Cog Railway Rescue: Hiker Falls 200 Feet During Mount Washington Descent
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.24.20
Thanks to the help of the Cog Railway train, which takes visitors up and down the summit of Mount Washington, a hiker who was descending the mountain and fell almost 200 feet was rescued and miraculously survived.
New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers said the hiker, Ashley Furness, 35, was not alone when she lost her footing and fell off a ledge, crashing into several rocks. She was reportedly descending along the Cog Railway tracks and was nearly 2 miles above the railway station.
“It was these rocks that ultimately saved her from plunging into the ravine, a fall that would have likely proved fatal,” Lt. Mark Ober, Jr. said in a news release. “Her companion was able to descend to her position, place a call for help and keep her warm with a space blanket until rescuers arrived.”
Due to the steep, icy terrain Ms. Furness wound up in, the Cog Railway readied a train to retrieve her. The train was successful and was able to return her to a waiting ambulance at the base.
“Without the use of the train, we were looking at a potentially all-night rescue scenario which would have included calling in several dozen additional rescuers and technical rope teams just to get the injured hiker down the mountain safely,” Lt Ober said.
Standing at 6,288 feet, Mount Washington (sometimes called Agiocochook by some Native American tribes) is the tallest mountain in the northeastern United States.
