CONTACT:
Lieutenant Mark Ober
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
August 25, 2025

Bean’s Purchase, NH – On Saturday, August 23, 2025, at approximately 5:00 p.m., NH Fish and Game was notified of an injured hiker on the summit of Mt. Moriah in Bean’s Purchase. The hiker, identified as Florence Hunter, 22, of Kittery, ME, was descending from the summit when she slipped and suffered a lower-leg injury.

Unable to place weight on the leg or continue on, her hiking companion called 911 for assistance. Being nearly 4 miles from the trailhead, a rescue response was initiated with NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers and volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR) and Lakes Region Search and Rescue (LRSAR) responding. While waiting for rescue crews to arrive, Hunter’s hiking companion carried her nearly ¾ of a mile down the trail.

The first rescuers reached Hunter at 9:18 p.m. Her injured leg was placed in a vacuum splint and she was placed in a rescue litter. The rescue crew started carrying her down at 10:00 p.m. After a 2-mile carryout, they arrived at a waiting ATV at 12:20 a.m. Hunter she was transferred to the ATV and driven down the remaining 1.25 miles to the parking lot, arriving at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 24. Although suffering from a serious leg injury, Hunter refused treatment and transport to a hospital from the Gorham Ambulance, instead choosing to seek medical treatment on her own.

Hunter and her hiking partner were well prepared for a hike of this magnitude and had gear and supplies to stay out for several days if necessary. Both Hunter and her partner also possessed Hike Safe cards.