ANDOVER – A 13-year-old Canadian girl on a six-day group trek was rescued Saturday after being overcome by heat and high humidity.
The hiker was on the Appalachian Trail about 2 miles in from East B Hill Road at Dunn Notch.
Following 40 minutes of on-scene treatment for dehydration, rescuers walked the girl to a waiting Med-Care Ambulance, said Andover firefighter and Med-Care paramedic Seth Guthartz.
The Camp Tekakwitha teen, whom he declined to identify, was then transported to Rumford Hospital where she was treated and released.
Camp Tekakwitha is a French-speaking summer camp for boys and girls ages 7 to 17. Located on Lake Androscoggin in Leeds, it is associated with Camp Tekakwitha in Loretteville, Quebec.
A camp spokeswoman in Leeds said the girl, who did not rejoin the hikers, was doing well Monday afternoon at the camp.
For rescuers, the incident began at 4:15 p.m. when an emergency dispatcher received a 911 cell phone call from a counselor on the trail for an unconscious 13-year-old girl.
“They said the group was going to meet us by the road, but I knew better than that,” Guthartz said Monday morning. “That terrain is steep and narrow with drop-offs in some areas. And it was hot and muggy at that time of day. It was really bad.”
The area is known for a series of spectacular waterfalls on the West Branch of the Ellis River and a small, narrow gorge.
Andover firefighters were the first responders, taking with them two men – Leon and Tim Akers – familiar with the terrain. With them was Andover Fire Capt. Mike Dixon, who is also a paramedic.
“They reached the victim 15 to 20 minutes before I did. She was semiconscious at first, so it was a wonderful thing to have the Andover Fire Department respond with a paramedic,” Guthartz said.
“This was a good example of what people need to be aware of when hiking in the Maine woods. They need to be vigilant with their food intake and drink copious amounts of water,” Guthartz said.
It was tricky going for rescuers, hiking quickly while carrying a litter on which to transport the victim. But they didn’t have to use the litter to get the girl out.
“We had to go over and down a ridge, cross a river and go over and up another ridge to get to where the victim was. The water was really high. One rescuer suffered a broken toe.
“Other than that, everything went smoothly.”
Twenty rescuers participated in the incident, including Maine Warden Brock Clukey and Oxford County Deputy Brian Landis. Tri-Town Rescue also assisted, covering for Med-Care, which was busy responding to six other calls elsewhere during the four-hour rescue operation.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
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