Hiker Assisted off of Mt. Washington

CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Sgt. Matthew Holmes
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
June 13, 2025

Thompson and Meserves Purchase, NH – During the overnight hours of June 12 into June 13, 2025, Conservation Officers and volunteer Search and Rescue Team members worked to assist an exhausted hiker off of Mt. Washington.

Shortly after 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, Conservation Officers were alerted to a distressed hiker on the upper reaches of the Jewell Trail. The hiker, 43-year-old Nadia Ouellette from Quebec, Canada, was suffering from extreme exhaustion and having difficulty moving. Coordinates for her cell phone call showed that she was 2.5 miles away from the nearest road and still well above tree line. Officers utilized an interpreter provided by 911 to mitigate a language barrier, but were still concerned about unknown issues after speaking with the caller. Given the totality of the circumstances and a forecast containing steady winds and dropping temperatures, a rescue effort was initiated.

A rescue party consisting of a Conservation Officer and three members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team (AVSAR) entered the woods shortly after 10:00 p.m. and began hiking toward Oullette’s location. At 11:47 p.m., rescuers located her 2.5 miles up the Jewell Trail from the Base Station of the Cog Railway. Oullette was found to be cold and suffering from fatigue but was otherwise uninjured. She was given warm, dry clothes and was ultimately able to hike with assistance back down the Jewell Trail. At the time that rescuers began moving down the mountain with Oullette, air temperatures were around 33ºF and winds were gusting to over 60 miles per hour.

The rescue party remained with Ouellette throughout the night and assisted her in walking out under her own power. Everyone involved arrived safely at the Base Station of the Cog Railway at approximately 6:15 a.m. on the morning of June 13. Ouellette was very grateful for the assistance of the rescuers and thanked them multiple times.

Despite summertime temperatures in much of New Hampshire, Fish and Game wants to remind outdoor enthusiasts that winter-like conditions still exist in the mountains. The vast majority of the snow has melted, but sub-freezing temperatures still persist on the high, windswept slopes. Anyone venturing into these areas should not only prepare for the conditions while moving and generating heat, but also for sitting still in an exposed area should they become incapacitated.