Harsh weather conditions complicated the rescue of an injured hiker on Mount Washington last week.
While hiking on the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail on Mount Washington on Tuesday morning, Kathleen M. Maguire, 56, of Antrim, injured her ankle and was unable to complete her hike.
Maguire called 911 for help and Appalacian Mountain Club personnel hiked down the trail to Maguire from the AMC Lake in the Clouds warming hut, which was about a fifth of a mile away.
AMC personnel splinted Maguire’s leg and assisted her to the hut, arriving at about 4:30 p.m. Maguire was unable to make it down the mountain under her own power, and authorities called for a medical helicopter to transport her out, but the helicopter was unable to fly due to the weather conditions.
Maguire’s condition was determined to be well enough to allow her to stay overnight at the hut and assess the weather in the morning, but on Wednesday, temperatures were lower and winds were higher – increasing to about 60 miles per hour.
Rescuers decided to transport Maguire to the top of Mount Washington and transport her down the mountain’s auto road. A state park van and other vehicles were used to take rescuers up to the top of the mountain, where they hiked 1.5 miles down to the Lake in the Clouds hut. Maguire was secured in a litter and carried to the top of the mountian, where she was driven in a private vehicle down to an ambulance where she signed off on any further medical care.
Weather conditions in and around the summit of Mount Washington were extreme during this rescue. Hurricane force winds blew, temperatures were in the low 30 and dropping and visibility was 10 to 20 feet at times.
New Hampshire Fish Game Conservations Officers, Rescuers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, AMC, Mount Washington State Park, Mount Washington Observatory and a class from SOLO Wilderness Medicine located in Conway responded to this rescue
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.