Over 20 'ill-prepared' hikers rescued from snowy Mount Washington

[sheshe2]

Over 20 "ill-prepared" hikers were rescued from New Hampshire's Mount Washington after they were trapped in "full winter conditions" without the proper gear, with some developing hypothermia, according to the Mount Washington Cog Railway.

The hikers, who were rescued on Saturday by railway officials, had reached the mountain's 6,288-foot summit, but "most had no idea that summit services would be unavailable and that the state park was closed for the season," Andy Vilaine, the assistant general manager for the Mount Washington Cog Railway, said in a statement on Saturday.

The train was heading to the summit as normal when crew members discovered "several distressed hikers," Vilaine said in a statement to ABC News.

The hikers told the train officials they "didn't think they would be able to hike back down," with Vilaine agreeing after "assessing some of their conditions and outward appearance," he said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/over-20-ill-prepared-hikers-rescued-from-snowy-mount-washington-officials/ar-AA1Pi3RW

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I hiked to the summit of MT Washington with my boyfriend and two other guys. That was long before there were cell phones! It was summer but we still had heavy clothing in our back packs. As it was, there was an incoming front of dense fog when we neared the summit and had to hustle to make it to the top.

You must be prepared when you hike!

[mwmisses4289]

1. Wait...with all the connections to the web,

and most places having websites, these idjits claim they didn't know or find out the park was already closed for the season?
I don't know about you, but the first thing I always do when going someplace is check to see if they are open. Park, campground, business, restaurant...doesn't matter what it is, I always check to see if it is open when I want to go.

[markie]

2. Be prepared!

I have hiked Washington a number of times and it can be tough even in the summer, sometimes socked right in with the fog, barely seeing your hand in front of you...... the wind chill this morning there was 2 degrees

Fortunately, I was on the Appalachian Trail in Maryland this morning, not nearly as cold (about 42 degrees)

Happy Trails to all, stay safe!!

[Martin Eden]

3. My wife and I drove to the summit of Mt. Washington the 2nd week in October several years ago

It was sunny in the low 60's down below. At the summit, the fierce winds made it difficult to stay warm even with 3 layers (including thick fleece) under a hooded shell jacket.

[Totally Tunsie]

4. Conditions on Mt. Washington can, and often does, change in minutes.

What starts as a sunny day while you're in Pinkham Notch can be cold, foggy or blustery by the time you near the top. Hikers must always be prepared for cold. There certainly is enough signage and warnings posted at base as well as in literature about the area. It's an unwise or over-confident hiker who doesn't heed the information provided.

[peggysue2]

5. You must be prepared when you hike. YES!

This is the sort of story that drives my oldest son wild--the number of people who decide to go on an 'adventure' with little or no experience which includes preparing adequate supplies, gear and protective clothing and shoes for inclement weather.

Mother Nature doesn't fool around. You go unprepared and uninformed into these spaces, you could easily end up dead.

[Torchlight]

6. It's never a bad idea to do your homework and invest in a little research before the grand adventure.

Otherwise, we stand around and sheepishly say, "Well, no one told me about this! Why didn't they say it louder??! Bad messaging!!! This isn't a good look for you!!! I'm educated, know how to read a map and a weather report, but they made me click too many times!!!"

[maxsolomon]

7. Why hike a mountain with a road and cog railway nearly to the summit?

Seems like a pointless exercise. Go somewhere else that's equivalent.