A Rhode Island man was rescued Sunday night after getting caught in bad weather on Mount Washington.
Owen Strommer, 20, of Wakefield, Rhode Island, was hiking up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail about 7 p.m. when he got caught in windblown snow with a dying headlamp and cellphone, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
Strommer called for help, and while he was not injured, he told rescuers that he could not spend the night atop the mountain, particularly if he had to stop moving.
It was 21 degrees Fahrenheit atop Mount Washington, with a wind chill of 3 degrees.
While rescuers scrambled to get organized, a Mount Washington State Park staffer took a fully chained truck and parked it at the top of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail with its headlights on to watch for Strommer.
Strommer slowly continued up the last 0.3 miles to the summit, where he eventually could make out the truck’s headlight and scramble the rest of the way.
He reached help at 8:29 p.m. and was brought the rest of the way to the summit to be warmed and evaluated. Strommer survived the ordeal without injury.
Strommer reached the base of the mountain at 10 p.m.
New Hampshire Fish and Game urges would-be hikers to remember that conditions in the high mountains are wintry, even though at the base it feels more like fall.
