Hiker visiting from Brazil rescued from Mount Washington after getting lost for over 16 hours
After over 16 hours of search efforts, first responders were notified that the hiker had arrived at a hut in the region, found by officers to be hungry, tired and thirsty, but luckily uninjured.
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MOUNT. WASHINGTON, N.H. – A holiday weekend adventure went south after an international hiker from Brazil went missing for nearly a day while exploring the wilderness of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.
According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division, conservation officers were dispatched around 7 p.m. on Friday regarding an international traveler, Felipe Castanheira, who had been separated from his hiking partner for over four hours after hiking the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail.
Through the night, members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team sifted through the rugged terrain along the wilderness trails, but failed to locate Castanheira.
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Once first light broke in the new day, more searchers arrived to expand the effort to off-trail areas and streams along a well-known ravine.
A view from the auto road on Mount Washington, standing at an elevation of 6,288.2 ft, looking out to the surrounding White Mountains, in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire on June 12, 2020.
(JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP / Getty Images)
First responders and volunteers endured rough conditions as the day’s summer heat soon began to take effect.
"Aside from the brutally difficult terrain, searchers endured some of the hottest conditions that will likely be seen on Mt. Washington this year," law enforcement said.
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To assist in the search efforts, drones were also used for aerial surveillance to try and locate Castanheira.
A motorcycle traverses the auto road that leads to the top of Mount Washington, standing at an elevation of 6,288.2 ft in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire on June 12, 2020.
(Joseph Prezioso / AFP / Getty Images)
By around 3:30 p.m. and after over 16 hours of search efforts, first responders were notified that Castanheira had just arrived at a hut in the region, found by officers to be hungry, tired and thirsty, but luckily uninjured.
After providing Castanheira with food and water, he was brought out of the woods, where emergency crews reportedly assessed him.
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Despite the circumstances, he declined transport to a hospital, but was given a courtesy ride to his hotel after a dedicated and lengthy search.