Rescuers rush to find two hikers who made wrong turn on cold trail, NH officials say
Two hikers made a wrong turn on a cold trail in New Hampshire, prompting rescuers to quickly set out to find them, officials said.
Wildlife officials got a call at 12:45 p.m. Jan. 18 about two men who had gotten off the Greenleaf Trail in Franconia, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a Jan. 21 news release.
The men started their hike at 7 a.m. with plans to hike the Franconia Ridge Trail, officials said.
“After hiking across the ridge, the pair made it to Greenleaf Hut, but instead of taking Old Bridle Path, which was their planned route, they started to descend the Greenleaf Trail,” officials said.
That’s when they realized they had ended up on the wrong trail and gotten off path, officials said. They also couldn’t see the trail markers or tracks due to the weather.
The men reported feeling hypothermic, so they called for help, officials said.
Conservation officers hiked up steep terrain and found them near Eagle Pass.
They helped warm the hikers, and they returned to the parking lot at 5:10 p.m.
Officials said the men weren’t prepared for the weather conditions, which included predictions of snow, sleet and rain.
Franconia is in northern New Hampshire.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Rescuers rush to find two hikers who made wrong turn on cold trail, NH officials say."
