CONTACT:
Lieutenant Mark Ober
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
May 13, 2023

Sargent’s Purchase, NH – On Saturday, May 12, 2023, at approximately 4:20 p.m., NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers were notified of a hiker with a lower leg injury on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail via a 911 call from the hiker’s companion. The hiker was at a location above Gem Pool, approximately 1.6 miles from the Cog Railway Base Station parking lot. The hiker stated that she was unable to hike down under her own power, so a rescue response was initiated.

Conservation Officers and volunteers from Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue (PEMI SAR), Androscoggin Valley Search & Rescue (AVSAR), and members of the Twin Mountain Fire Department responded to the call and hiked in with a rescue litter.

The hiker, identified as Aishwarya Shrotri, 28, of Cambridge, MA, had been hiking up the trail with a friend with the intention of reaching the AMC Lakes of the Clouds Hut, then hiking back down the same trail. At approximately 4:00 p.m., while still ascending, Shrotri slipped on the trail which resulted in her injury. While attempting to descend, she slipped again on an icy stretch of trail resulting in her injuring her other leg.

After rescue personnel arrived on scene, Shrotri was place in a litter and carried down the trail, arriving at the Base Station parking lot at 9:30 p.m. She was assessed by Twin Mountain Ambulance personnel, but declined ambulance transport and opted to seek medical treatment elsewhere.

This was Shrotri’s first hike in the White Mountains and she did not have proper footwear for hiking these trails and was not prepared for the snow and icy conditions that still exist on the upper elevations. This lack of preparedness was the primary contributing factor in this need for a rescue response.

NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers would like to remind everyone planning to hike this spring to think ahead, make safe decisions, and pack the ten essentials. The White Mountains are rugged and unforgiving and can still be icy and snowy this time of year. To plan for a safe hike, please visit www.hikesafe.com.