CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Matthew Holmes
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
September 23, 2024

Thompson and Meserves Purchase, NH – On Saturday, September 21, 2024, rescuers from both New Hampshire and Maine collaborated and began a prolonged effort to help a hiker who had sustained a significant injury near the summit of Mt. Madison.

At approximately 2:30 p.m., Jason McDonald, 48, of Aurora, CO, tripped and fell while negotiating a rocky incline on the Osgood Trail at the intersection with the Howker Ridge Trail. McDonald sustained a significant lower leg injury that left him unable to walk. Following the injury, McDonald had deployed a personal locator beacon to signal for help. He then crawled around in the rocks until he found his cell phone and made a second attempt by calling 911.

Conservation Officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received word of the incident at approximately 2:45 p.m. Conservation Officers called volunteer Search and Rescue Teams in both New Hampshire and Maine in search of enough manpower to complete the mission. These teams included the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team, Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO), Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), Lakes Region Search and Rescue Team and the Mahoosuc Search and Rescue Team. In all, approximately 30 volunteers and 6 Conservation Officers responded to the call with the first personnel entering the woods prior to 5:00 p.m.

Due to the miles of uphill hiking required of most of the volunteers, it took until 9:00 p.m. to get enough rescuers onto scene to begin carrying McDonald downhill in a litter. This began an all-night carry by the assembled rescue team. After a tremendous effort, McDonald and the rescue team reached the Great Gulf trailhead safely at approximately 5:20 a.m. on September 22. McDonald was subsequently transported by Gorham Ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment of his injuries.

McDonald was found to be an experienced and prepared hiker who ultimately had an unfortunate accident. McDonald had been hiking the Appalachian Trail for 10 days prior to the incident, having started the New Hampshire portion of his hike in Hanover. This incident highlights the importance of preparedness and how desperately it is needed when the mountains force time to stop.