Hypothermic Texas Hiker Rescued By Train in New Hampshire

WHITE MOUNTAINS, N.H. — A 55-year-old hiker from Austin, Texas was rescued in an intense mission Friday evening after becoming severely hypothermic near Mount Washington. The rescue unfolded as freezing temperatures and 120 mph winds pounded New Hampshire’s Presidential Range, catching the group of hikers off guard.

According to New Hampshire Fish and Game, the incident occurred around 5 p.m. on the Gulfside Trail, about one mile north of the Mount Washington Cog Railway tracks, in a high alpine zone between Mount Washington and Mount Jefferson. The hiker, identified as Caroline Wilson, was unable to move or communicate after collapsing from hypothermia. Her husband dialed 911 to report the emergency.

In a collaborative move, search and rescue teams coordinated with Mount Washington Cog Railway personnel, who dispatched a train to ferry rescuers partway up the mountain. The train may have been consequential, saving rescuers from what would have been a lengthy three-mile hike up the Jewell Trail in adverse conditions. After disembarking, rescuers still had to hike more than a mile to reach Wilson.

The first rescue crew rode up at 7 p.m., followed by a second team an hour later. Upon arrival, the first group set up a temporary shelter to begin warming Wilson. Once the second team arrived, she was secured in a rescue litter and carried back to the waiting train. At the bottom, she was transferred to an ambulance and taken to Littleton Regional Healthcare for treatment. She survived.

It's not the first time the train has been called into action for a hiker rescue:

That day, Mount Washington clocked winds of 120 mph and temperatures around 20°F, creating what Fish and Game described as “potentially life-threatening” exposure. Multiple calls came in from across the region reporting additional hypothermic hikers on Friday.

In a public statement, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department expressed gratitude to the teams that responded:
Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, Pemigewassett Valley Search and Rescue, Mountain Rescue Services, and the Cog Railway.

“The weather was not great and the conditions were potentially life threatening,” officials said. “But each group responded to the call for assistance and endured less than hospitable weather conditions to save the life of this hiker.”