Hiker finds body on trail near summit of Mount Washington

THOMPSON & MESERVES PURCHASE, N.H. — Authorities are asking the public for help after a hiker discovered a body on a trail near the summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington this week.

The hiker found the body of a man on the Gulfside Trail near the junction of West Side Trail, about a half mile from the mountain’s summit, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Because the body was found about 425 feet north of the Cog Railway tracks, Fish and Game received assistance from the Cog Railway who offered one of their trains along with personnel to assist with the body’s recovery, officials said.

The man was a 72-year-old Virginia native, according to a driver’s license found on the body. He was transported down the mountain by train.

It appears that the hiker likely died from environmental exposure, but the exact cause of death is pending an autopsy. His name hasn’t been released.

Fish and Game said little else is known about the hiker other than the fact that he was dressed in jeans, had on a navy blue raincoat, and was wearing brown hiking boots and a small blue backpack.

“He was not prepared for the conditions that were and are still currently present, in the higher summits of the White Mountains,” Fish and Game wrote in a news release. “It is likely that he took the train up to the summit on Wednesday, Aug. 21, and then attempted the hike back down.”

Anyone who may have come into contact with a hiker matching his description is urged to contact New Hampshire State Police Troop F at 603- 846-3333, or email Lieutenant Mark Ober at mark.w.oberjr@wildlife.nh.gov.

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