New Hampshire Fish and Game officials say rescue crews who endured high winds and torrential rain to rescue an injured hiker in the White Mountains likely saved his life.
Fifty-nine-year-old Edward Bacon of Northville, Michigan, was on the third day of a five-day solo hike around Franconia Notch when he fell Tuesday afternoon and seriously injured his hip.
Authorities say Bacon crawled to an area where he was able to get brief cell phone reception and called for help.
A team sent by the Appalachian Mountain Club reached him around 6:20 Tuesday night, followed soon after by New Hampshire Fish and Game officers and volunteers.
Facing wind gusts of 80 miles per hour and swollen rivers and streams, rescuers carrying the injured man didn’t reach the trailhead until after 3:00 a.m. Wednesday.