Hikers decided to go ‘exploring’ on steep ledges. They had to pay up for their rescue
The decision of two hikers to adventure along steep ledges on the side of a mountain resulted in a rescue that led to criminal charges in New Hampshire, according to officials.
What’s more is they had to pay for the difficult rescue mission that lasted hours and put rescuers in danger after the pair could not get down from the cliffs on June 11 at Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire Fish and Game announced in a Sept. 6 news release. The state park is located in the White Mountain National Forest.
“We were exploring,” one hiker told dispatchers after calling 911 for help because he was “stuck,” according to the agency.
The two men, a 22-year-old and 25-year-old, pleaded guilty to reckless conduct charges on Aug. 9, according to the agency. Since the friends entered guilty pleas, the charges were reduced to a violation.
The duo was also ordered to pay fines of $248 each, the news release said.
“When people put themselves into hazardous situations needlessly or by being ill prepared, and put rescuers in harm’s way, they need to be held accountable,” Lt. James Kneeland, of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Law Enforcement Division, said in a statement.
On June 11, one hiker called 911 and said he was stuck “in a very dangerous position and was laying under a ledge, trying to keep from falling off the cliff” around 2:15 p.m., according to the release.
He was unable to describe his exact location during the call, and told dispatchers that they were not following a hiking trail, the agency said. The man’s friend kept climbing upwards, but eventually called 911 for help, too.
911 tracking revealed the hikers were on a rock feature called Hounds Hump, and a rescue mission involving professional rock climbers was launched, according to the release.
Rescuers located the friend, but the first hiker who called 911 was not found for a few hours due to the “dangerous terrain,” the news release said.
Around 6:30 p.m., the first hiker’s location was discovered on a ledge, and rescuers reached him nearly an hour later at 7:21 p.m., according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
They “placed him in a harness to be extracted,” before taking on a “challenging climb” to a hiking trail so they could safely come down from the mountain, the news release said. The rescuers and the hiker reached a command post at 9:37 p.m.
“They were not familiar with the area, did not stay on any trail, and did not have any equipment or even footwear for entering such a steep and dangerous location, much less ropes, harnesses, or climbing gear,” New Hampshire Fish and Game said in the release.
The agency is advising the public to be prepared when hiking by learning about the terrain beforehand.
Franconia Notch State Park is a mountain pass about 65 north of Concord.
This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Hikers decided to go ‘exploring’ on steep ledges. They had to pay up for their rescue."
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