A hiker died at a hospital shortly after he was rescued from the peak of Mount Washington in New Hampshire where he had been hiking in extreme weather conditions.
Rescuers faced challenging conditions while searching for 53-year-old Xi Chen after he texted his wife late Saturday to let her know that he was “cold and wet and could not continue on.”
“He further wrote that he felt he would die without a rescue,” authorities said.
The victim suffered severe hypothermia after becoming stranded on the Gulfside Trail as winds blew at 80 mph mixed with sleet and snow in the Presidential Range summits, the Fish and Game Department said.
“The conditions in the high peaks were treacherous,” the department added.