A man and three teenagers from the Boston area were rescued from Mount Flume in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after they ran out of daylight while attempting to descend the mountain on Saturday, officials said.
Around 9 p.m., the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received a request for help from a group of hikers on the Flume Slide Trail, according to a statement released Sunday by New Hampshire Fish and Game. The group was descending the trail but had to stop as night fell because they had no lights and no overnight gear, according to the statement.
Conservation officers reached 26-year-old Jonathan Long, who was leading a group of three teenagers ages 13 to 14, around 11:35 p.m., more than two hours after the initial distress call was placed, officials said. The group was given lights and food so they could continue descending the trail alongside the officers.
The group reached the trailhead around 1:50 a.m. Sunday without further incident, according to the statement, and they were taken to their vehicle at the Liberty Springs parking lot..
The hikers, who were unfamiliar with the trails, had begun on the Liberty Springs Trail and made it to Mount Flume earlier Saturday, before they made a “dangerous decision” to descend the mountain using the Flume Slide Trail, Fish and Game said.
The trail is considered “one of the most difficult trails in the White Mountains,” and guides warn against using it to descend Mount Flume, the statement read. Snow and ice are still present on higher-elevation trails in the state, which can create dangerous conditions even on days with good weather, according to the statement.
New Hampshire Fish and Game encourages hikers to ensure they’re prepared with proper equipment, supplies, clothing, weather information, trail information, and contingency plans before attempting hikes.
Collin Robisheaux can be reached at collin.robisheaux@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ColRobisheaux.