Latest news with #NewHampshireFishandGame
Boston Globe
15-07-2025
- Boston Globe
He fell 60 feet off of Mount Washington – and lived to tell the tale
It was only later, he said, that the traumatic nature of seeing the bloody, fallen climber really sunk in. 'It was relatively insane,' he said. Advertisement The New Hampshire National Guard airlifted Lamb-Wotton in a helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center with injuries that officials at New Hampshire Fish and Game feared were life threatening. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Lukas Lamb-Wotton fell about 60 feet off of Mount Washington while free climbing – without ropes or a harness for protection in a fall – on July 2, 2025. 'It was kind of iffy on whether he was going to survive,' Colonel Kevin Jordan, law enforcement chief at New Hampshire Fish and Game, told the Globe. 'He had all the signs and symptoms of severe head injury.' Jordan said climbing without ropes, also known as free climbing, is 'lunacy,' and that Lamb-Wotton shouldn't have been doing it. Lamb-Wotton, 31, survived the fall and has since undergone several surgeries, including to his wrist and one that required wiring his jaw shut. Still, we caught up with him over email about what led to the accident and how his recovery is going. Advertisement This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You grew up in Maine. How old were you when you started rock climbing and what drew you to the sport? I did grow up in Maine and consider Gray my hometown. However, I did not get into climbing until after I moved to Miami for graduate school at Florida International University in 2017. I'd say I became a 'climber' in Aug. 2019. From your , it looks like you've done some free solo climbing before without ropes. What do you like about that style of climbing, and how do you think about the risks involved? I primarily free climb with ropes or boulder, but I have enjoyed free soloing without ropes as it feels like a more 'pure' version of the sport, as you just walk up to something and start climbing. I just enjoy moving through complex mountain terrain and not having a rope, which allows a feeling of added freedom. Of course, it is inherently more risky for this reason. The key is to be alert and aware of those risks at all times and provide yourself a margin for error. If I feel myself getting too close to that margin, that is where I back down and re-evaluate. Lukas Lamb-Wotton, 31, fell about 60 feet off of Mount Washington while free solo climbing there without ropes. The New Hampshire National Guard came to his rescue and flew him in a helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where he has undergone several surgeries. Lukas Lamb-Wotton You mentioned you've done the route on Pinnacle Buttress twice before. How long had it been since you last attempted the route? I have completed variations of Pinnacle Buttress twice, once in the summer of 2023 and once in 2024. All were without ropes. I was not out on the face of Pinnacle. I was traversing the ridge where the climbing is segmented. You do some climbing moves followed by flat stances so I was not continuously climbing. I was very close to the top when I fell. Based on my experience in 2024, I fell on the last real climbing move. Advertisement Were you climbing by yourself or with anyone else? I was alone. What do you remember about the fall itself? I remember everything. I never lost consciousness while on the buttress. The key factor was the White Mountains had received rain the day prior to my climb and the section I fell on had some water coming out of a seam. In 2024 I used the seam to stand up and then moved left to some good holds and finished the climb. This is where my risk miscalculation happened. I knew the holds to the left were good, so I thought I could avoid the wet seam by going straight to those good holds. But since I had not stood up enough in the seam, the hold out left wasn't as good as I remembered. I tried to compensate by grabbing it with both hands and standing but this contorted me in a way that caused my heels to lift and subsequently fall. I screamed and fell about 20 to 30 feet in the air. I was wearing a backpack. Once I fell I spun around so my back was to the wall and landed on my right side. I believe I broke two ribs on the fall but that my backpack prevented me from breaking my back or neck. I then tumbled another 30 to 40 feet through a rocky gully full of vegetation. Advertisement I think I sustained most of my injuries during the tumble, including an ankle avulsion, broken left wrist, broken/dislocated jaw, and several face fractures around my left orbital and small bones in my nose and ear. I also broke about four teeth and remember spitting a fifth out after the tumble. It all happened very quickly. What happened once you were rescued? I had a lot of adrenaline pumping so I don't remember significant pain, but I was very banged up. The helicopter ride was totally fine and can't thank the search and rescue team enough. I know a heli rescue off Pinnacle was no easy task. They had to make two passes before the SAR member could reach me due to winds. They did everything they could to assist me and make me feel comfortable and cared for. They have my enduring gratitude. The same goes for the two climbers who sprang into action after hearing me fall. A group of hikers in Huntington Ravine saw me fall and heard me scream. They helped direct the climbers to my position. Climber Mike (Reid) then rappelled down to me and secured me. Then he and his partner got me to a stable position. Mike and I ascended the whole gully I had tumbled down. Once in a stable location they talked me through everything and were the ones to call search-and-rescue. My rescue would have been much more complicated and arduous without them. I feel forever indebted to them and can't thank them enough for what they did. Lukas Lamb-Wotton, 31, fell about 60 feet off of Mount Washington while free solo climbing there without ropes. The New Hampshire National Guard came to his rescue and flew him in a helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where he has undergone several surgeries. Lukas Lamb-Wotton What surgeries have you had so far? How long do you think it will take to make a full recovery? Advertisement I had wrist surgery last week where a plate was used to stabilize my ulna. A pin was also placed in my hand to stabilize two dislocated metacarpals. I had a second surgery on Monday to repair my facial fractures and work on my jaw. I have a third surgery upcoming to finish fixing my jaw. My jaw is partially wired shut now and will be fully wired after my last surgery. I will probably be at Dartmouth another week but I'm sure it will be two to three months before my bones fully heal. Then, I will need physical therapy and out-patient services. I saw was created for you! It lists your injuries as: 'multiple orbital and naso-cochlear fractures, a dislocated jaw, broken ribs, a number of missing teeth, along with numerous injuries to his wrists and ankles.' Is that correct? Yes, generally. Do you have any idea of how much your medical care has cost so far? Do you know if the search and rescue team is charging anything for your rescue or the use of the helicopter? The cost of my medical bills is not clear but is sure to exceed $15,000. I have health insurance but it's not clear to me what will be covered. I will also need dental surgery to fix all my teeth once my jaw is healed and out-patient services during recovery. I have not talked to the search and rescue team yet but have friends in contact with them. ( Colonel Kevin Jordan said he hasn't made a determination yet about whether to charge Lamb-Wotton for the helicopter rescue. Typically, Fish and Game only charges if they determine that someone was negligent or reckless, but Jordan said he takes pause in the case of injuries as serious as Lamb-Wotton's. He said it can cost up to $80,000 to use a helicopter with a medical evacuation crew, but typically, the National Guard writes these rescues off as a training expense, in which case the state doesn't have to foot the bill.) Advertisement How, if at all, does this accident change your relationship to rock climbing? Do you think you'll do anything differently in the future? I will definitely get back to climbing as soon as I recover but I don't believe I will be doing any more free solos. My gut and intuition told me to back down on the move but I pushed on with dire consequences. This experience has reinvigorated my mentality on risk assessment and management as split-second decisions are what matters in these situations – rock climbing and beyond. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Boston Globe
03-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
N.H. National Guard rescues rock climber after 60-foot free-fall off Mount Washington
The hikers shouted to a nearby group of rock climbers, who then provided first aid to Lamb-Wotton and called 911 to get help, according to officials. New Hampshire Fish and Game said they coordinated a rescue that involved multiple agencies, including a team of elite rock climbers from the Mountain Rescue Service and a Blackhawk helicopter and crew from the N.H. Army National Guard to provide support from the air. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Favorable weather conditions allowed the Army National Guard crew to hoist the climber from Huntington Ravine at about 3 p.m. and fly him to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., which is about Advertisement Officials at Fish and Game said Lamb-Wotton arrived at the hospital alive, but his condition is not currently known. A spokesperson for Dartmouth Health said the hospital is not authorized to release any additional information about Lamb-Wotton. Fish and Game officials said if the hikers hadn't alerted the climbers about Lamb-Wotton's fall, it could have taken hours or even days for first responders to locate him. Advertisement Lamb-Wotton is a In 'Trust your intuition,' he wrote. 'I've done this route twice before but I felt (sic) off going into it yesterday. I forced it and now have to deal with the consequences of ~60 ft tumble. Just a small reminder everyone is human.' Amanda Gokee can be reached at
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
Hiker suffers hypothermia during trek on New England's highest peak amid East Coast heat wave
In a striking contrast to the sweltering heat gripping much of the East Coast, a 55-year-old hiker from Texas was rescued in frigid and treacherous conditions Friday evening from the high peaks of New Hampshire's White Mountains. Caroline Wilson, 55, of Austin, Texas, was found hypothermic and unresponsive on the Gulfside Trail, approximately one mile north of the Cog Railway tracks, while hiking Mount Washington, New England's highest peak, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a release. The department said Wilson became incapacitated during the hike, prompting her husband to call 911 at 5 p.m. He told authorities that she could no longer move or communicate. Conservation Officer Rachael Stocker told Fox News Digital that she assisted in the rescue mission, and said Wilson was wearing cotton base layers during her trek. She said cotton is not the best to wear during hiking because the material is absorbant to sweat. She noted that on Friday, it was raining intermittently, causing the 55-year-old to succumb to the elements and suffer from severe hypothermia. 3 Caroline Wilson, 55, of Austin, Texas, was found hypothermic and unresponsive on the Gulfside Trail. New Hampshire Fish and Game 'The White Mountains can be pretty unforgiving,' she said. 'Weather changes here in a flash.' Photos from the scene of the rescue captured the misty environment and steep rocky terrain. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department conservation officers, along with volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, Pemigewassett Valley Search and Rescue, Mountain Rescue Service and personnel from the Mount Washington Cog Railway, mounted a complex response in severe alpine conditions to rescue Wilson. Despite a heat wave sweeping cities from Boston to Baltimore, conditions above 5,000 feet in the White Mountains were anything but warm. On the summit of Mount Washington on Friday, temperatures hovered around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind speeds reaching 120 mph and dense cloud cover reducing visibility. 3 Temperatures were just 20 degrees Fahrenheit on the summit of Mount Washington on Friday. New Hampshire Fish and Game Several hikers in the region were reported suffering from hypothermia throughout the day, the department noted. The Cog Railway played a crucial role in the rescue operation, transporting rescue teams up the mountain and sparing them a grueling three-mile ascent via the Jewell Trail, the department said. The first rescue team reached the ridgeline at 7 p.m., with a second team arriving an hour later. Rescuers battled high winds and cold as they built a temporary shelter to stabilize Wilson before carrying her back to the waiting train. 3 The first rescue team reached the ridgeline at 7 p.m., with a second team arriving an hour later. New Hampshire Fish and Game Upon arrival at the base station, Wilson was handed over to a Twin Mountain ambulance crew and transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare for further treatment, the department said. Officials credited the successful outcome to the tireless efforts of rescue volunteers and the Cog Railway's continued support in emergency efforts. 'The weather was not great and the conditions were potentially life-threatening,' a department said, 'but each group responded to the call for assistance and endured less-than-hospitable weather conditions to save the life of this hiker.'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Zombie moose': As climate change shortens winters, ticks ravage New England's moose population
A bull moose grazes in New Hampshire during the spring. (Photo by) Every fall, winter ticks in New England sit on shrubs or other plants waiting for a large animal to pass by so they can latch on and begin sucking out blood. This has a huge impact on the area's moose, wildlife biologists say. 'They basically become zombies and die,' Eric Orff, a New Hampshire-based wildlife biologist, said. 'We have zombie moose.' According to estimates from New Hampshire Fish and Game, the Granite State's moose population peaked in the late 1990s at around 7,000 to 8,000 moose. It has since declined to roughly 3,000 to 4,000. Most tick species move from host to host frequently, but winter ticks find a moose, deer, or other animal around November and extract their blood for the entirety of winter. And it's not just one or a couple ticks on each host. Rather, hundreds or thousands of ticks often latch onto a host. This is a process called questing and it has a huge effect on moose, particularly calves. 'April is the month of death for calves,' Orff, who works as a field biologist at the National Wildlife Federation and serves as vice president of the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, said. 'The adult ticks are feeding one more time before they fall off and they basically drain the moose's supply of blood.' Around April, the female ticks fall off their hosts to lay their eggs. If they land on snow as opposed to dry land, the eggs are less fruitful. However, as climate change represses winter weather, tick populations have boomed. 'Over the last 20 years, instead of one winter out of six or eight or 10 being truncated, now, a majority of them are,' Orff said. 'So what has been found in more recent moose studies, including those done in New Hampshire and in Maine and Vermont the last two decades, is that it really significantly impacts the moose calves born that previous spring.' While adult moose are better able to fend off the tick infestations, he said, 70% of calves don't make it to 1 year old. And this also affects adult female moose. Orff, who has been studying moose and other wildlife for decades, said that when he and his colleagues began this research in the 1980s, nearly all older female moose gave birth to two calves. Now, he said, less than half the females even become pregnant. He said this is a result of being underweight from the ticks, but also because climate change is making summers warmer, which results in them eating less. Underweight moose are less likely to give birth. 'It's really a double whammy,' he said. A third factor, he said, is that south of the White Mountains brain worms have proliferated. While moose populations have plummeted, white-tail deer populations have nearly tripled from about 40,000 in the early 1980s to around 100,000 to 120,000 in the southern half of the state due to milder winters, he said. Brain worms are common in deer, and while those brain worms don't harm the deer, they can be fatal to moose. Orff noted the economic costs of lower moose populations. He said people used to travel to the North Country specifically to see the moose. 'Moose viewing in New Hampshire for a period of years was a $10-million-a-year industry,' he said. 'I don't know if there's any companies that still do it. I think there are. But you used to be able to go out and, in a night, see a dozen or a half dozen moose at least. Now they may go several hours and see no moose.' These die-offs also cause ecological issues. Henry Jones, moose project leader for Fish and Game, said moose carcasses serve as a food source for scavengers, which are seeing rising numbers in the wake of this population collapse. Jones said the past two years have been particularly severe for tick infestations. To address this, the state is issuing more hunting permits. Jones said tick populations rise when the moose population has high density. By killing off moose, the survivors fare better, he said. The state is also working with the University of New Hampshire to study the conditions in which ticks proliferate best. Jones said this is all about 'keeping them from getting really high density and causing this kind of cyclic relationship of lots of tick mortality.' However, the hunting strategy still results in dead moose and low populations. Orff noted the conundrum. 'I guess that's the debate,' Orff said. 'Is it better to have far fewer moose and less sickly moose? … Baby moose who drop dead from no blood in April or taking some of them out that will be utilized by hunters eating them?' Jones said the state is acting based on the wishes of citizens. 'We did a public survey to understand what the residents want with the moose population in 2024,' Jones said. 'People want there to be the same or more moose, but they don't want there to be more moose if they're unhealthy.' Still, Orff said none of these are a true solution to the overall problem. Moose will continue dying, he said, until we put an end to humans' warming of the planet. This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin. Like Maine Morning Star, New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Hampshire Bulletin maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Zombie moose': As climate change shortens winters, ticks ravage New Hampshire's moose population
A bull moose grazes in New Hampshire during the spring. (Photo by) Every fall, winter ticks in New England sit on shrubs or other plants waiting for a large animal to pass by so they can latch on and begin sucking out blood. This has a huge impact on the area's moose, wildlife biologists say. 'They basically become zombies and die,' Eric Orff, a New Hampshire-based wildlife biologist, said. 'We have zombie moose.' According to estimates from New Hampshire Fish and Game, the Granite State's moose population peaked in the late 1990s at around 7,000 to 8,000 moose. It has since declined to roughly 3,000 to 4,000. Most tick species move from host to host frequently, but winter ticks find a moose, deer, or other animal around November and extract their blood for the entirety of winter. And it's not just one or a couple ticks on each host. Rather, hundreds or thousands of ticks often latch onto a host. This is a process called questing and it has a huge effect on moose, particularly calves. 'April is the month of death for calves,' Orff, who works as a field biologist at the National Wildlife Federation and serves as vice president of the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation, said. 'The adult ticks are feeding one more time before they fall off and they basically drain the moose's supply of blood.' Around April, the female ticks fall off their hosts to lay their eggs. If they land on snow as opposed to dry land, the eggs are less fruitful. However, as climate change represses winter weather, tick populations have boomed. 'Over the last 20 years, instead of one winter out of six or eight or 10 being truncated, now, a majority of them are,' Orff said. 'So what has been found in more recent moose studies, including those done in New Hampshire and in Maine and Vermont the last two decades, is that it really significantly impacts the moose calves born that previous spring.' While adult moose are better able to fend off the tick infestations, he said, 70% of calves don't make it to 1 year old. And this also affects adult female moose. Orff, who has been studying moose and other wildlife for decades, said that when he and his colleagues began this research in the 1980s, nearly all older female moose gave birth to two calves. Now, he said, less than half the females even become pregnant. He said this is a result of being underweight from the ticks, but also because climate change is making summers warmer, which results in them eating less. Underweight moose are less likely to give birth. 'It's really a double whammy,' he said. A third factor, he said, is that south of the White Mountains brain worms have proliferated. While moose populations have plummeted, white-tail deer populations have nearly tripled from about 40,000 in the early 1980s to around 100,000 to 120,000 in the southern half of the state due to milder winters, he said. Brain worms are common in deer, and while those brain worms don't harm the deer, they can be fatal to moose. Orff noted the economic costs of lower moose populations. He said people used to travel to the North Country specifically to see the moose. 'Moose viewing in New Hampshire for a period of years was a $10-million-a-year industry,' he said. 'I don't know if there's any companies that still do it. I think there are. But you used to be able to go out and, in a night, see a dozen or a half dozen moose at least. Now they may go several hours and see no moose.' These die-offs also cause ecological issues. Henry Jones, moose project leader for Fish and Game, said moose carcasses serve as a food source for scavengers, which are seeing rising numbers in the wake of this population collapse. Jones said the past two years have been particularly severe for tick infestations. To address this, the state is issuing more hunting permits. Jones said tick populations rise when the moose population has high density. By killing off moose, the survivors fare better, he said. The state is also working with the University of New Hampshire to study the conditions in which ticks proliferate best. Jones said this is all about 'keeping them from getting really high density and causing this kind of cyclic relationship of lots of tick mortality.' However, the hunting strategy still results in dead moose and low populations. Orff noted the conundrum. 'I guess that's the debate,' Orff said. 'Is it better to have far fewer moose and less sickly moose? … Baby moose who drop dead from no blood in April or taking some of them out that will be utilized by hunters eating them?' Jones said the state is acting based on the wishes of citizens. 'We did a public survey to understand what the residents want with the moose population in 2024,' Jones said. 'People want there to be the same or more moose, but they don't want there to be more moose if they're unhealthy.' Still, Orff said none of these are a true solution to the overall problem. Moose will continue dying, he said, until we put an end to humans' warming of the planet.
