Lieutenant Mark Ober
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
September 8, 2026
Sargent’s Purchase, NH – On Monday, September 7, 2026, at approximately 2:30 p.m., NH Fish and Game was notified by NH State Police Dispatch about an injured hiker on the Glen Boulder Trail, near the Davis Path junction approximately 4 miles in from the closest parking lot. The hiker was indentified as Morrie Gasser, 79, of Hopkinton, MA. The call came in via a 911 call from Gasser’s companion’s reporting that Gasser had fallen and suffered a head and neck injury and could not move and did not have feeling in his extremeties.
Due to the nature of the reported injury and the distance from any medical care, NHFG called and requested a helicopter rescue from the NH Army National Guard. Although the skies were mostly clear, it was windy on the ridge and a helicopter rescue was not guaranteed, so a call was also put out to SAR volunteer groups. Members from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR) and Lakes Region Search and Rescue responded to the call. If the helicopter was unable to reach Glasser, then it would fall to volunteers and Conservation Officers to conduct a time-consuming, lengthy carryout.
While waiting for the Blackhawk Helicopter to arrive, Conservation Officers were tasked with relaying volunteers up the Sherburne Ski Trail to the Hermit Lake Shelter on ATVs. From there, the rescuers started hiking up Boot Spur Link to Boot Spur Trail to Davis Path.
At approximately 5:30 p.m., the Blackhawk Helicopter was able to land on the Davis Path near Gasser. He was assessed by the flight medics, placed in a litter, and carried back to the helicopter. The Blackhawk lifted off the ridge at 5:49 p.m. From there, Gasser was flown directly to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
Overall, 24 volunteers responded to the call as well as 6 Conservation Officers. Luckily, the Army National Guard helicopter was able to extract the patient, which saved the rescue crew from an arduous carryout of a patient with a potential life-threatenting condition from a very difficult trail, a carryout that would have likely taken all night to complete.