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Canadian Hikers Rescued from Mount Lafayette

Two Canadian men who were lost in the White Mountains overnight were rescued Monday afternoon after an extensive search by Fish and Game and a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter.

NHPR’s Chris Jensen reports.

The two Canadian men had planned to climb Mt. Lafayette, a 4,000-footer in the Franconia Notch.

But they lost their way late Sunday afternoon due to fog, high winds and blowing snow, says Dany Daigle of Quebec, one of the hikers.

“We found a big rock and sleep under it. We tried to make a fire and our matches didn’t work. And our water froze.”

Realizing they were in trouble they activated an electronic rescue beacon.

Lt. James Goss of Fish and Game says the signal triggered a search Sunday evening that eventually involved a couple dozen people but the area is particularly rugged.

“It was waist deep snow. Thick spruce boughs and trees and blow-downs and the winds were blowing in excess of 50 miles per hour.”

Early Monday afternoon the weather cleared enough for a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter to join the search.

The crew spotted the men in an area the Fish and Game searchers had not been able to reach and picked them up.

They were not injured and by early afternoon were on their way back to Canada.

For NHPR News this is Chris Jensen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DLak5PGkWo&feature=youtu.be

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