Florida Family Might be Charged for What NH Fish and Game Call a ‘Preventable Rescue’ on Mount Lafayette

I would love to tackle some of the 4,000 Footers here in New Hampshire. However, I have had some bad hiking experiences where I was less than prepared to take on the trail I embarked upon. (see: my near death experience on Precipice Trail in Bar Harbor) Hiking in the White Mountains is no joke and if you are unprepared you can find yourself in a really bad situation like a family from Florida did last week.

According to WMUR, a husband, wife, and two kids (ages unknown) underestimated the time it would take to complete a hike on Lafayette Mountain. They set out on their adventure late on Monday. When they found themselves without water and light around 11 pm, they called 911. The article states they were rescued around 12:30 am by a NH Fish and Game officer who provided more light and gave them something to help with dehydration, one of the members of the group was severely fatigued. They didn't get back to the trailhead until almost 2 am.

This family is getting a lot of judgement and hate on social media, and I certainly don't want to pile on. I do agree that it was poor planning on their part and a little research could have prevented this entire debacle. I'm sure they learned their lesson and won't make this mistake again. Let's just hope the children aren't traumatized!

The article goes on to say that NH Fish and Game thinks the family should be billed since the rescue was preventable. They also remind hikers who want to enjoy the White Mountains this Summer "to think ahead and make safe decisions. The White Mountains are rugged and unforgiving" Amen to that!