Family tracking hiker from China sees him go off-trail before death, NH officials say
UPDATE: The deceased hiker has been identified as Guopeng “Tony” Li, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Li, originally from China’s Hebei Province, had been living in Salem, New Hampshire.
A missing hiker’s body was found off-trail in near-zero temperatures on Christmas Day, New Hampshire officials said.
On Christmas Eve, a 28-year-old man set out to hike an 8-mile loop near Mount Lincoln, a 5,000-foot peak in the White Mountains, according to a news release from the state’s fish and game department.
Throughout the day, a family member in China tracked his location, noting he was an inexperienced hiker, officials said.
About seven hours after he began his trek, the family member noticed he appeared to have veered off the trail and his phone was about to lose power, officials said.
As temperatures approached zero degrees, a search commenced for the hiker, who may not have been carrying any equipment, according to officials.
Conversation officers came upon tracks that appeared to belong to the hiker in the early morning hours of Dec. 25, officials said. The tracks deviated off the trail and led officers to a low-lying area between two mountains.
About a half-hour before sunrise, officers discovered the hiker’s body a half-mile from a trail in Franconia, officials said. His remains were then transported to the trailhead.
The hiker’s identity has not yet been released.
A spokesperson for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Several trails surrounding Mount Lincoln are considered challenging, according to AllTrails, an online hiking guide. One user commented earlier in December that one of the trails was “all frozen and very steep,” and another added that hiking in the area is “very unsafe” without microspikes, a type of footwear that provides traction.
According to the state’s search and rescue division, there have been about 20 deaths resulting from “off-road emergencies” in 2022, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.
This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 8:22 AM with the headline "Family tracking hiker from China sees him go off-trail before death, NH officials say."