Freezing hikers get stranded in snow-covered forest before reaching cabin, officials say

A winter storm stranded hikers on a mountain overnight in freezing conditions, prompting an emergency rescue operation, Massachusetts officials said.

The hikers, two middle-aged men, were trekking to a mountaintop cabin in the Mount Washington State Forest when their trouble began, according to a March 15 news release from Massachusetts State Police.

The pair called 911 shortly after sunset when they were trapped.

Rapidly accumulating snow and the growing darkness prohibited them from continuing forward on the trail, and the fresh snow covering their tracks prevented them from retracing their steps, they told dispatchers.

Troopers and emergency dispatchers instructed the duo to stay put, stating that a rescue team would come find them.

Before a rescue could begin, snow plows were enlisted to clear the road to the forest trail, which was obstructed by power lines and trees downed during the storm, state police said.

Once the path was clear, shortly before midnight, a search and rescue team composed of half a dozen state and local officials on snowmobiles embarked into the forest.

However, the snow was higher than knee-deep, and the vehicles were not able to operate on the trail.

So, around midnight, the team proceeded on foot, walking 2 miles into the snow-blanketed forest toward the hikers’ location.

After nearly three hours of traipsing through the forest, rescuers located the hikers, who were “suffering from fatigue and cold temperatures but were not injured,” troopers said.

The search party and rescued hikers made it out of the forest just before 5:00 a.m. The hikers were treated by EMTs and transported to a nearby hospital to be evaluated.

The Mount Washington State Forest stretches over 4,000 acres of rugged terrain in western Massachusetts, according to the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation.

This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Freezing hikers get stranded in snow-covered forest before reaching cabin, officials say."