Hiker lost in deep snow calls 911 just before phone dies on NH mountain trail
A hiker with more than 25 years of experience got lost in deep snow on a New Hampshire mountain — and his phone had just enough battery power left to call 911 before it died, rescuers said.
Richard De Reyna, 57, had started the hike on the Kilkenny Ridge Trail at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 3, from the York Pond Trailhead. He aimed to summit Mt. Weeks, Middle Weeks and Mt. Weeks-South Peak, then return the same way, New Hampshire Fish and Game said in a May 5 news release.
But when De Reyna reached the trail, he encountered deep snow that made him lose the trail repeatedly, officials said.
He kept hiking, finding the trail with a mapping program on his cellphone — that drained his phone’s battery at the same time.
Just before 4 p.m., De Reyna was able to make the one call to 911 to report that he was cold, wet and lost “before the battery completely died,” rescuers said. He also didn’t have a light source or any other gear, officials said.
A conservation officer tried to call him back several times to guide him to the trail and avoid a rescue, but heavy rain was moving in and officials worried he would get hypothermia, they said.
Androscoggin Valley search and rescue volunteers joined conservation officers and paramedics and hiked as a group to rescue De Reyna, who was 4.5 miles from the nearest road, officials said.
The group hiked off trail up a drainage and found him shortly after 9 p.m., rescuers said.
“He was still at the exact coordinates where he made his 911 call,” rescuers said. “De Reyna was wet, cold, and mildly hypothermic,” so the team gave him warm dry clothes, warm liquids and a light source before they hiked back down together.
An ATV then took De Reyna the remaining 2 miles and reached rescue vehicles at 1:45 a.m.
De Reyna “was unaware of the snow conditions still present in the upper levels of the White Mountains and was therefore not prepared for the conditions he faced,” officials said.
Officials suggested hikers prepare for treks by packing what are considered 10 essential items: “map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, and a knife.”
Officials also recommended putting phones into airplane mode to conserve battery life or turning them off entirely if possible so hikers will have enough battery power to call for help.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Hiker lost in deep snow calls 911 just before phone dies on NH mountain trail."
