I pushed through the brush, fur and spruce limbs snapped back into my face. The terrain was steep and thick with vegetation. The only way to find our way through was following small strips flagging tape left behind by past hikers. There was no trail to this peak. This peak had no name. It was a place not visited by people very often, only those seeking to climb mountains on the list of the hundred highest. This is what brought them this way today. I was part of the rescue team sent to recover the body of a man who fell near the summit of this mountain, the location only known through a 911 call from his hiking party. I came over the edge of a steep climb to a flat section known as the false summit, through the trees ahead I could see the peak rising up above. I could hear voices off in the distance, though I could not tell which direction. I dragged with me half of the rescue litter, which proved more challenging as the forest grew thicker. As I came to the clearing where the party was gathered I could see the body laying peacefully behind them. The two conservation officers lead me over to him. His body lay lifeless staring at the sky above him. His final thoughts may have been thankful to rest on this mountain.

I was on my daily patrol as a Wilderness Ranger for the US Forest Service in the White Mountain National Forest. I spent the first half of the day stuck on a road with a blown out tire. Time that should have been spent out in the backcountry. Once the tire was repaired and the truck off the road I ate my bagged lunch and started off for another area that would have been more accessible with the time I had remaining. As I pulled off the road into the trail head my radio kicked on.

“Horrigan, Gateway, on Loon”

I was informed that a 911 call was received that a man had fallen somewhere off Haystack Rd. That CPR was in progress and State Fish & Game had been dispatched. They needed assistance if a carry out was required. I responded that I was en route to the scene, I didn’t rush as I knew what to expect. There was very little hope that this man would make it. This would be a recovery mission.

I arrived on scene to many vehicles parked including Fish & Game trucks, a fire trcuk, and an ambulance. I talked briefly with the incident commander to get details and the plan. I went back to my rig and packed my backpack with gear, food, extra clothing, and a headlamp. I knew there would be little chance we would make it back before dark.

The response team gathered and we were informed that they had a GPS point of the hiking party located 2 miles up hill off an old logging road. There were three men in the party including the fallen man. They had stopped CPR about an hour before. We would be shuttled up the logging road by ATV as far as they could go where we would bushwhack uphill to their location. Easier said than done. It took over 2 hours to get up the mountain through heavy spruce and fir forest and up steep rocky ledges. All while hauling a rescue litter.

The other officers and I looked down on the man. I didn’t ask his name. I didn’t want to know it. It would make this more real. We slapped on our gloves and positioned the litter next to him. We reached under his body, he was stiff and rigid but still had some heat left. As we picked him up the air remaining in his lungs pushed out, causing him to moan. An eary feeling washed over me. This was the first time I had to move a corpse. We placed him in the litter and wrapped him in a tarp. The easy part was over. I looked to the west and saw the remaining sun on the horizon, it would be setting within the hour. The tempurture was dropping and rain was imminent. It took 4 to 6 people at a time to haul the litter back down the path we took up. It took three time longer to get over the ledges and through the brush. As the rain came in mud washed down through our path causing us to slip, fall, and drop the body several times. This was unavoidable. The mood was dark, and humor was the only release. Every rock ledge presented a new challenge, especially now that it was wet. We needed ropes to lower the litter and the team over.

Once at the bottom, we handed over the body to the state medical examiner. I stood in the complete darkness and rain, I took a deep breath. I was told that this man had no family, only friends. I thought to myself that he was lucky to go in such a place. I looked at my watch and saw that I was four hours over my duty time and headed home.

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