CONTACT:
Lieutenant Mark Ober
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
October 23, 2026
Bean’s Purchase, NH – On Thursday, October 22, 2026, at approximately 2:00 p.m., NH Fish and Game was notified of an injured hiker on the summit of Mt. Moriah approximately 4 miles up from the parking lot. The hiker, identified as Thomas McGrimley, 42, of Cheshire, CT, was on the first day of a planned 3-day hiking trip with three other companions when he slipped on a steep section of ledge near the summit and suffered a lower leg injury.
Unable to place weight on the leg or continue hiking, his hiking companions placed a call to 911 for assistance. A Good Samaritan hiker, who had come upon the scene, used his skills to splint the injured leg and stayed with McGrimley and his companions to assist. A rescue response was initiated with Conservation Officers and volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR) and Lakes Region Search and Rescue (LRSAR) responding. In all, 24 volunteers responded to this call.
While waiting for rescue crews to arrive, McGrimley was able to descend via the Carter-Moriah Trail with assistance from his hiking companions and by scooting and crawling down the trail. He made it down approximately .63 miles before the first members of the rescue team arrived.
The first rescuers reached McGrimley at 6:15 p.m. His leg was placed in a vacuum splint, and he was then placed in a litter and carried down the trail, arriving at the parking lot at 10:55 p.m. McGrimley was transferred into an awaiting Gorham Ambulance where his injury was assessed, and he was ultimately transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for treatment.
McGrimley and his hiking partners were well prepared for a hike of this magnitude and had gear and supplies to stay out for several days.