A hiker is lucky to be alive after a huge fall on the Kinsman Ridge Trail in Franconia Notch State Park.
Boston.com reports that a 21-year-old hiker was saved last Friday night on the Kinsman Ridge Trail on the way up to Cannon Mountain. The individual, Matthew Blessings from Marlborough, Massachusetts, was an inexperienced hiker and lacked the proper experience and gear needed for a hike ranked as hard on AllTrails. Matthew got lost while ascending, and while searching for the summit, he fell off a ledge. The 20-30 foot drop left him with severe upper body injuries. He didn’t bring a map, raingear, and a light source, which are all important on a hike like this.
The Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team figured out about Matthew’s situation around 9 pm that night. Various things impeded their efforts to search for him. Rain and lightning led to poor visibility. In addition, Matthew’s phone died, making it challenging to find his exact location. In spite of this, they made it to his location by 11:15 pm.
When they found him, they harnessed Matthew down to stable ground. To get back to the trail, they had Matthew “summon the energy” to walk back, with the search & rescue team’s assistance, to the Kinsman Ridge Trail, and then to the summit of Cannon Mountain. From there, state park officials used the tramway to bring him back down to the base area.
Lieutenant James Kneeland reported that while the hiker was hospitalized, he is doing “fairly well for what he faced.”
With wet weather in the region throughout the past few months, you should expect muddy conditions on hiking trails in New England for the rest of the summer and should exercise extreme caution when you’re going through steep terrain. While you’re at it, purchasing a New Hampshire Hike Safe Card is a good idea, which protects you against paying for rescue costs.
Image Credits: Cannon Mountain/Franconia Notch State Park