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A Massachusetts man was rescued by New Hampshire Fish and Game Friday between Mount Guyot and South Twin Mountain after losing the trail he was on and getting stuck in waist-deep snow without snowshoes.
The man, 52, from Acton, set off for a two-day excursion on Thursday. After sheltering just west of Mount Guyot overnight Thursday, he inadvertently got off Twinway Trail while hiking toward Galehead Friday morning. He texted 911 saying that his phone was going to die and “that he had lost the trail and was in deep snow without snowshoes,” NH Fish and Game officials said.
Conservation Officers and volunteers from the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team started a 6.5 mile hike in to the man from Gale River Road in Bethlehem. The NH Army National Guard tried accessing the hiker using a plane, though the weather prevented them from reaching him.
The rescuers found him a short distance south of Twinway Trail at 5:20 p.m., and they all hiked back to Gale River Road, arriving at 10:05 pm.
“[The hiker] was extremely grateful for the assistance provided and for the attempt by the NH Army National Guard,” NH Fish and Game said.
They said that the man was prepared with a tent, sleeping bag, extra clothing, food water, traction devices, the ten essentials, and a Hike Safe card, an NH Fish and Game-issued card that protects holders from having to pay for rescue costs if they need to be rescued.
“The only item he lacked that would have proven helpful were a pair of snowshoes,” the department said.
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The director of the New Hampshire State Police, who already got a pay bump earlier this year, secured a second raise on Wednesday that’s set to take effect before 2026 arrives.
Colonel Mark B. Hall, who has been State Police director for a little over two years, was unanimously approved by the Executive Council to begin earning an annual salary of about $171,300 later this month. That is 25.7 percent higher than what he was earning a year ago.
Department of Safety Commissioner Robert L. Quinn said the increase is needed to resolve a disparity between Hall’s salary and that of a lieutenant colonel who works under him. Quinn cited a provision of state law that authorizes compensation above the typical statutory maximum if an unclassified employee’s salary would otherwise be less than that of a subordinate classified employee.
In this case, Hall’s raise is designed to keep his salary $1,000 higher than that of Lieutenant Colonel Matthew S. Shapiro, who is serving as State Police executive major. (The council has used this mechanism for other positions this year as well.)
Hall actually saw his overall pay dip a bit after he transitioned into the top State Police job. In 2022, when he was a captain, Hall was paid about $132,000, counting overtime, holiday pay, and more, according to TransparentNH records. Two years later, as director in 2024, he was paid about $129,900, all regular pay.
That said, in switching from a classified position to his unclassified post in 2023, Hall was able to cash out the unused paid time off he had accrued. That contributed to a payout of more than $72,000, which resulted in his being paid a total of about $216,100 that year, according to records from the New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services.
Hall didn’t respond this week to a request for comment from The Boston Globe about his raise, though a spokesperson for the Department of Safety provided information in response to questions.
Other updates from the State House:
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday, sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
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