What goes wrong in the White Mountains

Owen Strommer, 20, of Wakefield, Rhode Island

Strommer was caught in windblown snow about 0.3 miles below the summit with a dying headlamp and cell phone and no backup equipment; the summit temperature was 21°F with a wind chill of 3°F. He picked his way up by cairns until he reached a State Park truck's headlights and was driven to the summit to warm up. Fish and Game said he was 'absolutely unprepared' for above-treeline conditions.

14-year-old female hiker with lower leg injury

On the evening of October 5, 2025, a 14-year-old female hiker injured her lower leg while descending a service trail adjacent to the Cog Railway tracks on Mt. Washington, approximately 2 miles from the Base Station. Conservation Officers responded via ATVs and made contact with the two hikers at approximately 9:45 p.m. Both hikers were transported down the mountain by ATV and arrived safely at the roadside at 10:15 p.m.

Karen Shaffer, 76, of Orange, California

Shaffer suffered a lower-leg injury on the upper Jewell Trail at about 5,000 feet after falling multiple times and could not continue. AVSAR (15 volunteers) and three conservation officers warmed her and her husband, treated her injury, and carried her out by litter, arriving roadside at 12:40 a.m.

Tyler Viruet, 29, of Carver, Massachusetts

Viruet experienced an unknown medical event that left him unable to move; temperatures were around 40°F with wind-driven light rain. His companions and State Park staff assisted him along the Alpine Garden Trail to the Auto Road, where a conservation officer relayed him down; he was evaluated by Gorham Ambulance.

66-year-old male hiker from Houston, TX

On the morning of August 20, 2025, a sick hiker named William Robertson, 66, was found at Hermit Lake Shelter on Mt. Washington experiencing symptoms that made it unsafe to hike out unassisted. Conservation Officers responded with ATVs and transported Robertson down the Sherburne Ski Trail to the AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. He was then taken to Memorial Hospital in North Conway for further evaluation and treatment.

16-year-old male, member of a summer camp group

On July 30, 2025, a 16-year-old boy experienced an anaphylactic reaction after inadvertently consuming an allergen while at the Lake of the Clouds AMC Hut on Mt. Washington. AMC staff administered epinephrine and monitored the patient while Fish and Game coordinated a helicopter response. The DHART helicopter landed at the hut at 5:17 p.m. and transported the patient to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center by 5:28 p.m.

Simon Letellier-Julien and Promise Espejo, both of Boucherville, QC Canada

On the evening of July 15, 2025, two hikers became stranded on steep ledges on the Huntington Ravine Trail on Mt. Washington. Technical rescue personnel from AVSAR, MRS, and NH Fish and Game reached the hikers at 9:40 p.m., assisted them with ropes and climbing harnesses, and brought everyone safely to the Mt. Washington Auto Road by 10:47 p.m. The pair had read a trail description beforehand but underestimated the difficulty of the terrain.

Lukas Lamb Wotton, 31, of New Orleans, LA

On the afternoon of July 2, 2025, Lukas Lamb Wotton, 31, free-fell approximately 60 feet while rock climbing in the Pinnacle Buttress area of Huntington Ravine on Mt. Washington, sustaining multiple potentially life-threatening injuries. Bystander hikers alerted nearby climbers who provided first aid, and a NH Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter hoisted Wotton from the ravine shortly after 3:00 p.m. He was flown to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, arriving alive.

35-year-old male from Lowell, Massachusetts

Ravikumar Patel, 35, slipped and fell while descending the Tuckerman Ravine Trail approximately 0.4 miles above Hermit Lake on June 23, 2025, sustaining a head injury. An AMC first responder from Hermit Lake assessed him and assisted him back to the hut, where he awaited a Conservation Officer. Patel was transported down to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center via ATV and released to family for further medical care.

43-year-old female hiker from Quebec, Canada

On the evening of June 12, 2025, Nadia Ouellette, 43, was found exhausted and cold on the Jewell Trail approximately 2.5 miles above the Cog Railway Base Station on Mt. Washington. A Conservation Officer and three AVSAR members located her at 11:47 p.m. in temperatures around 33°F with winds gusting over 60 mph. She was given warm clothing and assisted down the trail, arriving safely at the Base Station at approximately 6:15 a.m. on June 13.

29-year-old male from Carignan, QC, Canada

On April 5, 2025, William Tessier, 29, slipped on icy conditions and slid off the Jewell Trail near Mt. Clay while descending Mt. Washington with four companions, striking an object and suffering leg, shoulder, and hypothermia injuries. Rescuers from AVSAR, PEMI SAR, MRS, and Cog Railway personnel reached him at 7:24 p.m. after being transported partway up the mountain by train. He was carried in a litter to the Cog Railway and transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare.

Kathryn McKee, 51, of Fayville, MA, and Beata Lelacheur, 54, of Westborough, MA

The two became stranded in whiteout conditions in chest-deep snow at about 5,000 feet, only 34 feet off the Jewell Trail. A snowcat brought nine rescuers up; crews snowshoed through deep, wind-blown snow and located the pair at 1:50 a.m., set up emergency shelters, and warmed them for an hour. Both were treated for cold-weather injuries; Fish and Game said their gear likely saved their lives.