Two Canadian hikers were rescued Saturday after facing “life-threatening” conditions while climbing a Vermont mountain, Vermont State Police said.
A 21-year-old man called 911 on February 7 after he and a 19-year-old woman needed rescue due to extreme cold. The pair were close to the summit of Camel’s Hump mountain in Duxbury, State Police reported.
Rescue teams began their ascent of the 4,083-foot mountain around 6 p.m., searching for the freezing hikers. Temperatures were below zero, with wind chills nearing minus 20 degrees. Additionally, deep snow covered the mountain, complicating the rescue efforts.
Emergency crews were able to audibly direct the hikers to the Alpine Trail, where the pair started making their way below the tree line. Meanwhile, search and rescue teams proceeded via the Monroe Trail with a stretcher team climbing toward the peak. The Monroe Trail intersects with the Alpine Trail, Vermont State Police explained.
At 11:20 p.m., rescue teams reached the hikers, who were suffering from hypothermia. The man was able to walk down the trail after being warmed, while the woman was loaded onto the stretcher for evacuation.
Crews reached the bottom of the trail close to 4 a.m., where an ambulance transported the woman to a local hospital for treatment. Both hikers, who are from Ontario, are expected to make a full recovery, police said.
Lt. Thomas Howard, commander of the Vermont State Police’s search and rescue team, said the combined efforts of multiple rescue crews in “incredibly challenging conditions” saved the hikers’ lives.
Vermont State Police also noted that the state does not hold individuals who call for backcountry help financially liable for their rescue.
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2026/02/09/hikers-rescued-in-vermont-amid-sub-zero-temperatures/