered by a cairn; conservation officers reached him at about 4:30 p.m., uninjured, and guided him out, arriving at the trailhead around 7 p.m.

Al Diaz, 28, of Roslindale, MA, and hiking companions

Al Diaz, 28, of Roslindale, MA, and several hiking companions with no prior White Mountains experience missed the Greenleaf Trail cutoff near Mount Lafayette and continued more than a mile onto the Garfield Ridge Trail. Around 8:45 p.m. Diaz began experiencing medical issues and called for help, and AMC Greenleaf Hut staff brought additional clothing, fluids, and food before NH Fish and Game officers met the group below the Mount Lafayette summit overnight. Diaz spent the night at Greenleaf Hut and hiked out via the Bridle Path the next morning.

Andrew Koert, 53, of Groton, MA

Andrew Koert, 53, of Groton, MA, slipped and fell approximately 10 feet while ascending the Falling Waters Trail toward Franconia Ridge and Mount Lafayette, sustaining multiple injuries and unable to bear weight. Passing hikers assisted him and called for help, and a NH Fish and Game conservation officer hiked about 1.2 miles up the trail to reach him. He was packaged into a litter and carried out by multiple agencies, then transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare.

46-year-old male from Littleton, NH

Peter Murphy, age 46, set out on April 25, 2010 wearing only shorts and a t-shirt with no gear to hike the Skookumchuck Trail to the summit of Mt. Lafayette. After turning around, he became lost and spent two days trying to find his way out of the White Mountain National Forest as weather deteriorated from 60 degrees and sunny to snow and temperatures in the 30s. He was located unharmed on April 27 near the Gale River Forest Service Road by a White Mountain National Forest employee.

Male, age 46, electrical engineer from Littleton, NH; 6 feet tall, 220 pounds, salt/pepper to gray hair and gray mustache

Peter Murphy, 46, of Littleton, NH, was believed to have gone hiking on the Skookumchuck Trail in Franconia during the weekend of approximately April 24-25, 2010. After failing to report for work on Monday April 26, co-workers reported him overdue and his car was located at the Skookumchuck Trailhead. A search involving multiple teams was underway as of April 27, 2010.

Sally Sise, 64, of Vergennes, VT

Sally Sise, 64, of Vergennes, VT, was hiking with a companion and descending the Bridle Path Trail about 1.5 miles below Greenleaf Hut on May 4, 2009 when she slipped on a rock and injured her ankle. Rescuers were called about 4:00 p.m., and she was carried off the mountain by NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers and about a dozen members of Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue. Sise was later evaluated at a local hospital.

Laurence Fredrickson, age 55, of South Sutton, NH (deceased); James Osborne, age 36, of Manchester, NH (critical condition, severe hypothermia and frostbite)

Two hikers attempting a ~9-mile winter traverse from Falling Waters Trail to Mt. Lafayette via Franconia Ridge Trail were reported missing on February 11, 2008, when they failed to show up for work. They were found near the summit of Little Haystack Mountain in sub-zero temperatures and high winds, inadequately equipped for winter conditions and without snowshoes; Fredrickson was pronounced dead at Littleton Hospital and Osborne was airlifted in critical condition with severe hypothermia and frostbite.

24-year-old male graduate student from Merrimack, NH

Brian Gagnon, age 24, became separated from his two hiking companions on Mt. Lafayette on January 20, 2007, after the group encountered severe winds, extremely low temperatures, and limited visibility and decided to turn back. Gagnon hiked ahead of the others but never returned to the trailhead; he made cell phone contact at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 8:00 a.m. Sunday, reporting he was below treeline in a drainage but unsure which side of the mountain. An extensive search by eight teams on Sunday was hampered by winds up to 60 MPH and cold temperatures, with the search continuing Monday morning.

24-year-old male from Merrimack, NH

Brian Gagnon, age 24, became separated from his two hiking companions on Mt. Lafayette on January 20, 2007, while the group encountered treacherous winter conditions. He survived two nights near the summit in subzero temperatures with whiteout conditions, suffering frostbite to his feet and hands. He was found on January 22 by search teams ferried to the summit by Army National Guard helicopters and was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

43-year-old engineer from Andover, MA

Brenda Cox, 43, and her husband Russell summited Mount Lafayette on March 21, 2004 despite warnings from descending hikers about deteriorating weather. Caught in a whiteout, they took the wrong trail on descent and were stranded two nights above treeline. Per the American Alpine Club analysis, 'sometime during the night, Mrs. Cox slipped into hypothermia and died.' Her husband survived and was airlifted out the next morning. AAC cited failure to turn back, failure to follow the planned route, and inadequate clothing for a forecast winter storm.

Married couple; Russell Cox of Andover, Massachusetts, and his wife Brenda Cox

Russell Cox and his wife Brenda Cox set out for a day hike on Mt. Lafayette on Sunday, March 21, 2004, but encountered severe winter conditions and became stranded on the mountaintop for two nights. Russell Cox was evacuated by helicopter on March 23, 2004; Brenda Cox died in the incident. NH Fish and Game determined no recklessness was involved and did not seek reimbursement for rescue costs.

67-year-old author and mountaineer from East Corinth, VT

Guy Waterman, 67, a renowned Northeast mountaineer and co-author of Forest and Crag and Wilderness Ethics, climbed Mount Lafayette on February 6, 2000 and intentionally died of exposure near the summit. Friends, alerted by letters he had sent in advance, recovered his body in the following days. The case is widely documented in regional mountaineering literature and was discussed publicly by his widow, author Laura Waterman, in her memoir Losing the Garden.