Two Teens Rescued From "Harsh Conditions" on the Northeast's Highest Peak
Conservation Officers helped rescue two teenage hikers from the summit of New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington in “harsh conditions” on Saturday, April 18, 2026, according to the Fish and Game Department.
Local authorities got a 911 call at around 7:30 p.m., learning that the two boys, aged 17 and 18, were on Mt. Washington’s peak and sheltering from “wind-driven precipitation” by the side of a building.
One of the teens had “significant” leg pain from an unknown condition.
With the wind, cold air, and forecasted snow, Fish and Game said Conservation officers “immediately devised a plan to locate and extract the two young men.”
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They contacted an employee of Mt. Washington State Park, who went searching for the teens. They also contacted Mt. Washington Auto Road, which noted that the road to the summit was clear enough for cars. Conservation Officers drove up the mountain in four-wheel drive pickup trucks, aiming to get there and back before the snow arrived.
At around 8 p.m., the State Park employee found the teens and brought them inside the building. By 9 p.m., a Conservation Officer was on scene and began driving the two hikers back down the road. Everyone was safely off the mountain by 10 p.m.
Both teens were “very thankful for the assistance and expressed their gratitude to all involved,” Fish and Game noted.
Fish and Game also thanked Mt. Washington State Park and the Mt. Washington Auto Road for their continued support during search and rescue missions.
The highest peak in New Hampshire, at about 6,000 feet, Mt. Washington is known for producing wild, intense weather. Fish and Game called it the “world’s worst.”
According to the Mt. Washington Observatory, winds there hit a staggering 231 miles per hour in 1934, setting a record.
Regardless of the season, the weather can change quickly, the Observatory explained in a blog, catching hikers unaware. The Observatory advised those planning a trip up the mountain to “always prepare for the worst,” even during the summer.
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