Hypothermic Hiker Rescued from Gulfside Trail

CONTACT:
Lieutenant Mark Ober
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
June 20, 2025

Thompson & Meserves Purchase, NH – Conservation Officers, volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR), Pemigewassett Valley Search and Rescue (PEMI SAR), Mountain Rescue Services (MRS), and Cog Railway personnel responded to a call of a hiker suffering from hypothermia on the Gulfside Trail approximately 1 mile north of the Cog train tracks. The call came in at 5:00 p.m. via 911 from the hiker’s husband reporting his wife was unable to move or communicate after being unable to hike. The hiker was identified as Caroline Wilson, 55, from Austin, TX.

NH Fish and Game reached out to the Cog Railway for assistance in relaying rescuers up the train tracks to where the Westside Trail crosses the tracks known as Skyline. The Cog has always been willing to help in every rescue situation and this time they provided a train which saved rescuers from having to hike over 3 miles up the Jewell Trail in rainy, windy conditions to access Wilson. Rescuers still had to hike over a mile encountering high winds and cloudy conditions across the ridge above 5,000 feet of elevation the whole time.

A Cog train took an initial team up on a train at 7:00 p.m. A second team followed at 8:00 p.m. Rescuers had to negotiate high winds and low cloud cover to reach Wilson. She was treated in a temporary shelter by the first team in an attempt to warm her up. Once the second team arrived, she was placed in the litter and carried back across Gulfside Trail to the awaiting Cog train.

Once the Cog was back at the base, Wilson was transferred to the Twin Mountain ambulance and transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare for treatment.

Conditions in the higher elevations of the White Mountains were dangerous Friday, with winds reaching 120 mph and 20ºF temperatures during the day on the summit of Mt. Washington. Multiple calls reporting hypothermic hikers were received by officials during the day throughout the
presidential range. Numerous hikers were helped by Mt. Washington State Park personnel, Mt. Washington Auto Road personnel, Appalachian Mountain Club crew members, and other Good Samaritan hikers who assisted those suffering from hypothermic symptoms.

Without the dedicated SAR volunteers from AVSAR, PEMI SAR, MRS, and the Cog Railway’s willingness to help, this rescue mission would not have gone as well as it did. The weather was not great and the conditions were potentially life threatening, but each group responded to the call for assistance and endured less than hospitable weather conditions to save the life of this hiker.