2 Mass. teens rescued from snow while hiking in N.H.

Two teen hikers, who the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department described as “unprepared,” were rescued Thursday evening from Mount Moosilauke. 

The hikers, ages 17 and 18, were on the Snapper Trail in an attempt to make a 7-mile loop on Mount Moosilauke, the tenth highest of the 4,000 foot peaks in the White Mountains. 

They called N.H. Fish and Game at 6:42 p.m. They reported that without snowshoes or headlamps they were having trouble navigating the trail, which was covered in waist-deep snow, and that their cell phones had low batteries.

“During the initial call with a Conservation officer, the hikers’ cell phone batteries died and all contact was lost,” authorities said in a release. 

About an hour later, at 7:45 p.m., after locating a portable battery charger in their gear, they made another 911 call. They had made it to a more packed-out hiking trail and were trying to self-rescue. 

Conservation officers located them at 8:38 p.m. near the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, a Dartmouth-owned mountain hospitality facility that is currently closed for the winter. 

The hikers had started their hike at 1 p.m. Though they had warm gear appropriate for winter hiking, they didn’t bring snowshoes or headlamps, which officials said “would have prevented the rescue call.” 

The department took the opportunity to remind hikers to pack the ten essential items — map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jacket and pants, and a knife — every time they venture out. 

“Snow, ice, and winter temperatures require additional gear for your outings,” they said. 

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