MEREDITH, New Hampshire — As temperatures on Mount Washington dropped and high winds made it nearly impossible to see, hiker Cole Matthes began drifting off the trail. Then he hit a patch of snow-covered ice and slid hundreds of feet down a ravine.
His fall Saturday led to an 11-hour rescue mission that would use the mountain’s famous cog railway, prompting harsh criticism from rescuers, who said the hiker had made “countless bad decisions” in preparing on the walk and then decided to continue.
Both Matthes and the rescuers agree that without help he would have died within hours.
“I am extremely grateful to all 11 men who saved my life on Saturday and I am also deeply sorry that they had to risk their lives to save me,” Matthes told The Associated Press. “I definitely made some bad decisions and wasn’t well prepared for this hike.”
Matthes, a 22-year-old engineer from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, said in an online interview that he has a lot of hiking experience, but not in harsh winter conditions. He set out in spiked snowshoes and planned to complete the challenging 9-mile Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail loop, with an elevation gain of 4,000 feet.
New Hampshire Fish and Game said that as conditions worsened, Matthes ignored advice from other hikers to turn back.
“Although I saw a group of hikers turning around at the Lake of the Clouds Hut, I decided to continue with other hikers,” Matthes said. “I was not walking alone at that time and the weather conditions had not yet reached their peak. ”
Once above treeline, Matthes said, he traded his snowshoes for boots with microspikes because the snow wasn’t deep and it was easier to navigate the rocks and ridges. But then he lost sight. He slid down the ravine just before noon, knocking himself to the ground and twisting his ankle. He called 911.
Ryan Presby, manager of the Mount Washington Cog Railway, said he has taken the train up three times with rescue crews. When the wind reached 90 miles per hour (145 km per hour) and the temperature dropped, he worried that the train’s diesel fuel would gel and the engine would seize. He told the rescuers to jump as quickly as possible when they reached their destination.
Levi Frye, a conservation officer with Fish and Game, was among the first group of three rescuers to jump from the train. He said it was immediately clear they needed crampons against the ice and fierce wind.
“We fought it all the time. You could definitely fall off, especially with a heavy backpack on,” Frye said. “Visibility was so poor because of the snow being blown around.”
The trail was marked with cairns, Frye said. Because visibility was so poor, they used a system called leapfrogging. One person would stay at the first cairn, while another would try to locate the next cairn. The third person stood in the middle to maintain contact with both.
Staying safe meant finding a balance between not getting too cold and not sweating too much, because letting the sweat freeze was even more dangerous, Frye said.
After several hours in the canyon, Matthes said, there was a calm in the wind and he saw the Lake of the Clouds Hut in the distance. Although painful, his legs and ankle were able to support his weight. He was able to climb back up the ridge and reach the closed hut, where he took shelter in an emergency spot that rescuers call the cave. He called 911 again to update his location.
Frye and his companions huddled to block the wind and got the message. By the time they reached Matthes just after 6 p.m., it was already dark.
“I was extremely relieved when the first team of rescuers arrived,” Matthes said. “Even with my shelter, I wouldn’t have lasted all night in my condition.”
Matthes’ boots were frozen, Frye said. The top priority was to get him out of his wet gear and into dry clothes. They gave him warm water and electrolytes and strapped his ankle as more rescuers arrived. Around 9:30 p.m., they felt he was stable and ready to go.
“He was very willing to try to get out there,” Frye said. “We eventually connected him to another rescuer who had a harness with him.”
The first few hundred yards were tough, Frye said. But once they got below tree line, they got more protection from the wind. They got back to base just before 11 p.m
After being treated, Matthes said he rejected the rescuers’ advice to take an ambulance to the hospital, thinking it would be expensive. Instead, he drove there himself.
“I’m currently recovering from frostbite on my toes,” Matthes said.
New Hampshire Fish and Game said Matthes did not have the proper equipment, did not plan for the weather and did not make good decisions. In the past, the agency has tried to recover rescue costs from some hikers it considers negligent. The agency said it has not yet made a decision on Matthes’ rescue.
Matthes said he was aware of the possible financial implications when he first called 911.
“But I knew that if I hadn’t called for help, I wouldn’t have made it,” Matthes said. “At the end of the day, I’m still alive, and that’s all I can ask for.”