Officers and volunteers hike four miles to reach injured hiker on trail in White Mountains

A man who was injured on a New Hampshire trail Friday in the White Mountains was rescued and carried by volunteers and conservation officers who hiked nearly four miles to reach him, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement.

Michael LaChance, 49, of Goffstown, N.H., was attempting to summit Mount Eisenhower when he injured his lower leg after slipping on wet rocks, according to Fish and Game. LaChance called 911 because he was unable to put weight on his injured leg, Fish and Game said.

Fish and Game was notified at approximately 4:45 p.m. of an injured hiker who was located on the Crawford Path between Mount Pierce and Mount Eisenhower, the department said.

Fish and Game said 28 volunteers and eight conservation officers responded to the call. The volunteers came from Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue, Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, Lakes Region Search and Rescue, and Mountain Rescue Services, according to Fish and Game.

All rescuers hiked almost four miles to reach LaChance, the department said. The first rescuer reached LaChance at 7:50 p.m., said Lieutenant Mark Ober in a brief telephone interview.

“His injury was assessed and treated on scene with a splint,” Fish and Game said. “He was then placed in a litter and carried out to the AMC Highland Center arriving just before midnight.”

LaChance was taken to Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth, N.H., by personal vehicle, Fish and Game said.

“LaChance is an experienced hiker who was carrying enough gear and supplies in his pack to be able to spend the night on the ridge if necessary,” Fish and Game said.

The department said that “trail conditions in the White Mountains still contain large amounts of snow and ice and traction control devices such as crampons or microspikes are a necessity for anyone planning on venturing out.”