Boy Scouts from Brookline rescued after getting lost on N.H. hike
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Three members of a Boy Scout troop from Brookline were rescued after getting lost while hiking over the weekend in New Hampshire, officials said.
Scout leader William Sherwin, 31, of Brookline and two 14-year-old scouts were rescued Sunday night after getting lost in the Belknap Mountain Range, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement.
“There are a lot of leaves on the trails and it’s really easy to lose the trail in fall conditions,’’ said Jane Vachon, a Fish and Game spokeswoman.
The troop left from Camp Bell in Gilmanton at around 9 a.m. Sunday to begin a 9-mile hike, the statement said. At 1:15 p.m., the three hikers left the main group at the summit of Straightback Mountain and were last seen on a trail leading toward Mount Anna and back to the camp, officials said.
Around 2:37 p.m., the hikers called a member of the troop from a cellphone stating they were lost. They were equipped with some snacks, water, a map, and a compass, but lacked lights and warm gear for overnight temperatures, the statement said.
The last cellphone contact from the hikers was at 4:24 p.m. and attempts to locate their position by phone were unsuccessful.
The father of one of the lost scouts eventually notified New Hampshire State Police, who notified Fish and Game dispatch. Conservation officers, Gilmanton police and fire departments, and staff from the Daniel Webster Council, Boy Scouts of America responded and formed search teams to comb the trails, the statement said.
“We treat every search like an emergency,’’ said Conservation Officer Lieutenant Jim Juneau, who supervised the search effort. “It can lead to a series of events. You don’t know what is going to happen.’’
Around 8 p.m., the New Hampshire State Police helicopter responded and searched area woods using night vision and forward-looking infrared technology, officials said. The helicopter located the hikers, who were two miles from the camp and about 200 yards from a main trail, around 10:12 p.m. Ground teams reached the hikers around 10:50 p.m.
They were able to hike to a trail, along with the rescue team, and arrived at the Camp Bell parking lot at 11:35 p.m., the statement said.
“Other than warming them up and just giving them a good checkover, none of them required medical attention,’’ Juneau said.
Hikers should always be prepared with warm clothing and lights, and should stay together in a group, officials said.
“You’ve got to expect the unexpected,’’ Vachon said. “You don’t know if you’re going to get injured on the trail. You need to have those resources with you.’’
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