Renee Pollrich, a university student from Germany, hikes a trail down above Huntington Ravine on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire,.Photo:Getty
Getty
Three men from Massachusetts were safely rescued after getting stranded in “white out conditions” on Mount Lincoln in New Hampshire on Sunday, Feb. 9, according to a New Hampshire Fish and Game Tuesday, Feb. 11statement.
Jack Tragni, 24, Vaishnav Raja, 25, and Justin Yang, 24, departed on Sunday morning around 9 a.m. for a hike from the mountain’s Falling Waters Trail to Franconia Ridge.
Hours later, at 5:30 p.m., the Conservation Officers with NH Fish and Game were issued an SOS alert from the area of Mount Lincoln.
The Rescue Coordination Center received an alert from a Garmin device — which allows for an “interactive SOS message with your GPS coordinates to the Garmin Response 24/7-staffed emergency response coordination center,” per the officialsite. “Admittedly, they panicked when they activated the SOS on their device but they knew it would take hours for rescuers to get to their location,” read the NH Fish and Game statement.
The men then reported via text message that they were experiencing white-out conditions and suffering from cold weather-related injuries. However, due to the cold and windy conditions, they could not continue texting the rescuers.
The Lakes of the Clouds hut is seen in the foreground of Mount Monroe from Crawford Path en route to the summit of Mount Washington.Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The response team tracked them near the Mount Lafayette summit, and the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team’s conservation officers and volunteers responded to the trailhead. Around 7:30 p.m., the hikers began a slow descent of Mount Lafayette towards the Greenleaf Hut at the same time the rescuers were approaching the Old Bridle Path.
“The group was fairly well prepared for winter conditions but lacked experience above treeline,” read the NH Fish and Game statement. “This was a training hike for Mount Washington which is now put on hold.”
“Without the dedication of highly skilled volunteer groups such as the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team, search and rescue in New Hampshire would not be as efficient,” officials said.
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A representative for the NH Fish and Game did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Tuesday.
source: people.com