Monday afternoon a 24-year-old hiker who thought he could take the Cog Railway down after climbing Mount Washington was rescued after making trying to descend the steep Huntington Ravine Trail. The hiker, Andy Nguyen of Billerica, Massachusetts, was at the summit when he found out the trains were no longer operating, said Sgt. Mark Ober of New Hampshire Fish and Game.
He tried going down the Huntington Ravine Trail but became exhausted and found it too steep, at one point almost slipping over an 80-foot cliff, said Mike Pelchat, the manager of the Mount Washington State Park. Nguyen called 911 for help about 3 p.m. Pelchat and Ober reached him just after 4 p.m.
The rescuers provided Nguyen with warm clothes and using ropes helped get him get back to the top. He was then driven down the auto road in a truck equipped with chains.
Ober said the young man was ill-prepared for cold-weather hiking or traveling at night.
Pelchat said hikers should know that buildings at the summit are closed for the winter so there is no shelter for hikers, the trails are typically covered with ice and snow, and the only way down is by walking.
He also said Huntington Ravine should only be attempted by experienced and properly equipped hikers – and not in wet or icy conditions.
