The body of a hiker was recovered over the weekend after his wife notified authorities that he was late for a hike in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, authorities said Monday.
The remains of Christopher Huyler, 44, of nearby Littleton, New Hampshire, were found early Saturday on a ridge in Franconia Notch State Park in Franconia after a search and rescue mission was launched Friday evening, the state Fish and Game Department said.
“It was apparent that the man had suffered a significant fall on icy terrain,” the department said in a statement. “He was wearing microspikes and was well equipped for a walk.”
Huyler had left Friday to check conditions along an off-trail ski slope that takes participants through a clearing, a trail lined with trees, the department said.
The clearing is near state-run Cannon Mountain, a historic ski area that opens for the season Friday. The hiker was heading toward the center of the three “Cannon Balls,” subpeaks southwest of the mountain, the Fish and Game Department said.
Around 4 p.m. Friday, Huyler checked in with his wife to say he was doing well and making his return trip, the agency said. At 6:30 p.m., she told authorities that Huyler was late, it said.
Search and rescue crews traveling through cold, mountainous terrain came across the hiker’s body within the first hour of Saturday on Kinsman Ridge, a feature that leads to Cannon Mountain, the department said.
“Just before 1 a.m., while climbing the edges of a steep, ice-covered slide, the body of the missing man was located approximately 2,800 feet,” the Fish and Game Department said.
By 5:30 p.m., nearly two dozen rescuers, including Fish and Game Department conservation officers and volunteer members of the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team, had gathered to help carry the hiker’s body 3.2 miles to a road with access to the path. said.
Huyler had parked his car there on Friday before starting his walk, the department said. The New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was expected to conduct an autopsy.
A spokesperson said the office was limited by the family’s privacy in providing information about the deceased.
Huyler was described by the Fish and Game Department as “an avid outdoor enthusiast” who was familiar with the White Mountains, an area rich in winter sports history, where Cannon Mountain opened the first cable car for skiers in North America in 1938.
Conditions over the weekend were cold enough to welcome 8 inches of new snow, according to Cannon Mountain’s daily weather report on Monday. The National Weather Service reported that temperatures for the city of Franconia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) north of Boston, fell into the mid-30s Friday evening amid cloudy skies and calm winds.
“Winter conditions have arrived in the mountains and hikers are encouraged to be prepared for their trek,” the Fish and Game Department said.
It urged hikers to take a map, a compass, food and water, a headlamp, a fire starter, a first aid kit, a whistle, weatherproof jackets and trousers and a knife.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
