Massachusetts Hiker Rescued by Sled
A hiker suffered an icy fall near Lonesome Lake in New Hampshire's White Mountains and was rescued by sled in a challenging operation involving local authorities. Separately, another hiker was airlifted after an 8-hour rescue on Georgia's Appalachian Trail. The incidents occurred during severe winter weather that brought over 30 inches of snow to New England with 80 mph wind gusts.
- The rescued hiker in New Hampshire was identified as 72-year-old Steven Gabis of Clinton, Massachusetts. He suffered a leg injury after slipping on ice while walking near the Lonesome Lake Hut on the morning of Sunday, February 22. - The rescue operation for Gabis was carried out by a New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officer and eight volunteers from the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team, a nonprofit organization that assists with searches and rescues in the White Mountains. The team reached the hut, stabilized Gabis, and transported him in a rescue sled over a mile and a half to the trailhead at Lafayette Campground, completing the rescue in just over two hours. - On the same day as Gabis's rescue, another hiker, a 75-year-old man, had to be rescued from the Zealand Hut in the White Mountains due to a medical emergency. Both rescued parties were described as well-prepared for the winter conditions. - The Georgia rescue on Saturday, February 21, involved a 46-year-old man who became ill and was unable to walk on a remote section of the Appalachian Trail near Hawk Mountain. The nearly nine-hour operation required a "technical carry-out" with a rescue stretcher, known as a stokes basket, to move him to a point where a Georgia Department of Natural Resources helicopter could airlift him. - The weekend's severe weather in New England was part of a major Nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions to the region from February 22-23. Weather forecasts for Franconia, the location of the Lonesome Lake rescue, indicated light snow and freezing temperatures during that period. - New Hampshire's White Mountains see a significant number of rescue missions annually, with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department conducting an average of 190 search and rescue missions per year. A study of rescues from 2019 to 2022 showed that lower leg injuries are the most common reason for rescue calls and that there has been an increase in rescue incidents involving hikers over the age of 70.
