A lost hiker was found safe on Mt. Monadnock Tuesday evening, after poor cell phone service made it difficult to determine her location.
“They were on the Northwest part of the mountain when they got lost and that area is notorious for not having good cell signal,” said Sgt. Todd Szewczyk of N.H. Fish and Game. “911 was able to give us some idea of her location based on cell locations, which are very helpful, but not always as accurate as we would like.”
Brooke Stanton, 18, of Nashua, and Britny Ragonese, 21, of Pelham, had summited the mountain early Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the N.H. Fish and Game Department.
They had begun their descent when they veered off trail and became lost. Ragonese continued to search for the trail while Stanton, who had suffered a minor leg injury, waited for help.
Ragonese eventually found the trail and hiked down the mountain to notify park personnel at approximately 10:30 a.m. N.H. Fish and Game conservation officers coordinated a search with Mt. Monadnock mountain patrol rangers.
Lt. David Walsh of N.H Fish and Game was finally able to contact Stanton on her cell phone and coach her on how to use the compass application on her phone.
Stanton was located at 4:30 p.m. “She was wet and cold when she was found, but not hypothermic,” said Szewczyk.
Stanton was able to walk down the mountain with assistance from the conservation officers.
The Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division cautions hikers that becoming dependent on electronic devices such as cell phones will only give a false sense of security, which will quickly disappear when those devices fail, and that trail maps are essential equipment for any hike.