Hypothermic hiker rescued after stranded in waist-deep snow amid wind chills near zero

A hiker was rescued on Thursday after becoming lost and suffering from hypothermia during a solo hike in central New Hampshire.

Patrick Bittman, 28, of Portland, Maine, had embarked on a hike to see the sunrise from Mount Lafayette on Wednesday night.

Officials said Bittman came upon deep blowing snow near the summit of Little Haystack on Franconia Ridge, forcing him to come back down the mountain.

On his return, however, he became lost and ended up moving into the Dry Brook drainage, where temperatures dropped to around 20 with wind chills near zero.

After spending the night lost on the mountain, Bittman called 911 on Thursday morning.

He said that his limbs were frozen, he was experiencing hypothermia and that he was no longer able to move through the snow, which was several feet deep.

Ground crews with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team, along with an aerial crew with the Army National Guard, responded to his call.

Patrick Bittman is rescued by members of the New Hampshire Ground crews with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the Army National Guard on Little Haystack Mountain on Dec. 18, 2024. New Hampshire Fish and Game

However, they faced poor visibility from cloud cover and intermittent snow squalls over the steep terrain and thick vegetation, forcing them to adjust their approach to rescuing Bittman.

The first ground rescuers had to spend an hour bushwhacking 1,000 feet of vegetation off the trail to reach Bittman by early Thursday afternoon.

By then, he was found suffering severe hypothermia and was placed in an emergency sleeping bag for shelter and given warm, dry clothes and warm fluids.

Two hours later, weather conditions allowed for the Army National Guard to reach Bittman with a medic.

A helicopter pulls Bittman off the ground during the rescue. New Hampshire Fish and Game

They hoisted the young man into the helicopter and then was flown to a local hospital for treatment. 

“This aerial rescue saved a multi-hour carry out thru rugged terrain and is a testament as to how search and rescue works in New Hampshire with several different groups working together for a common goal,” New Hampshire Fish & Game officials said.