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Two hikers plead guilty to reckless conduct after 7-hour rescue mission in White Mountains
"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."
Two men who had to be rescued after straying from marked trails while hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire have pleaded guilty to reckless conduct charges, officials said Tuesday.
Jason Feierstin, 22, of Lowell, and Dylan Stahley, 25, of Windsor, N.H. were charged as the result of their actions during a hike in June, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
“The safety of rescuers is paramount in the execution of search and rescue missions. 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 department’s Law Enforcement Division said in a statement.
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Authorities received a call from one of the two at 2:15 p.m. on June 11. The hiker had called 911, telling dispatchers that he was stuck on the side of a mountain in a dangerous position. The hiker said he was laying under a ledge while trying to keep from falling off a cliff.
But the hiker didn’t know where he was, and couldn’t direct rescue teams to his position. The only information he could tell authorities was that he could see a highway. Tracking technology used during 911 calls pinpointed his location to the east side of Franconia Notch State Park, on a feature known as Hounds Hump, near the Eaglet Spire.
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The hiker told authorities that he and a friend “were exploring,” and had not followed a trail. Instead, they started to climb a series of steep ledges. The friend kept climbing after the caller got stuck, but eventually realized he too couldn’t find a way back down the cliffs.
First, professional rock climbing guides were tapped for the rescue mission. They were not able to reach the stranded hiker’s location from the bottom of the cliffs, and instead had to climb above the hiker and descend into the area he was thought to be in. One hiker was found by the rescue team, but he was not able to lead them to his friend’s location.
Several hours passed, but authorities were still having trouble finding the other hiker due to the dangerous terrain. At 6:30 p.m., one search and rescue team member glimpsed the stranded hiker from a spot on I-93. Rescuers used a drone to gather more information about his location.
The search and rescue command team relayed information to rescue climbers as they worked to reach the ledge where the hiker was. At 7:21 p.m., climbers rappelled down to the stranded hiker and placed him in a harness.
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The hiker and his rescuers then faced a “challenging climb” to the trail leading to Eaglet Spire, the only safe way to descend back to the Greenleaf Trail, according to authorities. The rescue party finally reached a command post on I-93 at 9:37 p.m., more than seven hours after the hikers first called 911.
The hikers told Conservation Officers that they had no plan for a hike that day, were not familiar with the area, and did not stay on any trail. On top of that, the two did not have any equipment for rock climbing or the necessary footwear.
“Their reckless actions placed the rescuers in danger of serious bodily injury,” the department said in a statement.
Hikers need to understand that they are accountable for their decisions and actions, authorities said, and anyone planning a hike should visit hikesafe.com for safety guidelines.
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