Washington
Freezing hikers stuck in waist-deep snow rescued during Mount Washington whiteout
The two friends had hiked New Hampshire’s challenging Mount Washington trail a month ago. They returned and did it again Sunday after trekking through neighboring peaks in the White Mountains. Both veteran hikers, the women were an hour behind schedule on their descent and losing daylight, but they had warm clothing, headlamps and other gear.
Then the wind kicked in. The temperature dropped. They were in waist-deep snow and whiteout conditions. They were lost on the tallest mountain in the Northeast, known for its extreme, changeable weather.
“That snow has nothing to stick to,” said Amy Cotter, a weather observer and education specialist with the Mount Washington Observatory at the peak at 6,288 feet (1,916 meters). “That snow gets whipped up very easily.”
One of Kathyrn McKee’s snowshoes became stuck in a “spruce trap,” a hole created in the snow underneath trees.
“It took like 20 minutes to get out of that,” she recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. “And that kept happening. And so we got to a point where we were literally, like crawling on our bellies to try to get to the next point and just struggling so much that it wasn’t working.”
After about an hour of trying to rescue themselves, McKee, 51, of Southborough, Massachusetts, and Beata LeLacheur, 54, of Westborough, Massachusetts, called 911. They reached New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers, who plotted their GPS coordinates and directed them toward the trail — just 34 feet (10 meters) away.
It didn’t work.
“They ended up on the trail several times but could not follow it as it had been completely erased by wind and snow,” said Sgt. Matthew Holmes of the Fish and Game Department. After multiple attempts trying to locate the trail and several phone calls starting around 6 p.m., “the two needed to huddle up in the snow to keep warm and await assistance,” he said.
The temperature at the summit was 2 degrees below zero (minus 19 Celsius), with sustained winds of 50 to 60 mph (80 to 96 kph) at the time, Holmes said.
McKee and LeLacheur were stuck at an elevation of about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters).
McKee said she was wearing gloves with liners, but still lost the use of her hands due to the cold.
“I went into my first aid kid to grab the emergency blanket and extra hand warmers,” she said. “I couldn’t open the chest because my hands were frozen.”
The two sat there with the wind blowing on them for about six hours.
“I was terrified that my friend may pass away in front of me and, you know, or I might pass away, “ McKee said. ”And how did we get here? So, you do think about that, but you can’t stay in that thought process because that’s not going to get you out. So we just kept focusing on what is the next thing we can do.”
McKee said they grabbed a bag and used it as a wind guard. She was wrapped in a covering used over sleeping mats and bags.
“I was buried in snow at that point, so it was basically an insulator. So that kind of helped. But it also meant that I was immobile, I wasn’t really moving,” she said.
By late Sunday, the Mount Washington State Park snowcat, a ski resort groomer-type vehicle, started up the mountain’s auto road with nine rescuers and arrived at the summit just before midnight. Crews snowshoed their way through the wind-blown snow toward the trail. They approached the hikers’ last known location at 1:20 a.m. Monday, but had not yet made contact.
“The only way to locate the trail was through GPS navigation, and the going was slow due to the tremendous effort required to break trail in the deep snow,” Holmes said.
McKee and LeLacheur were found a half-hour later. They had suffered frostbite, mostly to their hands.
Crews set up emergency shelters for them, and by 3 a.m. Monday, they were able to move on their own. By 4:15 a.m., the rescuers and hikers trekked down to the base station of the Cog Railway, a locomotive-led train that climbs to the mountain peak.
Holmes said both women were prepared for a winter hike, had emergency gear and had winter hiking experience. But they didn’t expect they would lose the trial. McKee and LeLacheur had received training on hikes from the Appalachian Mountain Club’s chapter in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“We feel really awful about having to make that (911) call, but it did save our lives, and we’re eternally grateful,” McKee said of their rescuers.
Both said they’d go out hiking again in the White Mountains and add a small pop-up tent to their gear in case they need to seek shelter.
“You either get back on the horse, or you don’t,” McKee said. “I’m not going to to have a problem to get back on the horse. I’m going to do it as safe as I can. But I recognize there are risks in what we do.”
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Shakira canceled a Saturday concert in Washington, D.C. – her sixth cancellation this year.
The popular Colombian singer was scheduled to perform this weekend at Nationals Park, although it seems the cancellation of her Thursday show in Boston at Fenway Park made it impossible for her and her team to make it to the show.
Capital Pride Alliance, the organization that had put together the event, shared in a statement on social media, “Like Shakira’s fans and our friends and family who have traveled from around the world to join us in DC this weekend, we are deeply disappointed that unforeseen circumstances have forced the cancellation of both this week’s concert in Boston and [Saturday]’s concert at Nationals Park.”
SHAKIRA, JASON ALDEAN CONCERTS ABRUPTLY CANCELED AT BOSTON’S FENWAY PARK OVER STAGE SAFETY CONCERNS
Shakira performs onstage during her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” world tour at Met Life Stadium on May 16, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
The organization also shared another statement that was given to people who had purchased tickets to the event.
“Due to complications with the previous show in Boston, Shakira’s full tour production cannot be transported to Washington, D.C. in time for her scheduled performance at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 31,” that statement read. “As a result, the D.C. show has been canceled. Despite every effort to make it happen, it is not possible to move forward as planned.”
Shakira shared a message of her own to her Instagram followers, writing, “Nothing more painful for an artist than having to cancel two sold-out stadium shows like Boston and DC for reasons beyond one’s control.”
“Thank you for being there in the good times and the not so good,” she continued. “We’ve cruised together through every bump in the road, and you always take me to the other side. Los quiero con todo.”
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Shakira performs on Feb. 20, 2025, in Barranquilla, Colombia. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
In February, Shakira launched her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” world tour in South America. Shortly after, she canceled a concert in Lima, Peru – her third show of the tour – because she’d been hospitalized with an “abdominal issue.”
A week later, a concert in Colombia was postponed when the roof of the stage “suffered damage that puts at risk the safety of the artist, her staff and, most importantly, that of the audience” while a production team was assembling her show, the promotor explained in a statement translated by Billboard.
Shakira has canceled six concerts this year for her world tour. (David Ramos)
At the beginning of March, she was set to perform two shows in Santiago, Chile, both of which were canceled just hours before the first was slated to begin. In a lengthy statement she shared on social media at the time, translated from Spanish to English by People, she explained in part that there was an issue with the stage assembly, and that it was “not stable enough to guarantee the safety of my band, dancers, fans and me.”
SHAKIRA QUICKLY EXITS STAGE AFTER FAN SEEMINGLY FILMS UP HER DRESS
“There are two things I would never compromise: the security of my team and that of my fans, and I would never offer a show below the quality standards that you all deserve,” she wrote. “My heart is broken in a thousand pieces to not be able to perform for you due to reasons out of my control.”
Stage safety concerns were once again to blame for the cancellation of her Thursday performance in Boston at Fenway Park. A representative for Live Nation told Fox News Digital, “During a routine pre-show check, structural elements were identified as not being up to standard, so the shows were canceled. All team members are safe.”
Shakira speaks to her fans on stage during the “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” album release party at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on March 21, 2024, in Hollywood, Florida. (John Parra/WireImage)
After the cancellation of Saturday’s show in Washington, D.C., social media users began discussing what seems to be a developing trend for the tour.
“This is just disrespectful to her fans… last minute every time,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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Another wrote, “I love shakira to death but i can’t accept any excuses. no matter how many technical issues they bring out. this is is just her fault. cancelling your concert on the show day is just unacceptable. idk if you know how this have impacted your image.”
Shakira performs at 2025 Suenos Music Festival on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Grant Park in Chicago. (Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
“I can understand one or two shows, but 6 is ridiculous!” another post read. “Figure it out before or get a regular stage that doesn’t extend on the floor since it seems like that is the issue here.”
Others were upset at the news, including one fan who wrote, “Can’t believe this ! Ughhhh! My entire weekend was planned around this show.”
Another insisted, “All I know is, Shakira will never cancel or reschedule if things are up to her.”
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Jun 01, 2025 02:47 AM IST
D.C. Police Department has dismissed reports of a shooting at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, confirming there is no active shooter on the premises.
The Washington D.C. Police Department has confirmed that reports of a shooting at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park on Saturday evening were false.
“There is NO active shooter or threat at the National Zoo. Officers are investigating a report of a fight between two adults,” police said in a post on X.
What happened?
Earlier in the evening, several witnesses took to social media claiming there was an active shooter on zoo grounds. Some reported hearing gunshots and seeing people running in panic.
“Currently at the Smithsonian National Zoo in DC where there is an active shooter on the premises. Police are here, the shooter is still believed to be active. Currently herded into the visitor center,” one witness wrote on X.
Another added, “We just passed by the zoo there were 11 police cars there !!!!”
A third person reported, “What’s up with the shooting noise??? Make the city safe again.”
Another person wrote, “Oh no an active shooter at the National Zoo. Info from an associate at the zoo right now in hiding with her daughter. This is terrible.”
Despite these reports, police have confirmed that no gunshots were fired and there is no active threat to the public.
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Two people shot in Southeast DC
On Friday night, police responded to reports of gunshots fired in Southeast Washington, D.C. Officers arrived at the 1200 block of I Street around 10:40 p.m. and found two men with gunshot wounds.
Both victims were conscious and breathing when first responders arrived and were quickly transported to local hospitals for treatment.
No arrests have been made so far, and police have not released any information about possible suspects.
SNOHOMISH — Washington State University is hosting a citizen science “Molt Search” program on June 2 in an effort to combat growing concerns about the European green crab.
Introduced to North America in the 1800s, the European green crab is considered one of the most invasive marine species by agencies across the country. Because it has few natural predators, it outcompetes native species and can destroy precious habitat, such as the eelgrass beds juvenile salmon and other young fish use as nurseries.
Washington agencies and tribes noticed an uptick in green crabs in 2018, with an even greater increase of sightings in 2021. In 2023, the Washington State Legislature appropriated over $6 million for green crab management.
As part of these management efforts, WSU Beach Watchers and Washington Sea Grant is promoting its Molt Search program. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Gary Weikel Room at Willis Tucker Park, community members can learn how to conduct a timed survey for crab molt — outgrown and discarded shells — and report their findings through a mobile app.
“Since we are in the early stages of the spread of European Green Crab in inland Washington waters, early detection of these crabs is paramount,” Beach Watchers Program Coordinator Jonathan Robinson said. “That is why getting as many eyes out on the beach looking for European Green Crab molts is so important.”
On June 20, Washington Sea Grant is hosting its second annual Molt Blitz, where you can join citizen scientists across the state by reporting findings in your local area.
For more information on both events and European green crab management, you can visit https://wsg.washington.edu/crabteam/moltsearch/.
Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson.
Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.
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