Hiker trying to cut hike short ends up with serious injury. Friend’s device brings help

The group was well-prepared for the two-day trek of Pemi Loop, a 32-mile stretch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

They set out July 30, according to a news release by New Hampshire Fish and Game. But some ways into the trail, plans changed. The group decided not to finish the hike and to get off Pemi Loop via an adjacent trail.

While the group was traversing an area where the terrain was wet and on an incline, one person fell 5 feet to the ground below.

The fall was a bad one. She was injured.

A member of the group with paramedic training jumped into action trying to help her.

With the injury, the 29-year-old Rhode Island woman would not be able to make it on her own, officials said. She would need to be carried. However, the group was 5.4 miles away from the nearest trailhead.

One of the hikers had a satellite device called Garmin inReach —a compact communicator for messaging loved ones or emergency services while off-grid.

At a little after 3 p.m., the New Hampshire Rescue Coordination Center received an SOS alert.

Rescuers started up the trail at 5 p.m., arriving to where the injured hiker was shortly before 8 pm. The team of rescuers helped her slowly move toward the trailhead.

Almost three hours after beginning to help her down, the rescue team and the hiker reached an ATV that then transported them the final two miles to the trailhead where an ambulance was waiting.

It was 11:40 p.m. when the hiker was taken to Littleton Regional Healthcare for evaluation.

Satellite devices such as her companion’s Garmin inReach are becoming more and more common among outdoor adventurers. A growing percentage of calls for help to search and rescue teams are coming through phones and devices with built-in satellite technology.

This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Hiker trying to cut hike short ends up with serious injury. Friend’s device brings help."