Hikers on tallest mountain in Northeast rescued from whiteout snowstorm at 5,000 feet

Two experienced hikers were rescued from the tallest upland successful the Northeast aft a whiteout snowstorm stranded them astatine astir 5,000 feet connected Sunday, authorities said.

Kathyrn McKee, 51, of Southborough, Massachusetts, and Beata LeLacheur, 54, of Westborough, Massachusetts, were trekking done a challenging Mount Washington way successful New Hampshire erstwhile the upwind turned severe, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) said.

Temperatures dropped and winds kicked up, blowing snowfall truthful that the way the friends were pursuing was wholly erased. The brace pushed done chest-deep snow, mislaid connected the mountain.

One of McKee's snowshoes became stuck successful a "spruce trap," a spread created successful the snowfall underneath trees.

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In this photograph provided by Kathyrn McKee, chap hiker Beata LeLacheur climbs the Westside trail, conscionable hours earlier needing to beryllium rescued, connected Mount Washington, New Hampshire, connected Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Kathyrn McKee photograph via AP)

"It took similar 20 minutes to get retired of that," she recalled to The Associated Press successful an interview. "And that kept happening. And truthful we got to a constituent wherever we were literally, similar crawling connected our bellies to effort to get to the adjacent constituent and conscionable struggling truthful overmuch that it wasn't working."

Hiker Beata LeLacheur is shown conscionable hours earlier needing to beryllium rescued, connected Mount Washington, New Hampshire, connected Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Kathyrn McKee photograph via AP)

After astir an hr of struggling, the hikers called 911 soon aft 6 p.m. and reached NHFG conservation officers, who plotted their GPS coordinates and directed them toward the way — conscionable 34 feet away.

"They ended up connected the way respective times but could not travel it due to the fact that it had been erased by upwind and blowing snow," Sgt. Matthew Holmes of the Fish and Game Department said successful a quality release. 

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Unable to find the way aft aggregate calls with conservation officers, Holmes said "the brace huddled up successful the snowfall to support lukewarm and awaited assistance."

Temperatures astatine the summit fell to -2 degrees and sustained winds blasted astatine 50-60 mph, often with gusts importantly higher, by the clip the bureau began a rescue cognition astatine 8:30 p.m., Holmes said.

This representation provided by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department shows rescuers leaving connected ft from the acme connected Mount Washington, New Hampshire, connected Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (New Hampshire Fish and Game Department photograph via AP)

McKee said that contempt wearing gloves with liners, her "hands were frozen." The friends utilized a container arsenic a upwind defender and sat connected the upland for the adjacent six hours to await rescue arsenic the upwind blasted them and buried them underneath snowfall that near them insulated but immobile, she said. 

"I was terrified that my person whitethorn walk distant successful beforehand of maine and, you know, oregon I mightiness walk away," McKee said. "And however did we get here? So, you bash deliberation astir that, but you can't enactment successful that thought process due to the fact that that's not going to get you out. So we conscionable kept focusing connected what is the adjacent happening we tin do."

Just earlier midnight, 9 rescuers connected a Mount Washington State Park snowcat reached the summit. The unit snowshoed crossed the deep, wind-blown snowfall toward the trail, officials said.

This representation provided by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department shows a snowcat heading retired connected the rescue ngo connected Mount Washington, N.H., connected Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (New Hampshire Fish and Game Department photograph via AP)

The squad approached the past known determination of the 2 hikers astatine 1:20 a.m. Monday, but had not yet made contact. 

"The lone mode to find the way was done GPS navigation, and advancement was dilatory owed to the tremendous effort required to interruption a way successful the heavy snow," Holmes said.

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A fractional hr later, the rescuers recovered the 2 hikers live and coherent, though some were suffering from acold upwind injuries. The rescue unit acceptable up exigency shelters and began to lukewarm some hikers, who were capable to determination connected their ain aft astir an hour, officials said. 

This representation provided by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department shows rescue hikers on the cog railway during a rescue ngo connected Mount Washington, N.H., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (New Hampshire Fish and Game Department photograph via AP)

At 3 a.m., the rescuers and hikers made their mode down the Jewell Trail toward the basal presumption of the Cog Railway, reaching the basal safely by 4:15 a.m. 

Mount Washington is the tallest highest successful the Northeast astatine 6,288 feet, and is known for its utmost upwind conditions. 

The acme of New Hampshire's Mount Washington. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Holmes said some women were prepared for a wintertime hike, had exigency cogwheel and had wintertime hiking experience. But they didn't expect they would suffer the trial. McKee and LeLacheur had received grooming connected hikes from the Appalachian Mountain Club's section successful Worcester, Massachusetts.

"We consciousness truly atrocious astir having to marque that (911) call, but it did prevention our lives, and we're eternally grateful," McKee said of their rescuers.

Both told The Associated Press they'd spell retired hiking again successful the White Mountains and adhd a tiny pop-up structure to their cogwheel successful lawsuit they request to question shelter.

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"You either get backmost connected the horse, oregon you don't," McKee said. "I'm not going to person a occupation to get backmost connected the horse. I'm going to bash it arsenic harmless arsenic I can. But I admit determination are risks successful what we do."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.