Unaware of the deep snow conditions in New Hampshire, a Massachusetts hiker was unprepared and had to be rescued Saturday.
Around 8 a.m. on Saturday, Richard De Reyna, 57, of Westwood, Massachusetts, went on a hike from the York Pond Trailhead off York Pond Road in Berlin with the intention of summiting Mt. Weeks, Middle Weeks and Mt. Weeks — South Peak and then returning the same way.
However, when he reached Kilkenny Ridge Trail he found deep snow conditions he wasn’t expecting. He continued on but kept losing the trail. He was able to keep re-locating the trail through a mapping program on his cell phone, but that drained the battery.
Around 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, with very little battery left, he called 911. He said he was wet, cold and did not have a light source or other essential gear.
A Conservation Officer attempted to call De Reyna back several times in an attempt to assist him in finding the trail and hopefully resulting in a self-rescue. But they were unable to make contact with him because his battery had died.
The team of Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue and conservation officers hiked off trail up a drainage and successfully found him at 9:19 p.m. He was still at the exact coordinate where he made his 911 call, which was 4.5 miles from the closest road.
De Reyna was wet, cold and mildly hypothermic. He was provided warm, dry clothes, warm liquids and a light source from the rescue crew then hiked 2.4 miles down to an awaiting ATV where he was driven out the remaining 2 miles, arriving at the staged vehicles at 1:45 a.m.
De Reyna had over 25 years of hiking experience, officials said. Still, he was unaware of the snow conditions in the upper levels of the White Mountains and was not prepared for the conditions he faced.
Officials encouraged hikers to always pack the ten essential items: map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants and a knife.
“In addition, it is important to turn your phone off or place it in airplane mode to ensure you have enough battery life remaining if you do require assistance,” officials said.