Two hikers suffering from hypothermia were rescued overnight from the Lincoln Brook Trail in Franconia, New Hampshire.
The NH Fish and Game Department says conservation officers learned around 7 p.m. Saturday that the two hikers -- a brother-sister duo -- had made a request for rescue after they reported to staff with Dartmouth Outdoor Programs via a Garmin InReach device that they had fallen into Lincoln Brook, getting their clothing wet.
Coordinates put the pair 8.5 miles from the trailhead.
Around 2:30 a.m., two conservation officers reached the hikers, identified as 20-year-old Xander Dalke, of Hanover, NH, and 18-year-old Aylen Dalke, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, according to Fish and Game. By 3:30 a.m., they were able to start making their way back to the trailhead, which they reached around 7:15 a.m. Sunday.
The Dalke siblings explained that they had planned a two-day hike around Owl’s Head, departing around 7 a.m. Saturday from Lincoln Woods and intending to spend the night at Thirteen Falls, officials said. After falling into Lincoln Brook, they changed into dry clothing but they unfortunately fell in the brook again, soaking their remaining clothing.
The Dalkes decided to set up camp 2.5 miles short of their destination hoping to warm themselves, but once they stopped hiking, the early stages of hypothermia set in, according to officials. Knowing temperatures would drop overnight, that's when the siblings made the notifications on the Garmin InReach device and then turned the device off to conserve batteries.
The Fish and Game Department says the two were well prepared with equipment but notes that winter conditions have arrived in the mountains. Hikers are encouraged to be prepared for their trek by packing these ten essential items: a map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, and a knife.
