State officials say a Newmarket woman injured while hiking in the White Mountains is the first person with a Hike Safe card to need rescue.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says 64-year-old Deborah Bloomer hurt her ankle around noon Sunday while descending Mount Chocorua. She was met by a member of the U.S. Forest Service and slowly continued the descent with assistance.
Eventually, rescuers from the forest service, local fire departments and state conservation officers used a litter to carry her off the mountain.
Bloomer had the card that protects hikers from paying costs related to their rescue. The state sells the cards — $25 for an individual, $35 for a family — to help defray the high cost of rescues, which averages $350,000 a year.