A Massachusetts hiker was rescued from New Hampshire's Mount Eisenhower after injuring her leg on Wednesday afternoon.
Around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, 53-year-old Margaret Dabrush, of Framingham, was hiking east on the Crawford Path, not far from the summit of Mount Eisenhower, when she slipped and slammed her leg into some rocks. As a result, she sustained a leg injury and was unable to walk.
Mount Eisenhower, formerly known as Mount Pleasant, is a mountain in the Presidential Range in the White Mountains. It is the state's 12th-highest peak at 4,760 feet and is not accessible by road.
Dabrush's daughter attempted to call for help, but was initially unable to do so due to poor cell phone coverage.
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While they were trying to figure out what to do, the pair were encountered by several other hikers, one of whom was an off-duty paramedic. The paramedic was able to provide basic first aid and successfully call for help.
New Hampshire Fire and Game Department conservation officers received the call around 2:40 p.m. and requested assistance from volunteers with the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team and the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team.
The volunteers, along with Fish and Game conservation officers and good Samaritans, combined to form a rescue party of 35 people. The first wave of rescuers started hiking to the scene at 4:30 p.m. and were at the scene with the within two hours.
Dabrush was ultimately placed in a litter and carried nearly three miles down the Edmonds Patch to its trailhead along Mount Clinton Road, arriving safely at 10 p.m. From there, she was picked up by her husband and taken to Littleton Regional Hospital for further treatment of her injuries.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said Dabrush was an experienced hiker and had planned for a multiple-day trip. She had also purchased a Hikesafe Card in advance, which provides voluntary hiker insurance to help cover the cost of search and rescue operations in the state.
