22-year-old hiker goes missing on trail after friends leave him behind, NH rangers say
A 22-year-old man struggled to keep up on a hike with friends before he vanished in a sprawling New Hampshire state park, state officials say.
The man from Massachusetts eventually turned up at park headquarters after his companions went on without him, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials.
Rangers were called at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 4, about a missing hiker at Monadnock State Park in Jaffrey, authorities said in a news release. The man was last seen just before 3 p.m.
Rangers said the group became separated when he couldn’t keep up and his friends ditched him on a trail.
“Once they left (him), his hiking companions were unable to locate him again,” officials said.
This prompted a search of nearby trails, and New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officers stepped in when rangers couldn’t find him.
The missing hiker arrived at Monadnock State Park Headquarters just as a second search party was heading out to look for him, according to fish and game officials. It’s not clear how long he was missing.
McClatchy News reached out to Fish and Game officials for more information and was awaiting a response.
“New Hampshire Fish and Game urges hikers to be prepared and responsible for their own safety,” the agency said in the release. “A cardinal rule of hiking is do not hike alone and never leave behind a hiking companion, especially if they are struggling.”
Jaffrey is about a 50-mile drive southwest from Concord.
This story was originally published July 5, 2024 at 3:34 PM with the headline "22-year-old hiker goes missing on trail after friends leave him behind, NH rangers say."