WEARE, N.H. (AP) — A hiker fell several hundred feet down a mountain and crawled in the snow for seven hours to get help.
Patrick Luk, of Weare, says he was hiking alone Monday and was about to ski back down Mount Adams when an ice slab broke free.
“I went to edge my uphill ski to prevent myself from sliding, and my binding released,” he said. “And the terrain is so steep up there, if you lose a ski, you’re going downhill.”
The 22-year-old Luk, an experienced hiker and skier, said his helmet bore the brunt of the blows, but his face was bruised and battered. His knee was badly injured.
“It was pretty scary,” he said. “I tried standing up and had issues walking, so I slid down as far as I could on my back.”
State Fish and Game officers were looking for Luk, because his mother called when he didn’t come home. But they didn’t find him until he made it back to his car after crawling for hours.
“He was very cold and couldn’t communicate,” said Fish and Game Lt. Wayne Saunders. “When we put him in the ambulance, he was shaking. I’m not sure how much further he could have gone. I am quite impressed with what he did.”
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