Keith Lusher 11.05.25
More than 20 hikers were rescued over the weekend after being stranded on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington in freezing, whiteout conditions. According to the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the group had reached the 6,288-foot summit without realizing the state park facilities were closed for the season.
Railway officials discovered the hikers on Saturday when a train heading for the summit came across several distressed individuals near the top. Andy Vilaine, assistant general manager of the Cog Railway, said most of them were unaware that summit services had already shut down for winter.
“Many of the hikers were showing early signs of hypothermia,” Vilaine said. “They were wearing sneakers and thin jackets, and some had never hiked before.”
Crew members made room for the group inside the passenger cars and locomotive cabs, running the heaters full blast to warm them. Temperatures on the summit were between 15 and 18 degrees, with a wind chill as low as minus five. Vilaine said that without the rescue, several of the hikers likely would have required a full-scale search and recovery effort.
New Hampshire State Parks later released a statement warning visitors about the harsh seasonal shift on the mountain. “Multiple people have arrived at the summit unprepared for winter and required assistance,” the agency said. “Be wildly responsible and bring everything needed for winter hiking or just hike another day.”
The following day, another hiker had to be rescued from near the summit after becoming trapped in blowing snow with dying batteries in both his headlamp and cellphone. The 20-year-old from Rhode Island was located on the upper reaches of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, about a third of a mile below the peak. He was found uninjured but admitted he was not ready for the weather.
Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, is often called the “Home of the Worst Weather in America.” Its unpredictable climate can shift from calm to dangerous in minutes, with hurricane-force winds and sub-zero temperatures a common occurrence. Even in early fall, temperatures can plunge below zero and winds can exceed 100 miles per hour.
The Mount Washington Cog Railway, which operates year-round, normally stops short of the summit once the park closes in mid-October. By late October, the railway’s winter page warns that sub-arctic conditions make the summit inhospitable to casual visitors.
Vilaine said the incident serves as a reminder that hikers should research conditions before heading out. “The summit is only halfway,” he said.
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials echoed the message. Lt. Mark Ober told local station WMUR that hiking the peak without proper gear in winter “is literally a life or death situation.”
Mount Washington’s rugged beauty continues to draw thousands each year, but as Vilaine put it, “A mountain like this demands respect.”
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