UMass Students Rescued From New Hampshire Mountain
FERNCROFT, N.H. (CBS) -- Three UMass Amherst students had to be rescued from a New Hampshire mountain early Wednesday morning after one of them came down with hypothermia.
The students were hiking on Mount Wonalancet in the Sandwich Range Wilderness Area when they called for help at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday. They had planned to spend the night camping, but 20-year-old Matthew Johnson of Sandwich, Mass. began showing signs of hypothermia, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game officials.
Fellow hikers Justin Pannell, 20, and Spencer Pietryka, 21, also from Sandwich, put Johnson in a sleeping bag as temperatures fell into the teens with gale-force winds.
Fifteen rescuers hiked 3.5 miles through the deep snow to reach the students at about 1:30 a.m., officials said. The students were given more warm gear and everyone made it off the mountain at about 5 a.m. without injuries.
"Please remember to pack appropriate clothing and equipment while hiking," the department said in a statement. "Hikes often take longer than anticipated and weather is unpredictable."
