Chelmsford Hikers Rescued In White Mountains In NH

LINCOLN, NH — A group of lost Chelmsford hikers were rescued in the White Mountains in New Hampshire last week, authorities said. The group of five men were hiking in Lincoln on Old Bridle Path and the Franconia Ridge Trail Tuesday when they became separated, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game. Two of the individuals made it to the Falling Waters Trail to a parking area as they had all planned, according to Fish and Game.

"When they did not see the rest of their party come to the trailhead behind them they started trying to figure out where they were," New Hampshire Fish and Game said in a statement. "They were able to text message (two others) and found out they were on the Liberty Springs Trail and were trying to get to the highway."

They were unable to find the fifth member of the party so they called 911. First responders found one hiker at a trail head and two others on the Liberty Springs Trail at about 10 p.m.

"None of the hikers had any flashlights with them," Fish and Game said. "None of the hikers had any equipment to stay overnight in the woods in the conditions they were facing. Temperatures were in the low thirties and were predicted to drop into the mid twenties through the night."

Photo: Sun rays spill through a gap between the clouds and the White Mountains as the skies begin to clear above Bartlett, New Hampshire, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. (Credit: Associated Press Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)