RescueOutcome: Self-rescuedLost

Rescue — Mount Chocorua, Jul 13, 2009

Jul 13, 2009·Mount Chocorua·Bolles Trail

Four males, all age 23, from Weymouth and Dorchester, Massachusetts · party of 4

Four 23-year-old Massachusetts hikers departed the Champney Falls/Bolles Brook Trailhead at 6 p.m. on July 13, 2009, reached the summit of Mount Chocorua at 7:30 p.m., then continued on the Bolles Trail mistakenly believing it would loop back to the trailhead. They were caught out after dark without a map or flashlights but eventually made their way back to the trailhead around 12:30 a.m., not realizing searchers had been dispatched.

What we can learn

Conservation Officer Alex Lopashanski stated: 'If they had been better prepared, this incident could have been prevented,' citing the lack of a trail map, understanding of the trail system, and lights.

Contributing factors

No mapNo headlampLate start

Part of the WMNF Hiker Incident Database. Every entry cites a primary or near-primary source; details are refined as the record is reviewed.

Other recorded incidents on Mount Chocorua