http://theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=No+helicopter+rescue+for+hiker+with+thumb+injury&articleId=eb0d7912-ba05-4d08-b64e-429f26b4a560By LORNA COLQUHOUN
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009
RANDOLPH – A Texas man who fell and slightly injured himself while hiking in the Crescent Range yesterday was told by would-be rescuers that they would not be sending a helicopter up the mountain to fly him off the trail.
Fish and Game conservation officer Matt Holmes, who was monitoring the situations involving three hiking parties early last evening, conferred with Gorham police about the Texas man.
"I let them know that our resources are spread pretty thin and that an injured thumb does not preclude him from self-rescue," Holmes said last night.
The 50-year-old Texan, whose identity was not immediately available, was hiking with a group on the 3,251-foot Mount Crescent in the Icy Gulch area, when he apparently fell and injured his thumb.
"He didn't feel he could easily come down the trail because he couldn't extend his thumb," Holmes said.
A companion used a cell phone to call 911, which was then connected with state police and then public safety dispatchers in Gorham.
"I was up in Errol and was notified that a gentleman had called in with an injured thumb and he wanted to be rescued," he said. "He asked if there was a helicopter available."
The injured man's party said some friends were heading up the trail to assist them, Holmes said.
"An officer from Gorham talked to the individual who wanted a helicopter and advised that for a thumb injury, and especially with a group of people heading up to help him, that it would not be practical to send in a rescue helicopter," he said.
At the same time as the Mount Crescent call, Holmes was monitoring a situation involving overdue hikers on Mount Washington, who found their way off the mountain, and a 62-year-old woman with a sore knee who was slowly making her way down Lowe's Path.
"It's just prior to 7 p.m.," Holmes said. "Who knows what else we may get tonight?" and he did not want to risk spreading thin volunteer groups who are vital in mountain rescues.
Over the years, hikers have called for emergency service, including to help carry a dog off Mount Jefferson, to two men years ago requesting a helicopter rescue on Mount Washington in 125 mph winds, as they were hunkered under Cog Railway tracks. Last year, a woman requested a rescue when she could not find her shoes.
Holmes said it has been a busy week for rescue teams, which involve volunteer organizations, especially as the weather has improved.
"It's a nice warm day in August and people are coming out of the woodwork and they are getting dehydrated and hurting themselves," he said. "People heading out should carry an extra cache of water and flashlights. Even if they leave at 9 in the morning, I would check to make sure they had a flashlight."
