Two men were taking a nine mile hike on the Franconia Ridge trail in the White Mountains on the morning of Saturday, January 11, and after winter conditions started to arise as they were returning from the summit, the trail quickly became covered, stranding them in the middle of nowhere.
I’m no hiker myself, but as much as I love the great outdoors, I am content with waiting until the summer to experience Mother Nature in her prime.
Two fish and game officers found them in the late afternoon and escorted them to the trail head, but with both of them missing a $25 Hike Safe Card, they could be subjected to rescue costs.
I didn’t know these cards existed, but they seem convenient. Only $25 to save yourself from a couple hundred, maybe even thousands? Sounds like it’s more than worth it.
According to the N.H. Fish and Game Department website, these cards last from the date of purchase until December 31 of that year. They are not physical cards, but rather something hikers receive online that they can either download as a PDF or print out.
Because of the fact that one of these men had never hiked in the winter before, getting this card would have made this much easier while giving them a backup plan for a much cheaper cost.
NHPR explained that the costs for rescue depends on how long the search lasts. A two-hour search can cost between $500-$600. I can’t imagine these guys were stuck for more than four hours or so, making me assume it will cost them somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500.
As expensive as that is, it could have been way more expensive. It’s not a completely fair price considering they couldn’t have been stuck for a very long time, but it’s not entirely ridiculous because they could have bought the Hike Safe Card beforehand.
Even with these costs, one of the hikers, 34-year-old Bart Zienkiewicz from Connecticut, said he was willing to pay considering things could have been much worse.
He explained how they didn’t pack adequately, only having some water and protein bars with no extra dry clothes. He even said he’ll make a donation if they don’t end up getting charged.
I would have felt the same as Zienkiewicz. With the recent freezing weather in N.H., I would rather have to pay that amount than be stuck in the woods for who knows how long with minimal supplies. That price is cheap compared to the cost of a life.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
