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Body recoveryOutcome: FatalExposure

Body recovery — Mount Washington, Aug 22, 2024

·Mount Washington·Gulfside Trail

72-year-old male from Virginia (name withheld pending notification)

A hiker found the man's body on the Gulfside Trail near the West Side Trail junction, about a half-mile below the summit. Fish and Game believes he rode the Cog to the summit on August 21 and then tried to hike down; he was dressed in jeans, a navy blue raincoat, and brown hiking boots, and was not prepared for the conditions. Death attributed to likely environmental exposure pending autopsy.

What we can learn

Fish and Game noted he was not prepared for the cold, wet, windy conditions at higher summits.

Contributing factors

Inadequate clothing
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Other recorded incidents on Mount Washington

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