Hikers plucked from brink of death in daring rescue: 'This incident exemplifies the need to prepare for the unexpected'

One nightmarish experience for two hikers on top of snowy Mount Washington gave true meaning to the phrase "a close call."

Unofficial Networks reported on the recreational hike that turned into an overnight rescue mission in New Hampshire. Two Massachusetts residents, Kathryn McKee and Beata Lelacheur, had already made it up to 5,000 feet of elevation when they lost the trail in blizzard-like conditions.

The two hikers called 911, and operators attempted to use GPS coordinates to guide them back to the trail. However, even though they found the trail several times, they kept losing it because of snow and wind. After two hours of fighting through chest-deep drifts and freezing temperatures, the pair decided to hunker down and await rescue.

The "full-blown rescue operation" took several hours to assemble in the frigid and icy conditions, as the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department described in a press release.

"The crews ventured into whiteout conditions and snowshoed through deep, wind-blown snow," they wrote. "The only way to locate the trail was through GPS navigation, and progress was slow due to the tremendous effort required to break a trail in the deep snow."

Fortunately, after searching for several hours in the dead of the night, the crew found the two hikers shortly before 2 a.m. They broke out emergency warming shelters, and once the women were warm enough to move themselves, the group embarked back down the mountain to safety.

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While the rescue went smoothly, NHFG emphasized that the hikers likely would not have survived if they had not been wearing proper winter gear.

"This incident exemplifies the need to prepare for the unexpected," it stated. "Both hikers were prepared and had winter hiking experience, but ultimately encountered unforeseen conditions. Had they not had the amount of gear with them that they did, it is unlikely that they would have survived until rescuers reached them."

This type of experience is both a stark reminder and a warning, the department said: Do not underestimate Mother Nature.

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"Although technology and experience is certainly helping to find people more quickly, the fact remains that Mother Nature has the final say, and preparedness, above all, is the difference between life and death in the mountains of New Hampshire," NHFG said, according to Unofficial Networks.