Unconscious hiker awakens to find herself impaled by stick and bleeding in New Hampshire

A hiker woke up on a mountain in New Hampshire to find she had been impaled, officials said.

The 23-year-old Vermont woman had been trekking off trail on Mount Kilburn when the harrowing ordeal began, according to an April 28 news release from the state’s Fish and Game Department.

“She experienced a medical emergency and lost consciousness,” officials said. “When she regained consciousness, (she) determined she had fallen and impaled herself on a stick, which was causing heavy bleeding.”

Conservation officers responded to the scene about an hour before sunset, aided by local fire and police personnel.

Responders located the woman and enacted “life-saving measures” to stem the bleeding, officials said.

The woman was then transported down the mountain to a helicopter, which flew her to a hospital in Dartmouth for treatment.

Mount Kilburn is located in Walpole, about 70 miles southwest of Concord.

One of the trails on the summit is described as a “moderately challenging route,” according to AllTrails.

This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Unconscious hiker awakens to find herself impaled by stick and bleeding in New Hampshire."